![]() Modest improvements, maybe, but they contribute to a classy and intoxicating powertrain. ![]() BMW also claims improved engine smoothness thanks to a vibration damper and better noise via an acoustic shield. There are other mechanical tweaks, including automatic throttle blips on downshifts for the manual while the eight-speed auto gets wider ratios and launch control. It’s an entirely different feeling car, it’s far better looking and more lustworthy thing with all that muscular bodywork, and the draw of having a proper M Division car rather than an M Performance pretender cannot be ignored.Then the M2 rocked up with its bulging pecs and tore it a new parking space… So tell us all about the new BMW M240i…Įven though the M Lite has been transformed into the beefier-sounding M240i it’s difficult not to be distracted by the idea of something better around the corner, but unlike the Leave campaign there’s some substance to it.īoth the 1-series and 2-series receive the latest 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbocharged petrol, already at work in the 3-series but more importantly boosting the M240i to 335bhp and 369lb ft at just 1400rpm– hardly figures to be sniffed at. But it is worth pointing out that we’re comparing a car that’s had it’s mid-life update to one that hasn’t - the M4-engined Competition does a great job of redressing the balance in terms of performance and drama, admittedly bringing with it a weight increase.Įven with the straight-line performance similarities though, the original M2 more than justifies the premium over the ‘lesser’ M240i. The gap in straight-line performance is awkwardly slim now, to the point at which there’s preciously little difference between the two. The M2 on the other hand? Hell yeah, it’s a sports car. ‘Fast coupe’ seems like a much more appropriate description. To give similar straight-line performance to the M2 and even more expensive sports cars like the Porsche 718 Cayman S plus an engaging drive for that kind of money is impressive.īut I wouldn’t call the M240i an out-and-out sports car. The brakes could do with being stronger, too.įor its £35,090 asking price, the M240i is unquestionably an utter bargain. The lack of limited-slip differential means it doesn’t feel awfully comfortable when you lose grip at the rear (we’re in one-tyre-fire country here, boys), something you’ll find happening fairly often with that fat serving of mid range torque. The M240i is a very capable and entertaining B road weapon, but you do get the feeling it’s skirting around the boundary of what its more basic chassis is capable of taking, and - depending on the conditions - a little over it. It sounds slightly different its N55-engined predecessor, but it still isn’t an especially sweet-sounding six-pot. There’s an enormous amount of clout in the mid-range, and you never really need to rev the engine out. ![]() ![]() And even after a bout of bombastic V10 power, the M240i feels exceptionally quick. I drove the M240i immediately after a few days in an Audi R8 Spyder, providing a decent way to ‘cleanse’ my automotive palate with something entirely different to the M2. So, that’s all the technical stuff out of the way, but what about the feel of these cars? ![]()
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