Wet and wild!

Buckling up behind the steering of the new BMW 1 Series M Coupe is bound to give any driver an adrenalline rush. The car's 0 to100 km/h in 4.9 seconds spec is sure to get the heart pounding.

However, to test drive the manual, six-speed sports car, while driving on the right-hand side of a mountainous country road in a strange country, in the rain, requires a heightened level of concentration.

That was the state of affairs in Colombia, two Thursdays ago, a day after the 2012 BMW 1 Series M Coupe made its Latin American and Caribbean debut.

Accompanied by a Spanish-speaking BMW instructor and a female, Spanish-speaking Costa Rican colleague, we embarked on our test drive.

The dark clouds and showers failed to put a damper on the occasion, so much so that my colleague put on her sunglasses as she got ready to drive us down the hill.

The ride was smooth. One, two, three, four, five ... she selected the gears in the sports car. And, it was very responsive to her requests.

Then, my instructor said something to me in Spanish, which my female Costa Rican counterpart translated.

"Your turn to drive," she said in a thick Spanish accent, having basic knowledge of the English Language. It was my task to take the new sports car uphill.

I assumed the leather-covered reins of the coupe with both hands and adjusted my seat so I could be snug. I took a couple of seconds to get my bearings as to where the rear-view mirrors were and adjusted them, while, at the same time, reminding myself that I'll have to drive on the right side of the road. And, off I went.

The newest member of the M-family's three-litre, twin-turbo inline six-engine roadster obeyed my every instruction, and up the hill it went on the wet and windy morning.

The coupe features an aluminum-intensive suspension derived from the M3. It has a powerful braking system with internally-ventillated, cross-drilled cast iron discs. According to the specifications available, the rack-and-pinion steering is fitted with a hydraulic power steering system called servotronic, which regulates boost in relation to road speed.

The car boasts dynamic stability control, anti-lock brakes, anti-slip control and a cornering brake control which helped me to easily take the car back home. But on stepping out of the 'cockpit', I had a yearning to be reunited with the M as soon as possible.

- Brian Bonitto

2012 BMW 1-Series M Coupe

Power Output: 250 kW / 340 HP

Engine Capacity: 2.979 ccm

Torque: 450+50 Nm Overboost at 1.500-4.500 U/min

Acceleration: 4.9 s (0-100 km/h)

Top speed: 250 km/h (electronically limited.)

Power-to-weight ratio: 6.0kg/ kW 4.4kg/ HP

Specific output: 83.3 kW / l 113.3 HP / l

Emission rating: EU5

Fuel consumption: 9.6l/100km (EU Cycle)