The new 1-Series M Coupe looks..
..just a little ridiculous. With its 19″ wheels rimz (please, bigger ≠ better), exaggerated arches, unsightly wheel gap, and – above all – overstyled front end, it doesn’t look aggressive, it looks chunky and slightly vulgar— like a baby X6 M, only with two fewer doors. Why couldn’t the designers (or is it the marketing people?) have taken a page out of the 1-Series tii Concept’s book and exercised a little restraint? Okay, so we could have done without the latter’s matte black hood and boy racer stripes, but otherwise, there was absolutely nothing wrong with how that car looked.
1-Series M Coupe:
Ugh.
1-Series tii Concept:
We get it, the tii Concept looked too much like a standard 135i gussied up with bolt-ons from the BMW Performance catalogue (almost like a 135iS, as it were), but comparing the two now, maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing. We don’t doubt that the M Coupe drives brilliantly (which it probably does), but its cartoonish looks disappoint. Badly.
Motoring Con Brio 
I just can’t find anything about the 1 series I like (although the talights on the 1M are nice)
They should have run with Jon Sibal’s design.
BMW Fail
Brandon: Richmond, VA said this on December 10, 2010 at 10:16 am
not a fan of the tails, either. looks like they are chasing trends, rather than setting them.
motoring con brio said this on December 10, 2010 at 10:37 am
I think, if the engineers had been worth a damn, that they totally could have fit AT LEAST 2 more vents into that front bumper.
Colin said this on December 10, 2010 at 1:06 pm
oh yeah, at least a couple more. it almost looks like a bumper within a bumper– sort of a house of mirrors effect. trippy.
the thing that amazes me is how the 19s still don’t look that big because those wheel arches are giant. the thing looks like a 4×4. the car’s proportions are very poor. it looks overweight, like a fat girl in tights.
RadAlex said this on December 11, 2010 at 5:12 pm
Very beautiful car 🙂
mzvg00 said this on December 10, 2010 at 6:00 pm
When i look at this car, i expect to see a giant baby’s hand come down from the sky to play with it.
didn’t i see these in the kid’s toy aisle at Target ?
styling sucks
dave said this on December 11, 2010 at 3:18 pm
if they put out the Tii people would have complained it’s just like the regular 135… Their point is to make a flashy halo car . they will make few and they will probably all sell. Basically like the the Mini GP
AC said this on December 12, 2010 at 10:43 am
i understand that but wish they could have found more of a middle ground! there is ‘good’ flashy and ‘bad’ flashy and i think this car unfortunately crosses that line. of course that’s also subjective, as there are plenty of people who think it looks fantastic.
motoring con brio said this on December 12, 2010 at 11:02 am
it’s the tail end that ultimately disappoints. The proportions are all wrong. See where the arches start and the tail lights end? Feels jacked up or tacked on.
And I love flared aches don’t get me wrong, but a mess here.
The tii could have existed if they went down the M3 CSL path, stripping and laying waste to the unnecessary, some signature wheels, maybe a little flick on the boot lid, voila.
And by the way, as a detail, has anyone seen the ‘arms’ of the new 6 series’ rear view mirrors. Now that’s something.
jc said this on December 12, 2010 at 10:02 pm
The most glaring missed opportunity, I feel, is the fact that they appropriated it on to the 1 series coupe and not the hatch (3 or 5 door). Either would have made for a more lust worthy car (in my opinion) and might have taken the place of the now missing Z3 M Coupe (in the sense of its “batt-shit crazy “practicality”).
REC said this on December 12, 2010 at 10:30 pm
It’s a 1 series Coupe…that already looks all wrong. I think they did a pretty good job making an US market special look good. 1 Series should have been a 3 door hatch 🙂
AC said this on December 12, 2010 at 10:56 pm