BMW 1M vs. Porsche Cayman R – Comparison Review by The National

The National, an Abu-Dhabi based magazine, takes the new BMW 1 Series M Coupe and compares it against the Porsche Cayman R. The Cayman R has a mid-mounted 3.4L flat-six engine and the BMW a front-mounted 3.0L straight six. The BMW is quicker to 100kph. Interested to see how the two compare? Read on in the review excerpt below:

By comparison, the BMW is more rounded, more user-friendly. It’s ridiculously quick anywhere, and leave it in its most nannying settings and you’ll be doing well to unsettle it. Naturally, there’s the option to take more control, with the M button loosening up the response of the traction and stability systems to turn the 1 M into a hooligan. Do so and you’ll get through tyres pretty quickly, but the fun to be had with the mobile rear is worth a higher than normal tyre bill. It rides with greater composure than the Porsche, though lacks the mid-engined car’s steering intimacy and poise in the bends. There’s not that much in it, though. Some information is offered at the chunky rim but, even with hydraulic, rather than electric, assistance, it feels like there’s a filtering process before detail gets through to your hands on the wheel.

Even so, the 1 M aces the Cayman R in a number of areas, not least practicality. Sure, such cars are indulgences, but even toys need to be useful sometimes. The two luggage compartments of the Cayman R are handy, but not as useful as the conventional boot and two rear seats you get in the BMW. The Cayman’s a strict two-seater. That alone might rule the Porsche out for many. Not that it really matters, but both return about 9.6L/100km on the official combined cycle and emit much the same CO2 figures.

But these cars aren’t about numbers, they’re simply about driving. They’re both brilliant in that each so faithfully fulfils the goals that clearly defined their creation. That they’re so different is part of their appeal. It’s difficult to choose one over the other then; the purity of the Porsche’s appeal offset by the bombastic BMW. They’re both quick and both ridiculously good fun. In an ideal world you’d have one of each, but if I had to walk away with the keys to just one of them, the Porsche would get the nod. That’s simply down to its crisper steering and that wonderful gear shift. I’d forever lament the loss of the greater practicality and more rounded nature of the BMW, though.

However, the 1 M isn’t a loser here; indeed, enthusiastic drivers are the winners, both BMW and Porsche creating quite incredibly appealing, enjoyable driver’s cars. Relatively affordable, too, with performance that, while easily dipping into the realms of illegal on the road, aren’t so potent as to find driving them a constant frustration. Either is a joy, and a reminder that the very best cars are never produced by product planners, but by people in greasy overalls who take driving seriously.

Source: The National

For more information on BMW M, contact:

Munich Automobiles Singapore
30 Teban Gardens Crescent Singapore 608927
Showroom: 6899 6996 Service center: 6566 7666
http://www.munichauto.com.sg