BMW 1-series M Coupe (2011) long-term test review
By the CAR road test team
Long Term Tests
Starring on the small screen: our 1M video
Before Jethro Bovingdon departed the CAR offices, he recorded a lovely film about our long-term test BMW 1-series M Coupe. In all the to-ing and fro-ing of him leaving, we never got round to showing his video review of our favourite small long-termer on the fleet.
Watch this new video to see why we like so much!
The 1 M’s headlamps are rubbish – 8 November 2011
Is there a theme developing here? Our 530d Touring’s headlamps have left us squinting, with a woefully poor illumination on dipped beam as the light pattern obscures the nearside kerb. And now the clocks have changed, our 1 M appears to be suffering a similar problem.
Here the 1 M’s beam pattern is just set too low. When dipped, the headlamps simply point too low down, lighting up what feels like a scant 30ft in front of the car.
The truncated beam pattern is the worst I’ve driven in recent months, making you slow right down and drive within the lights’ illumination. They’re fine on full beam – all BMWs have laser blazers on with the blue dashboard light winking at you. But how often do you drive around with your lights up full?
Road test editor Ben Pulman and I were driving back from an event the other night and took this photo to show how sharply cut off the 1 M’s beam is. Flipside? We surely can’t be dazzling any other drivers. Just a shame we can’t really see where we’re going either.
By Tim Pollard
Long Term Tests
Starring on the small screen: our 1M video
Before Jethro Bovingdon departed the CAR offices, he recorded a lovely film about our long-term test BMW 1-series M Coupe. In all the to-ing and fro-ing of him leaving, we never got round to showing his video review of our favourite small long-termer on the fleet.
Watch this new video to see why we like so much!The 1 M’s headlamps are rubbish – 8 November 2011
Is there a theme developing here? Our 530d Touring’s headlamps have left us squinting, with a woefully poor illumination on dipped beam as the light pattern obscures the nearside kerb. And now the clocks have changed, our 1 M appears to be suffering a similar problem.
Here the 1 M’s beam pattern is just set too low. When dipped, the headlamps simply point too low down, lighting up what feels like a scant 30ft in front of the car.
The truncated beam pattern is the worst I’ve driven in recent months, making you slow right down and drive within the lights’ illumination. They’re fine on full beam – all BMWs have laser blazers on with the blue dashboard light winking at you. But how often do you drive around with your lights up full?
Road test editor Ben Pulman and I were driving back from an event the other night and took this photo to show how sharply cut off the 1 M’s beam is. Flipside? We surely can’t be dazzling any other drivers. Just a shame we can’t really see where we’re going either.
By Tim Pollard
Categories:
BMW 1-series M Coupe,
Reviews
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