When someone buys a BMW M car, he doesn't get just the vehicle alone. Instead, he is entitled to an extensive suite of exciting motoring events exclusive to him as a BMW M owner. Although this writer isn't as fortunate to be one, he was lucky enough to experience being one for a day.
Spanning 5.543km long with a total of 15 turns, the Sepang International Circuit is well-known for its sweeping corners and wide straights and this was the perfect venue for the BMW M Track Experience Asia 2015. At the event, participants also had opportunities to become passengers in an M3 and M6 Gran Coupe during a drift taxi ride conducted by professional instructors but the highlight was no doubt sampling the potency of the M cars on track.
BMW M Series M135i
The M135i is not a full-fledged M car but it still has a considerable amount of work done to it over the standard 1 Series Hatchback, and the car proved to be a pleasant surprise on track.
Equipped with a 3.0-litre six-cylinder engine that dispatches 320bhp and 450Nm of torque to the rear wheels, it is a very spirited hot hatch with an agile steering that is very responsive to the driver's inputs. With its small stature, it is naturally the easiest car to drive and may have been the most entertaining one in the lineup.
And even though it's the weakest car (in terms of horsepower), it had absolutely no trouble staying right up there with the big boys.
BMW M Series M6 Gran Coupe
The M6 Gran Coupe (GC) is virtually identical to the M6 Coupe and the M5 Sedan, possessing the same turbocharged 560bhp 4.4-litre V8 engine and seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.
But to drive, the M6 GC is actually more it's own machine than the specifications on paper would suggest - yet exactly as one would expect of an amalgamation of the M6 Coupe and the M5 Sedan.
The longer wheelbase and wider track make the M6 GC slightly more planted and stable in corners than its coupe brethren and with a lower centre of gravity as compared to the M5, it sits flatter and corners faster.
BMW M Series X5 M
As we have sampled, the regular BMW X5 already does a fantastic job of hiding its mass and the M version does it better, although there's still inevitable body roll as the car tries its best to defy the law of physics.
Nonetheless, there's zero slack in the steering, while a quicker ratio makes turn-in instant. From there, the car stays flat and grips the tarmac hard. The 4.4-litre V8 motor under its heavily sculpted hood delivers a stonking 575bhp and 750Nm of torque to all four wheels via an eight-speed Steptronic gearbox.
Combined with BMW's famed xDrive all-wheel drive system, all you have to do is flatten the throttle and you'll experience an explosion of sorts as the 2,350kg behemoth blazes down the straights in a whirlwind of acceleration. The 4.2-second centruy sprint timing can attest to that.
BMW M Series X6 M
The X6 M is something of a novelty drive, and the car exists somewhere in a world of its own. It's a testament to the skill of BMW M's engineers that they've managed to make this mishmash of a SUV and a coupe in every way credible.
But as punishing laps of the Formula One circuit is completed, it's impossible to deny that there's something compelling about what this car can do.
Hurling down the straights and then slicing through the bends isn't exactly what you'd expect from a vehicle hovering at 2,340kg. But it actually did, and with much aplomb.
The X6 M is seriously quick, sprinting to 100km/h from standstill in 4.2 seconds. Not only does it change direction quickly and capably around the hairpin turns on the circuit but also stays remarkably flat while doing so.
