Skip advert
Advertisement

BMW M140i review - 1-series hot hatch offers more polish than precision - Performance and 0-60 times

The M140i is a polished hot hatch offering that starts to unravel when pushed to its limits

Evo rating
  • Sophisticated and impressive drivetrain, polished road manners and well priced
  • Lacks the precision of more focused rivals

Performance and 0-60mph time

Despite a comparative lack of performance focus, the M140i still boasts impressive performance figures, with manual equipped cars reaching 62 from a standstill in just 4.8 seconds. Thanks to a plateau of torque, the BMW feels unstressed, but still rewards the driver when the full 7000rpm rev range is utilised.

Advertisement - Article continues below

The automatic gearbox drops this time a further two tenths to 4.6 seconds, due to the ZF boxes short gearing and sharp shifts. Compared to the likes of the Mercedes-AMG A45 and Audi RS3, the BMW is out gunned, but against more relevantly priced rivals like the Golf R and Audi S3, the BMW will easily show them a fresh pair of heels in the dry, but be left for dead by these all-wheel drive rivals in the wet.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Mercedes-AMG CLE 646 Spezialanfertigung – AMG’s V8 is back!
Mercedes-AMG CLE 646 Spezialanfertigung
News

Mercedes-AMG CLE 646 Spezialanfertigung – AMG’s V8 is back!

The new era of AMG V8s has arrived, with a car that’s as cool as its name is weird
10 Sep 2026
Audi RS5 v BMW M3: estates go head-to-head – car pictures of the week
Audi RS5 Avant and BMW M3 CS Touring
Features

Audi RS5 v BMW M3: estates go head-to-head – car pictures of the week

In this week’s car pictures we look at the highlights from our highly anticipated estate head-to-head between Audi’s RS5 Avant, and the class favourit…
12 Sep 2026
Porsche's electric Boxster is coming but don’t worry, petrol ones are too
Porsche Boxster Electric
News

Porsche's electric Boxster is coming but don’t worry, petrol ones are too

Porsche’s persisting with its EV sports cars and their reveal is coming very soon
11 Sep 2026