Asian Carmakers Corporation, BMW’s exclusive Philippine distributor, has launched two cars that should set the pants of both rich young punks and their parents alike: the 1 Series M Coupe and the 6 Series Convertible. Both launched as all-new cars, the two beef up BMW’s sporty-car lineup with a vengeance.
The 1 Series M Coupe is based on the 1 Series Coupe that followed the original 1 Series hatchback. The 1 Series was meant to plug a hole in BMW’s lineup as the 3 Series has gone steadily upmarket. The 1 Coupe brought back a little of the 2002 sedan vibe, in some ways its modern counterpart. The 1 Series M dials up the performance all the way to 11: a twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-six is under the hood, pumping out 340 bhp. There’s 450 Nm of torque, with 500 Nm available for short bursts on overboost. That’s in a car weighing 1524kg. 0-100 km/h zips by in 4.9 seconds, 0-200 km/h in 17.3 seconds, and you will easily hit 250 km/h on the electronic speed limiter.
A six-speed manual transmission with an ultra-short gearshift will make sure you still exercise your left foot and right hand. All drive goes to the rear wheels, so with the 1 Series’ capability for oversteer, you won’t need an onboard TV for entertainment.
The 1 M rides on independent suspension front and rear, and has huge 360-mm front/350-mm rear disc brakes to haul it down from speed. The stability control can be tweaked using a dedicated M Dynamic Mode button, allowing for more wheelspin and oversteer. A limited-slip differential helps the car to maintain traction.
The 1 Series M is based on the current 1 Series platform. An all-new 1 is on the way, having been launched in Germany in June. The new 1 Series platform is still rear-wheel drive, but has the capability to be used as a front-wheel drive chassis, too.
For the more mature set, there’s the 6 Series Convertible. The new 6 Series has more graceful styling now, and the Convertible takes full advantage of that. In top down mode, the lines are striking and elegant. BMW compares the rear deck to that of a luxury speedboat, and it’s not far off to say that.
There are two 6 Convertibles available, the 640i with inline-six cylinder, 3.0-liter power (320 bhp) and the V8-powered 4.4-liter 650i (407 bhp). The 6 Convertible seats four beneath its electrically-powered soft-top. The driver-oriented cockpit features a heads-up display.
The 1 Series M starts at P5,540,000 while the 640i goes for P8,700,000 and the 650i P10,700,000.
Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.
