If you like the idea of a serious sports car but need the practicality of four seats, then BMW may just have the perfect car for your needs. With two doors, four seats and six cylinders, the BMW M240i xDrive is both a capable daily driver and pulse-quickening sports coupe. It’s also the cheapest six-cylinder BMW on sale right now.
The Road To The M240i
BMW’s M products have been the performance benchmark by which every other sports car is judged for decades. While the first few M cars were limited-run specials, the M3 range was the first to be built in slightly larger numbers, bringing the magic of M to a larger audience at a more accessible price point.
Each succeeding generation offered more power, luxury and space. But with a higher price tag than before. This soon left a gap in the market for a suitably sporty not-quite-M model to slot in below the full-fat M cars.
Initially BMW introduced the Individual and Motorsport ranges. These cars had the exterior detailing cues of M cars, but few mechanical enhancements aside from a lowered suspension setup and larger wheels. While these were popular models, many BMW fans wanted more than just a visual upgrade.
The M Performance Option
This is how the BMW M Performance sub-brand came to be. Officially announced in 2012, these cars not only offered sportier looks but more performance, too. They were a clear step up from the entry-level models if not quite as track focused as the pricier M cars.
And that’s exactly what this new M240i xDrive Coupe is. Being one of the newest M Performance models on sale, from the moment you set eyes on it, you know this isn’t just another 2 Series. That said, even a base model G42 2 Series isn’t exactly a shrinking violet. A long sweeping bonnet and a low and wide stance imbues it with a sportiness that makes it looks fast even when it’s standing still.
The M240i takes things to another level, visually differentiating itself from the 220i and 220d with sportier wheels and a more aggressive body kit. It also has M sport seats an adaptive M suspension and most importantly a 285kW version of the impressive B58 turbocharged inline-six motor.
xDrive For The Win
Unlike the rest of the 2 Series Coupe range – and the new M2 for that matter – the M240i is available solely as an xDrive model in South Africa. This intelligent all-wheel-drive system can send up to 100% of the power to either axle. In the case of the M240i, it has been set up to maximise grip and traction when driving enthusiastically. Don’t worry about understeer through the corners. This car turns in just as well as the RWD models, just with tons more grip when you put your foot down. Sharing much of its underpinnings with the G20 3 Series clearly has its benefits, although it also means that this M240i weighs in at a rather portly 1,765kg.
Not that you’d notice. Sending the power to all four wheels means a 0-100km/h time of just 4.3-seconds. That’s exactly what the rear-wheel-drive 338kW M2 manages. And while it can’t quite keep up with the more powerful M2 at higher speeds, in daily driving situations you’d struggle to tell the difference between them.
So How Does It Drive?
Out on the bumpy, potholed roads we drive on every day you’d expect the M240i to buck and weave about on those low-profile 19-inch run flats. Sure, the ride is firm, but hardly worse than an M340i or even a 220i when shod with similarly low-profile 19’s.
It’s relatively quiet, too, aside from some rather intrusive tyre noise on the highway. Driven sedately, the 8-speed ‘auto box fades into the background, even the exhaust note is unobtrusive. A decent daily driver then.
But, like some of the best M cars, the M240i has a dual character, instantly accessible by pressing the sport button (or touchscreen). In this setting, the throttle response becomes sharper, the gearbox responds quicker and hangs onto each gear for longer. Allowing you to power out of corners without having to wait for a downshift. Once on boost, it feels as if a few extra horses have been added to the already generous 285kw on offer. If only the exhaust note was as impressive as the rest of the package. Surely something a reputable aftermarket tuner can remedy.
The outright performance and handling on offer may not be quite as impressive as the mighty M2, but it certainly eclipses most other cars on the road. And that includes some very quick M cars from just a few years ago.
The Stats:
Power: 285kW
Torque: 500Nm
0-100km/h: 4.3-seconds
Base Price: +-R1.2-million
The Daily Driver M Car
If you’re after the ultimate driving experience, then only a proper M car will do. But, if like most of us, you must juggle your automotive passion with some of the more practical day-to-day driving duties, then the M240i xDrive is the perfect choice.
The interior is solidly built, the dash and driver display all but identical to the recently facelifted 3 Series. Don’t confuse this 2 Series with the front-wheel-drive Gran Coupe versions. In more ways than one, this is very much a two-door 3 Series, with a set of (slightly smaller) rear seats.
With the constant push towards engine downsizing and electrification, the M240i is now the most cost-effective way to get behind the wheel of BMW’s famed six-cylinder engines. It’s not only one of the quickest cars you can buy for under R1.2-million, it’s also one of the most impressive BMW’s on sale right now.
