Cape Town Road Trip with the ///M Coupe

[izzy]

Okay I did it; I drove to Cape Town and back to Jozi. This was the second time ever I have done the round trip. Usually I rail the car down and drive it back but due to all the Lambo, ///M3 and Ferrari drivers taking up all the space I had to drive down.



I did not mind doing the trip as this would be my second road trip in the ///M Coupe but this time I would be driving alone. Before I headed off on my trip the car went in for a complementary holiday check. They did a great job as I had no issues and there was always soap water to clean the headlights and windscreen. What raised my eyebrow was when the Service agent asked “where are you going sir” when I replied saying Cape Town, his eye brow raised and he said “will your kidneys survive”.

Yes my kidneys survived and what a great drive it was.

Firstly this car is insanely fast making overtaking maneuvers effortless and the tar eating process a non issue. There is power throughout the rev range which was a surprise for such a high revving car. I expected to do a lot of cog changes to get peak power but the S54 engine performed like a superstar. After having the S54 in my life I now know why it has been engine of year so many times.

The exhaust note of this car is a mixture of pure bass which is delivered low in the rev range and a mechanical high pitch rasp at the top end of the rev band. The engine/exhaust sound when blipping the throttle while down changing or reversing always resulted in an audience of car guards and kids.




Secondly the handling was hardly tested during the drive down but when in Cape Town I took it on many passes and can tell you now that I gave up way before the car did around corners. I forgot to take my brave pill and could never really push the car around corners. I can see I need to go for another advance driving session before I switch traction control off on this beast. The ride was comfortable and I will even say it was more comfortable than both MINI Cooper S’s I have had. This is due to the runflats that are fitted to the MINIs, while the ///M has fat non runflat tackies. I had my GF in the car on the way back and she did not complain once about the ride.



Thirdly the cabin of this car is cocooning but big enough for two people to travel comfortably for 12 hours. All the functional items are well placed, cup holders that fit any bottle, SATNav that is the center of attention in the cabin, aircon that did a great job of keeping me cool, seat heating that kept me warm at 3am in the morning and the best part of all was the leather body hugging seats with “///M” embossed in the headrest. At certain times during the journey I wanted to see the sky and wished I had a sunroof but that thought vanished once I opened the windows, selected 3rd gear and got the revs up to 8000rpm.

The boot space and the many compartments came in handy to house 4 suitcases and little packets. If I had the roadster there would be no way to get all that stuff in.



Lastly the exterior styling of the car is beautiful and so unique. My goodness every person and their dog looked twice at the car while it passed them or while it was parked. I do not think that there are many ///M Coupes in Cape Town because I was asked constantly “when did this car come out” and “what is it called”. Knowing that the E86 has come to the end of its production means that the car will remain rare.



There are a couple negative points that need to be mentioned.
Like the old generation SATNav, the reason I say that is because when in a mates ///M3 he could do searches for restaurants which the ///M Coupe can do but the party trick of the new generation is that it displays the contact details and can call the restaurant to make a booking!

The bonnet of the car does feel abit long when trying to park in a tight space. I am sure I will get used to that.

[Dammmittt]

Nice...threads like this usually go here tho. http://www.zpost.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=79

[nmulax]

Really like that first shot!

[Rick Hunter]

With roads looking as pristine as they are in your pics, I wouldn't know why anybody would rail their car! I'd do the trip just for kicks and without a second thought.

Great post, izzy.

[Mikewarlover]

good post buddy the M coupe is a truly beautiful looking thing. I wouldn't mind having one as well but i like my roadster more.

[GP20]

Dammit. I want an M-coupe!!!

[izzy]

Originally Posted by Dammmittt

Nice...threads like this usually go here tho. http://www.zpost.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=79

I was wondering where to post it but i thought the review justified it being posted here. If admin wants to move it they can.

Excuse the cheesy comments, got abit carried away at bits.
The pictures were taken with my Nokia N95 except the first shot which was with a Sony SLR.

Thanks guys, glad you liked