Life with the M Coupe

It's been a few months of settling in, and M Coupe and I are enjoying our relationship thus far. I absolutely love firing up the engine every time I get inside, it's such a fun piece of machinery. I love the short shift kit, I don't know why the world builds cars with "long shifts". I love what happens past 3,700 rpm when the engine transforms from growling beast to rampaging monster, the sound track is petrol fueled perfection. I love that the 9.5" wide rear tires apparently operate on the same principles as glue. Transportation isn't transportation anymore, it's a personal joyride every time I go anywhere.

The first few outings were mind blowing, then I got to observe the experience in passengers. Mom as first co-pilot thought it looked "really cute" and sounded/felt like we were "always speeding" (both accurate, when you're sitting that low and hear that exhaust and have that kind of suspension, anything feels fast), and did eventually get a taste of a little more performance than she is used to. Dad's observations were spot on too, through a different lens. Clean, well kept, feels solid driving and solidly built like the Germans are known for. Good value, good performance, makes sense to buy older yet "new" and the price drop inherent in that makes the upkeep after the purchase make sense.

Other BMW drivers take notice, but only a certain subset of them. I've hit enough parking lots to have a few spontaneous conversations. One lady asked me if that was a "new little BMW economy model". I said "to me, yes it is"... a more elaborate explanation didn't seem necessary. Generally though, the 323 series and X3 drivers seem not to notice or care. It's people driving other M cars that want to chat. "I really wanted one of those, but couldn't do the 2 seater my wife said - we have kids" said one M3 owner. An M5 guy pulled up next to me at a stop light, and I thought this was gonna be some race request based on his look over (M5 displacement is gonna toast this little thing, I'm fully aware). He rolled down his window and said "awesome, I've always loved those M Coupes". It's funny how now this little go-kart feels normal, and what that does for my perceptions of other vehicles. A co-worker of mine bought a 2007 BMW 335i from the US; I drove him to pick it up in Calgary. I sat in the driver's seat and marveled at how light the clutch felt, and how big and spacious [this little 3 series two door coupe] felt. The word "boat" crossed my mind instantly, and I had recollections of sitting in the front seat of grandma's early 80's Buick. Of course a 335i is a taught, compact, high powered coupe, but it just felt expansive and open in comparison. I mean there were seats for more people behind me...

I also recently drove a friend's 135i that's mod'd out sufficiently - the twin turbo engine, smooth [long] shifts, quiet and relaxing ride make it feel, well, like a performance sedan, where sedan comes first. The M Coupe has no real "commuter car" personality whatsoever, it's a higher strung machine than that.

I've driven the SUV a few times now too, relatively infrequent since the new addition. It feels like driving a bus. High off the road, different driving position more like a table chair, no hint of throttle response... the real kind anyway, with a massive cavern of internal space. Hills were again perceptible from an effort-of-engine perspective. No that wasn't brake fade, that's 6,000lbs of vehicle and a different brake system. My kidneys weren't jolted over bumps in the road, and those speed signs advising of appropriate corner and off ramp speeds became mildly useful again. Of course the upside is that I can fit two bike boxes and a large suitcase (and still be less than half full), plus make it over more than that millimeter of mashed up snow melting away to nothing on the road.

I need to find some track time this summer - and when I say track time, I don't mean bumping door handles and jockeying for a larger mechanic's bill. I mean clear, unregulated pavement that is an enabler for stretching that line between traction and slippage out to repeated intervals of seconds of time so that line can become familiar, not the fractions of a second every couple years that drivers randomly encounter on public roads. Instead of powering out on acceleration, I'm pretty sure the electronic limiter at 255kph will be the upper bounds, and I'll just label that statement as an educated guess for now. I've made friends with the electronic traction control, it's a very utilitarian feature. Second gear, without it, can break traction at essentially any rpm instantly, let alone springtime corners in our city of melting snow, ice patches and gravel. We're smoothing out our combined skill set, and although the plane of the pedals doesn't seem ideal to me (what do I know though), we're getting to some pretty reliable toe and heel downshifts so I can brake and rev match the downshift simultaneously - the good ones feel smooth and simple, the way it should be, as the whole point is to minimize the rate of change of force the rubber and asphalt have to deal with.

This is the first (4 wheeled) vehicle I've owned that enables visits right to the edge of judgment, control, and fear - a feeling similar to how I feel when skiing fast, or descending on a mountain bike - a tool that's actually performing comfortably near the edge, rather than being incapable of even getting there. It's funny actually, I have been asked "why didn't you get xyz" where for the most part xyz would refer to something "more blingy". I wasn't looking for bling I say, but for sport. I'm actually not all that capable at broad swaths of sport, but the ones I like usually involve speed, dynamic judgment and a feel of traction. Side note - that stereo is nice for the morning commute, but it's an insidious little devil. The rear speakers help drown out the real music - the exhaust note - which serve as an indicator of power output/speed. Without the aural reminder, or any feedback of "engine effort" this might be tricky on the highway to keep it reasonably slow.

In a point of clever humor, I received this in an email from a co-worker: "Bakke, I think I stepped on your car when I got out of my truck this morning... try not to door ding my lug nuts, will ya? (sweet coupe though)"

ps. We're gonna have a long relationship, but I've also developed a list of power/torque to weight ratio on vehicles, as I have this gut feeling about the future direction of this trend. The only problem with this table is the price column starts to look awfully nasty when I sort for ones with a power to weight ratio above my little M Coupe! (and not surprisingly the brand list narrows to those who make that ratio their calling).