BMW M Coupe...Continued

Driving Position: Sitting behind the wheel, between the door armrest and the center console, one has the impression of being in a race car. The cabin is snug as it should be in this type of vehicle -- it is a cockpit afterall. Your right arm rests comfortably on the center console with your hand on the shift lever. The instrument cluster in front of you contains the gas, tachometer, speedometer and coolant temperature gauges. To the right at the top of the center console are heating and ventilation vents. Controls for the audio system are located below the vents, as are two additional gauges -- a voltmeter and engine oil gauge. There is also an analog clock and three dials for the heating and air conditioning controls which are large and easy to operate. All the gauges and dials, as well as the gear shift boot, have a chrome trim.

Our only complaint was that the seats are difficult to adjust for optimal comfort. The seat backs have limited travel. This was further complicated by the fact that there is a trunk wall just behind the seats. So reclining the seat back was limited even further. However, when you're whipping the M Coupe through the curves of Highway 1 in Big Sur, California, all of this concern seems to evaporate.

Cargo Space: Yes there is cargo space, actually a surprising amount of it; 9 cubic feet of it, in fact. We felt the intense urge to put this GT to the test and go touring. We packed it with everything we needed for a weekend trip to Big Sur with no problem. We pack more than the average tourist as we carry a large satchel of commercial camera equipment and a computer and we were still able conceal all of our possessions under the cargo area cover. In other words there is room to spare. So shoppers, fear not! BMW claims that the M Coupe can carry two fully loaded golf bags and while we don't play golf, it does look possible and we know the value of that to our readers.