BMW M240i review – a great value sports car, but better than a proper hot hatch?

The G42 BMW 2-series has been around for a while now, first appearing in M240i form all the way back in 2021. Since then, the M2 has joined the ranks (which itself has evolved with facelift, CS and xDrive variants) and the sports car market has changed dramatically. Rivals have come and gone, and the M240i is now one of the last remaining sports coupes of its type – and something of a bargain.

The once-bustling affordable(ish) sports car market is now heavily deflated with the loss of the Toyota GR Supra, Porsche Cayman, Alpine A110 and more. If anything, the best alternative to the M240i is now the M2, albeit for some £20,000 more. Does the M240i ask questions of that premium the M2 can’t answer, or is it just well positioned as an affordable but junior sports coupe all of its own?

Engine, gearbox and performance

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• B58 straight-six soldiers on, now with a 48-volt mild hybrid boost
• Power up from 369bhp to 387bhp, torque up to 398lb ft
• xDrive and eight-speed auto still transmit that power to the road

The single-turbo 3-litre B58 engine remains in the M240i, albeit now with a mild-hybrid boost. The 48-volt system marries up to the engine, replacing the traditional starter motor as a starter/generator and boosting power and torque. The previous B58’s vital stats were 369bhp and 368lb ft. The new 48-volt mild hybrid car now has 387bhp and 398lb ft. For the c£50,000 price BMW charges for an M240i, that makes it a bonafide performance bargain.

As well as the additional power and torque, there’s a marked improvement in mpg and a reduction in CO2 emissions – now 30mpg and 183g/km. In practice, the M240i really can cruise efficiently, with between 25mpg and 35mpg perfectly doable on most runs. There is a catch, however, with a substantial 65kg now added to the car’s kerb weight, which now sits at 1755kg, only 70kg shy of the last M5 CS…

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The changes to the engine aren’t immediately obvious, the previous iteration of the B58 not exactly suffering with a lack of power and torque. Nor was that power and torque delivered in unwieldy globs, the B58 always well-balanced and relatively linear in its delivery.

That said there is a notable smoothness and strength of response when driving it alongside other cars with more traditionally boosty engines and peaky powerbands. Peak power arrives 300rpm sooner (at 5200rpm) than it did before and while peak torque comes in at around the same point, 1900rpm is the blink of an eye above idle once you’ve planted your foot to the floor. Performance is however unchanged compared to the previous M240i, with 62mph coming up from rest in 4.3sec, onto a 155mph top speed.

The eight-speed ZF automatic transmission doesn’t feel like a poor relation to a dual-clutch as you might expect. It’s decently obedient once you’ve selected the manual mode, with prompt responses to both down and upshift commands. All told the M240i’s powertrain is a gem. Not overburdened with a visceral or esoteric personality (even with BMW’s ‘IconicSounds’ system), but unfailingly smooth, strong and possessed of pleasant vocals. The market is worse-off for motors like this being an increasingly rare sight.

Ride and handling

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• G42 2-series use of the CLAR platform informs the added weight
• Handling and damping are sweetly balanced
• Not as responsive or taut as an M2. Be sure to option the Michelins

The M240i owes its fairly sturdy kerb weight to the fact that the 2-series is a small car that’s based on a big platform. The Linie Klein (small line) CLAR architecture underpins everything from the 2-series to the M5, and is why the 2-series is so heavy relative to its predecessor. This was the price that had to be paid to allow the 2-series to carry on as a proper rear-biased coupe with a longitudinal engine.

BMW’s xDrive system is standard on the M240i but fear not, it’s rear-biased, only sending power to the front wheels in low-traction conditions. Adaptive dampers that adjust via the ‘My Modes’ menus in the cabin are a £550 option and unlike in some sports cars, the full ‘Sport’ mode is perfectly fine for use on the road.

There is a sensation of mass, certainly, a sturdy feel to its movements, but the M240i rounds off smaller imperfections and deals with awkward undulations without violently rocking its occupants from side to side when traversing a typical British B-road. It’s as if the car has been set up to work on real-world roads, rather than idealised ones that rarely materialise, or the circuit you might drive around twice a year. It’s a novel idea.

As a result, the M240i is not as hyper-alert and agile as an M2, but nor is it sloppy. There’s real control here. Set in sport, a personal-favourite rapid-fire right-left sequence with a tricky crest in the middle is all handled with aplomb. Unless you’ve just stepped out of something significantly lighter, you’re unlikely to spend much time thinking about this car’s mass.

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If you’ve just stepped out of an M2, however, you might be thinking about the M240i’s increased tendency to understeer by comparison. The junior model lacks the flagship’s foursquare stance, increased willingness and sharper responses. Take this as an invitation to balance the car better through the phases of a corner however, rather than lazily letting the nose do all the work, and suddenly it all clicks into place. 

Steering feel isn’t the greatest, but the front end is easier to read – or at least quickly gain trust in – than an M2’s, simply because of the more progressive way that the 245-section Michelins lose their hold on the asphalt. Note, those Michelins are optional Pilot Sport 4 Ss, with the M240i coming as standard with 225-section Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6s. 

The lower grip levels mean easier-approached limits, so you feel the rear-biased four-wheel drive system doing its thing more often than in a full-fat M car with xDrive. It’s an easily repeatable dance, the front end taking up the strain as the rear tries to edge wide on corner exit, then all four wheels firing you out onto the next straight. The M240i is a rewarding sports coupe. Not as serious as its M2 sibling, but fun enough to make you think twice about that car’s £20,000 premium.

Weak points? The brakes can feel a touch glassy underfoot when slowing hard from higher speeds, lacking the confidence-inspiring extra bite you might appreciate – a little bit like BMW stoppers of old, in fact (perhaps there’s an ‘IconicBrakes’ setting I didn’t notice).

Design, interior and tech

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• Cool coupe silhouette betrayed by weird design details
• BMW Curved Display feels modern, but isn’t entirely intuitive
• Cabin still a very pleasant place to be – it’s almost a mini GT

Inside the M240i is typical BMW, with the almost ubiquitous curved display not yet looking old hat compared to the wild new Neue Klasse cabins with their Panoramic Vision setups. A few too many of the functions are hidden within the screen, such as vital climate controls, but BMW’s user interface is at least reasonably intuitive.

The CLAR architecture and the 2-series being porkier than before pays some dividends here too. It’s a spacious, comfortable place to be, even for rear passengers on a limited basis. Fit, finish and material quality are decent too. The biggest letdown is BMW’s persistent overinflated steering wheel, that gives your hands cramp after a decent drive.

The basic seats also fall short in the lateral support department, although for £890 you can upgrade to M Sport seats, aka the entry-level ones from the M2, which are first-rate chairs and would solve that problem.

Price and rivals

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So the M240i remains a very fine package as it enters its mild-hybridised era and remains at a very appealing price, even though it’s jumped £1000 in the last year. It’s a car you could happily use every day without feeling like you’re being punished, but one that won’t feel like it’s out of its depth when you take the interesting route to your destination. If you can resist the addictive, instant-hit buzz you get from the faster reactions of an M2, it’s a superb all-rounder. 

At £50,215 before options the M240i isn't much more expensive than a Mk8 Golf R or Mercedes-AMG A35, and an awful lot less than an Audi RS3. Traditional coupe rivals include the Ford Mustang GT, which is more expensive (£58,670) and characterful, but less deft and agile than the BMW.

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