Flinter, just catching up on some threads. Was going 2 jobs for a while (covering a vacancy), and basically started focusing on eating and sleeping on my time off.
First, the waxing and cleaning looks great. Space Grey has becomes one of my favorite BMW colors. Similarly, the look of the 1-series has really grown on me. Yes, it's got that cutsie look, but that looks a lot better IMO than the sad fish/ Pokemon look of the new 1-series hatch (apologies to you or anyone else that may like it though). Here's praying they do something different with the front of the new 1-series coupe. Apparently, a BMW insider has said they have (the designs are confirmed a long time in advance of when they come out). That the new 1-series coupe will have a distinctive appearance to the hatch going forward, much like the 3-series sedan and coupe will continue to have their own distinctive looks.
In addition, as you may have already heard, the 1-series will be renamed the 2 series, with an M2 coming out. I am still holding out hope for a good looking M2 coupe. The size and weight of that thing are theoretically appealing to me off the bat. And the same BMW insider has said that, while the 1M showed what BMW could do in a very short timeframe and with a limited budget, the new M2 will be everything that the 1M should have been. Because now they have the budget and the luxury of time. The 1M has really been getting rav reviews, so I'm looking forward to seeing what the M2 will be like...
I think the new 4-twin-turbo will probably be a little better than expected. Just like I think the new M3 with the (rumoured, but strongly hinted) tri-turbo 6 will be.
Thanks for the kind words on my clay bar and paint sealant job. Thought my arm was going to fall off at the end of that day.
I was happy with the way it turned out but of course it rained a day or 2 after.
I've been looking the pics of the new 1 series and while the car looks better in some areas than the current 1-series, I'm also not very fond of that front end design. Perhaps it'll grow on me over time or will look different in the coupe (2 series) incarnation.
I'm keen to see how the new 2.0L 4 cyl. turbo works out. My neighbor works at a BMW dealer and he tells me it definitely feels stronger that the N52, it's more fuel efficient, but as you would expect it has lost a little of that inline 6 feel creamy goodness.
Agreed, It certainly appears the new 1M is getting some good reviews. Having had the 128i for over a year now, I'd love to take one for a spin sometime just to feel the difference. I'm sure it is a big step up from the 128i in both power and handling. However, given the limited availability it appears to be a car destined for BMW collectors or those willing to order car without a test drive.
It's good to hear that BMW is planning on forging ahead with the 1M and M2 idea in the next gen. As you indicated, I also find the size of the 1-series very appealing and it was one of the reasons I got one. While driving around it's always interesting to come across E30, and E36 3-series cars because they look similar in size. IIRC the E30 is actually a fair bit smaller than the current 1-series. That said, Bob is right to be concerned about weight. If they could get the new 1M/M2 down to the ~3000lb range it would be very interesting indeed.
