2007 BMW M Coupe 1,000 Mile Review

[elwesso]

I posted this on my Z4 forum, so I thought I'd share it here.

I bought my Z4 M in December, and stored it for about 3 months. In the time I bought it and stored it, I probably drove it a total of about 100 miles, I think two or three times... I officially got it out of storage at the beginning of March, but I didn't really get to drive it due to the weather. Well, as fate would have it the starter went out on my D.D., so I've had to drive my coupe for the last two weeks..

My car is a 07, black/black, just turned over 50k miles.

My first impressions of the car were a little mixed. The ride seemed very rough, almost jarring. I thought the transmission was a little hard to get used to, the clutch had kind of a spongy feel to it, the interior felt very cramped, and the sound system was terrible. I was kind of concerned I wouldn't want to drive this car for more than about an hour or two at a time. I expected the interior to sort of feel that way primarily because this is my first 2-door car, much less a small sports car like this. The visibility was also a little surprising, I've never really had to move around in the car so much just to see a stop light or looking to pull into traffic.

Well, after this 1000 miles since I bought it, I've changed the oil and that's about it.. I'm going to be replacing the diff, transmission, and coolant next.. The brake fluid was recently changed, so I'll wait on that until it's time to do the brakes (which will probably be sooner than later... )

I've been averaging about 24-25 MPG (usually about 24.5) on an 85 mile round trip commute back and forth to work, so considering what the car is rated at I'm pleased with that.

I've gotten used to the interior size a lot more than I thought I would. Once you get past how low the car sits and the low visibility, you really find that the interior space is quite adequate. The biggest key I found is getting the seat in the right position. I'm a little over 6', and I have fairly long legs so I found the leg room was less than stellar. I found that I'm overall a lot more comfortable if I put the seat back farther forward, so the seat bottom can go further back..

The sound system still is very lack luster for a car like this, IMO. I found however (based on advice on this forum) that putting the fader a couple notches toward the front really helps. Eventually I plan on doing the reprogram listed here, but until then this is fine.

The ride is still a bit jarring on rough pavement, but overall for large bumps it's about what I expect for a car like this. It's no cadillac, but it's a good balance..

At first, the clutch feel with the CDV takes some getting used to. I plan on removing my CDV but it's OK for the time being. I think the biggest thing that it allows you do is release the clutch faster during spirited driving and still have it remain smooth. So, on most cars you wouldn't just let it return on it's own or shifts would not be smooth, but on this car I think you can almost take your foot off it (not literally but close) and it will result in smoother shifts. I also found (and others mentioned it too) that the faster you shift, the smoother the drive.

I found 1st gear is basically useless for "normal" driving, so most the time I start in 2nd gear. Unless I'm launching the car, 1st gear is just too short for "normal" use..

Now, onto the things I love about the car.. The sound this thing makes is absolutely incredible. Winding up this engine at high RPM's is great, it has a howl and a mechanical "whine" that makes even non-car enthusiasts grin. I would not call this car ungodly fast, but it's fast enough for me and as long as you're in the right gear, you've got plenty of power at your disposal. I understand why an exhaust is most people's first mod.

I think the shifter in this car is probably one of the best feeling shifters of any factory car I've driven. It's smooth, has a nice positive engagement, and it's nice and tight.. I find the throws are adequately short, the only improvement I might consider is some metal bushings in the linkages (if they exist)

I think the car from the factory is very well balanced in terms of it's power, braking, handling and other driving dynamics. In a car like this, I don't really think that a lot more power is needed, maybe whatever you could get out of some basic bolt-on mods like headers. The brakes in this car are fantastic, in fact I might prefer a little less "bite" on my next set of pads compared to the factory pads..

The handling is absolutely incredible, the thing feels like it's on rails and it really hugs the road. The only time it feels uneasy is when you hit a bump mid corner, it seems like it's got a little bump-steer, but as long as you hold your line and don't try and correct it there's really no issue. I still have the continentals on my car that are starting to dry rot a little, so I can only imagine what it will feel like with a fresh set of rubber..

Probably the thing I like about it the most is the simplicity... A friend of mine got into the car the other day and looked around the interior and said "there's really not much to it", and that's the best way to put it. My car doesn't have navigation, so there's really not much more technology in my car than in my other car which is a 1994 model year (other than HID's and bluetooth).. I like that there's not all kinds of displays flashing information at you.. You have dials for the climate control, some buttons for the radio, a few simple displays on the instrument cluster and that's it.

You have one button to press, and all the electronic nannies are turned off, and then it's just you and the car.. The car rewards good driving, and punishes bad driving, which is the way it should be.

In my opinion, this car is probably one of the last true "sports cars" BMW has produced, and perhaps one of the last any auto manufacturer has made.. When I say "true" sports car, I'm referring to a car that's simple and doesn't have all kinds of electronic gizmos compensating for lackluster driving.

Overall, I could not be happier with my purchase.

[Jesda]

Excellent review. It sounds very similar to the two-door 135i I drove a couple months ago, but smaller.


BMW audio has been terrible from the very beginning. You'll find that the head unit is actually decent but the speakers are a complete afterthought. There's some upgrade options here:
http://www.bavariansoundwerks.com/

BSW's speakers are the right dimensions for the limited space in the doors and dashboards of most BMWs. E46s guys think highly of them though they're quite expensive.

[WDRacing]

Truth^^^

I've been considering what I want to do with the stereo since I bought the 540. It's "ok" at best.

Good review Wes, although a review without images is kind of a rip off to the reader.

I found a pic for you...

