InsideLine delivers a new review of the BMW 1 Series M Coupe. Does the “baby-M” lives up to its hype? Let’s find out.

“Let’s not extend the suspense any longer. The 2011 BMW 1 Series M Coupe is a fantastically compelling machine. It is fast — faster in real-world terms than the M3 on most roads. It has a truly brawny engine that sounds great at wide-open throttle, handles with all the precision expected of a car wearing the evocative M badge, and is super practical given its performance brief.

And, to our eyes at least, the BMW 1M looks great — even in the garish metallic orange paint scheme BMW has chosen for launch cars.

A True M Car?
It has taken more than four years to get to the point where the 1 Series M Coupe is even ready for production. Along the way, BMW decided not to provide its most affordable performance model with a unique engine as with every M car that had gone before it.

With such a troubled birth, the big question is whether the new car can live up to the high standards of the original E30 M3, a car BMW suggests is the spiritual ancestor to the 1 Series M Coupe. If first impressions are anything to go by, the answer is an unequivocal yes.

Full review at InsideLine.