2002 BMW M Coupe review from UK and Ireland

I have to say, since the big ends and oil pump have been replaced due to a recall that was missed, it has been fine and pulls well. However I am now going to be picky and list the little things that bug me.

1. The engine VANOS system is very tappy and quite irritating when cruising through a town, you want a nice throbby sound without a time bomb following you.

2. Rear view mirror, way too big, gets right in the way of left hand bends, when you are blasting round the country lanes, you want to be able to see through the bend, I am 6' 4" and find I constantly have to duck to see under the mirror.

3. Steering wheel is way to big and does not adjust in height.

4. Seats are uncomfortable after around an hour or so constant journey, it does not offer any lumber support.

5. Wing mirrors, or should I say door mirrors, very bad rear visibility, lovely site seeing the nice shiny wheel arches though.

Anyway, I said I would be picky! So don't attack me on the above list. The car is Brilliant!!! I love it!

The power very quickly becomes normal every day stuff and that is when you are going to make a mistake. I have been winding up the motor through coutry lanes thinking I am cruising, however cruising in this car is flat out in a Golf VR6 or Mondeo ST24. It is at that point you go into a corner which is a little sharper than anticipated and you have to scrub off a post 100mph speed, which can make for interesting driving.

Due to the hard ride and huge power I find she can skip about a bit on bumpy lanes and at times when I have been powering out of a corner, she skipped over a bump, and the traction control thinks there is a problem which cuts my power. This then puts the car totally out of shape as it is doing exactly what I do not want it to do. I recommend on a nice dry sunny day, turn off the DSC and enjoy the motor as it was meant to be used! Flick it on in the wet though...

The thing I do love is it turns heads everywhere, when you drive through a built up area, the engine has a throbby boom to it in each gear! Awesome! And everyone wants to get a closer look.