The 2011 BMW 1M Vs. The BMW M3 - What Is Motor Trend Seeing That NO ONE Else Does?

The 2011 BMW 1M has everyone talking in the automotive community. It's on fire, not to be confused with its Valencia Orange paint job. Just about everyone seems to think that the 1M measures up to the legendary M3 but like most things, there is an exception.

That peculiar link in the chain is Motor Trend, who ends their comparison of the two Ms picking the M3. Sorry if I spoiled it for anyone willing to click through five pages on their site.

As you can see in the magazine's excerpt down below, they have a specific point to make:

[on the 1M] But is it better? Lieberman and I agree: No. This big, heavy, and expensive M3, with its unflappable confidence and lascivious powertrain, is the car we want, the car we'll remember as the best of the naturally aspirated Ms. It's the one we'll tell young gearheads about in a few decades with the same fondness and reverence as given its E30 ancestor. The 1M doesn't measure up to the M3's standard. Few cars do...