[Eikon]

[MinisterofDOOM]

Great review, Wes! Your complaints about ride quality are true for nearly every small car I've ever driven. It's one of the many reasons I prefer big cars as DDs.

What is the point of the CDV? To enable people who are bad with a clutch to drive hard? That seems like a silly and roundabout approach to a not-really-a-problem.

BMW audio has been terrible from the very beginning. You'll find that the head unit is actually decent but the speakers are a complete afterthought. There's some upgrade options here:

Sounds like early-90s Nissan and Infiniti. The speakers in both my Q and Maxima were garbage. These days it's the other way around with Nissan...speakers are fine but the headunits run the sound through a cotton/mud filter and then add bass. Audio is one of the many things I appreciate when I come back to my LS after driving my dad's Maxima. Even without THX, mine is worlds ahead. Of course mids are still a bit weak, but that seems to be a thing with ALL modern cars.

[Jesda]

^^^^

Yeah, we know -what- the car looks like but we want to see -yours-.

[elwesso]

Ok here are some pics.. The car is a little dusty, but we'll pretend I suck at taking pictures...

As other ///M cars, it has the variable redline... So, as the car warms up the orange lines go away until it allows 8000 RPM fully warmed up.







Representing my alma mater... I figured the additional $25 was worth it



[

Inside the rear hatch. Considering how small the car is, the space is rather adequate. The "hump" on the top/right is where the battery and "BMW mobility kit" are stored. I think I can get a set of golf clubs if I take out the longer ones.



Like some VW's, simply press on the Roundel to open the rear hatch.. Kind of a nifty feature that I hope doesn't break someday.



The non M's get foglights, the M version gets the large intakes and a larger lower grille to cover a rather large (for stock) oil cooler





Center stack is, well, not really a stack, and arguably less complex than my 1994 Q45. All of the aluminum in the interior is *real* brushed aluminum.. As in, it's really friggen cold when it's cold outside.. The real aluminum and leather on the door panels really goes a long way to making the interior feel very high quality.



Finally, there is a small compartment between the two seats that holds a surprising amount of stuff.. I think someone could easily fit their purse/manpurse in there.. In my case, I have a couple CD's, wallet, and the ash tray.

[elwesso]

Great review, Wes! Your complaints about ride quality are true for nearly every small car I've ever driven. It's one of the many reasons I prefer big cars as DDs.

What is the point of the CDV? To enable people who are bad with a clutch to drive hard? That seems like a silly and roundabout approach to a not-really-a-problem.

The CDV (Clutch Delay Valve) is simply a restriction in between the master cylinder and slave cylinder. BMW used it on most of their cars from that era, and almost any enthusiast removes it, and they say it eliminates the spongy clutch feel. For someone not used to driving a sports car, it might make it a little easier to drive smooth, but for anyone with experience on a manual transmission car, it makes the clutch pedal feel spongy.. At least BMW made it able to be removed without any modifications, so if you like it you leave it, if not, you remove it and it's fine either way.

BTW, I posted this review on my BMW forum and almost all the responses I got were saying "YOU'RE GONNA DESTROY YOUR CAR IF YOU START IN 2ND GEAR"..

[Jesda]

NICE. It's one of the few sports cars that I think looks better with a hard top than a folding fabric roof, especially from the rear quarter view.

[Eikon]

I think in the history of cars this is the biggest improvement over a prior model:



vs.




Nice car Wes.. I can't wait to see it!

Oh.. and.. you're going to destroy that car if you keep launching in 2nd gear!

[Jesda]

I think in the history of cars this is the biggest improvement over a prior model:



vs.

I'm torn on this one because while the shooting brake version looks more aggressive, it loses the wide, boat-like rear haunches that look so cool in the rear view mirror.

[MinisterofDOOM]

BTW, I posted this review on my BMW forum and almost all the responses I got were saying "YOU'RE GONNA DESTROY YOUR CAR IF YOU START IN 2ND GEAR"..

I wonder what twisted logic is leading them to that conclusion? Even in my gutless old Ranger, I'd usually go 1-3-5. Not quite the same, but when you've got 5 or 6 or 7 gears on hand you don't need to hit them all on the way to the top.
I know it's an auto, which changes things a bit, but one of my favorite things about my LS8's transmission program is the ability to drive around town without EVER leaving third gear. Revs stay low but there's still plenty of torque. First gear is kinda nonsense unless you're on a track (or trying to make noise or tire smoke)...like the Q, the LS8 will start in 2nd gear by default in auto mode, unless you abuse the throttle pedal. Hell, sometimes in the snow I wish I could start in 5th.

I think in the history of cars this is the biggest improvement over a prior model:

I think both models are dead sexy. I love me some shooting brake. But the Z4 has gorgeous lines in coupe form. Both definitely look better with a hardtop than a softop (but what car doesn't?).

[Eikon]

You like that prior gen MOD?

eek..

I think it belongs in the same conversation as the Pinto and the Aztek. it was the pinnacle of the Bangle era of BMHundai syling.. horrid!

[gwoods]

I like the Z3 M better, I drove a 2000 a couple months back and really loved the feel. The handling is incredible and with the top down it always felt a 10mph faster then it was really going. I drove a 2002 boxster S the next week and the boxster handled better and looked better but was slower and smaller. I'm also 6'2" and the Boxster never felt comfortable.

Last month I drove a 2001 911 Vert and I think that is what I want but then I realized I didn't want the 996 head light pod and shoddy interior. So I am shopping very casually for a 2005 997 Porsche 911 convertable.