M v R
- Thread starter daro911
- Start date
But if you needed four seats ? I owned and 120D 5 door and it was beautifully balanced as a road car. But I am buying a Cayman R ---- and specifying the PCCB brakes. The trouble is, even in the wet, I damage brakes on supposedly fast cars. And BMW brakes aren't great fro trackdays. Ex owner M46 M3CSL, and GT3 MkI -- for that matter --- With 3 passengers ? I'll bet that the M1 is fabulous ---
Its interesting to compare engine and performance: BMW M1 Capacity: 2,979 cc twin turbo Performance: 340hp 0-62mph: 4.9 sec Cayman R Capacity: 3,436 cc naturally aspirated Performance: 330 hp 0-62mph: 5.0 sec (manual) Can you imagine how much power you'd get applying twin turbos to the Cayman R engine?! You get even better contrasts with big-engined Mercs against 911s - Porsche do seem to get quite impressive hp and acceleration with relatively small engine capacities and only rarely resorting to turbocharging.
Alan Woods
New member
Nothing really surprising there, the 1M is cracking car if you need 4 seats and sounds like it will be a more involving drive than the E90 M3 which left me cold.
It's also interesting to compare Porsche lap times to other cars that have the same or more bhp and quicker 0-62mph time. The Porsche almost always comes out on top due to superior handling, which is the most important factor in going fast. My most memorable comparison is the 997 Carrera S vs BMW M6 on Top Gear (when Top Gear actually did meaningful tests!) along a stretch of twisty B road. The 997 was giving away 140bhp to the M6 and beat it by a large margin against the clock with the Stig at the wheel of both. You may find it on You Tube.
There would appear to be a fair bit of confusion (to put it mildly) or rage (to put it succinctly) about why we compared the BMW 1M with Porsche’s rather more expensive Cayman R. So I thought I’d put the record straight and explain why we did what we did, and reveal a few home truths at the same time. And then hopefully the confusion – and the anger perhaps – might fade away gracefully into the ether, allowing us all to carry on enjoying our world of cars with a nice clear mind. So if the class is ready, I shall begin Right then, where were we. Ah yes, 1M versus Cayman R. Why? Several reasons. One; the BMW is, in BMW’s words, a no-compromise driver’s car, so we wanted to test that claim to the full. It’s limited in production numbers so therefore doesn’t need to appeal to or satisfy the wider market, which has allowed its engineers to produce a more ‘focused’ car than they normally would – according to BMW. In essense, then, what we are talking about is a CSL version straight out of the box. A car that may well have four seats and be based on the underpinnings of a more mainstream machine, but one that – because of the above – is also designed to appeal (in theory) to the exact same person who might fancy themselves behind the wheel of a Porsche Cayman. Hence our comparison. Two; the Cayman we wanted to test the BMW against was actually the S, not the R. But for whatever reason Porsche wouldn’t ‘make available’ a Cayman S for this particular test. In fact, in anticipation of this test Porsche GB put several Cayman Rs on its press fleet. PGB knew, in other words, that various media would be wanting to compare a Cayman with the 1M, but it wanted that Cayman to be an R, not an S. Given that we can’t afford to go out and buy a Cayman S for a one-off story, we had to make do therefore with an R. We also decided not to try to borrow an S from a dealer or source one privately – because more often than not when we have, things have gone very wrong indeed… Three; we also decided not to compare the BMW with an Audi TT RS because we regarded it to be too soft a target. Same goes for the RS3. The Audis in question are very good cars but not, in our opinion, great ones. Whereas the Cayman – in any guise to be honest – is. And we wanted to test the BMW against the very best, what with BMW’s claims being as big as they are. Four; 1M v Cayman R actually turned out to be the correct comparison to do in the end anyway – despite the BMW’s extra seats, its smaller price tag and its theoretically less thoroughbred underpinnings. Why? Because the BMW, as it turned out, is very much the real deal. It’s a genuinely committed keen driver’s car; one that anyone who knows why they enjoy driving a Cayman as much as they do, would also get a huge kick out of. The fact that it loses to the Cayman in the end, just, is actually of little bearing overall – because the headline news is that the BMW delivers, in spades, and at last. And the first person to suggest that there is, in light of the above, no relevance in car magazines conducting comparison any longer has missed the point by a country mile. We do comparisons to give the latest new cars a context in which to be judged. Just because one car loses and the other wins, doesn’t mean both cars can’t be winners. In this instance that’s precisely the conclusion. The BMW is a terrific car but the Cayman – in our opinion – is that little bit better still. And if you disagree with that judgement, that’s absolutely fine – because in this class, healthy debate is what we’re all about. Always has been, always will be, A-men.
Interesting Just had a look at some of the reader comments (mainly worthless chatter). One comment was that the 1M should not be compared against a mid-engine 2 seater. BMW compares it to the Cayman on their website using various figures (albeit the S not the R). Figures don't tell the whole story anyway and some manufacturers are optimistic with their figures and whilst others are more conservative...
Man_of_Steel
New member
Just read the thread also ..... my my some people are rather touchy! LOL Anyway, agree that figures arent everything - when you start comparing vehicles with a few tenths difference in performance here, and a few bhp difference there, you really have to drive the cars to feel the difference. That was the overall gist of the video comparison in the first place anyway i felt .... As someone with an eye on a new S or R, i would prefer to hear more on the practical nature of the R - is it really only usable as a weekend toy and cant be considered as a low mileage daily drive?
Interesting. I never knew that previous M cars were not so great on track (have never really followed BMW's cars). I suppose there is a difference between designing a car from the ground up to be a sports car as opposed to turning a standard saloon car into a sports car - engine position, wheelbase, height, seating position, aerodynamics. I suppose designing a car to be a roomy saloon car first and foremost, compromises what you can do with it later.
scaramanga
Member
Hi all, I have an '06 Cayman-S and was lucky to have a 4-day test drive of the 1M recently. Can post a more detailed review if anyone is interested but I found the 1M was incredible to drive. Luckily we bought our Cayman 2nd hand, so were able to buy the 1M as an additional toy (have replaced an E46 CSL to make some space for it). The 1M is one of (if not) the best BMW M cars I've driven over the past 10 years. Literally almost made me laugh out loud a few times (if that makes sense). I do think it's hard to compare it to any cayman (s or r) but I value the flexibility of the extra 2 seats in the back. I'm probably biased as our 987 is a tiptronic and I've been yearning for a good manual. I still think the Cayman provides better feel and the handling is superior. However, the 1M is just somehow more fun to drive. Just my 2p.
Mine will be a daily driver --- but is unlikely to be used very much on track. Can it be used daily ? You bet it can ! My MX5 is good at open top, my Defender is good at off road, my Polo Bluemotion is great at doing 65 mpg whilst averaging 70 mph, my van is great at shifting stuff --- and towing the race car (s), --- and the Cayman R is simply (for me) the most stunningly tactile road car and a show case for Porsche's latest technology [
] And it will hold alot more than my briefcase [][]
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