With downsizing in full swing, the BMW M240i is a special car in the compact segment thanks to its inline-six engine. The German journalists at Sport Auto decided to find out whether its large 3.0-liter mill gives the sports coupe a significant advantage compared to a couple of four-bangers. The rear-wheel-drive variant of the M Performance 2 Series Coupe was pitted against the Toyota GR Supra and the Volkswagen Golf R.
It’s worth noting that the Supra also had a BMW engine, but a smaller 2.0-liter unit known by its “B48” internal codename. The M240i is equipped with a “B58” that also goes into the six-cylinder Supra where it’s offered with a manual gearbox. This combination is believed to be earmarked for next year’s Z4 M40i with a clutch pedal. As for the third car in the test, the hot hatch was the only one from the group with all-wheel drive.
We should mention the BMW had Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires while the Toyota was equipped with Michelin Pilot Super Sport. As for the VW, it had Bridgestone Potenza S005 rubber. All three were equipped with automatic transmissions, but Toyota does sell this four-cylinder Supra with a manual, while the Golf R can be had with a stick shift in the United States.
Sport Auto took the three cars to Hockenheimring and raced them back-to-back on the Grand Prix layout of the German track. It is 2.84 miles (4.57 kilometers) long and has no fewer than 17 turns, therefore making it an ideal location to test sports cars that offer sharp handling. The M240i RWD came out on top with a lap time of 2:00.07, followed by the VW Golf R (2:01.00) and the Toyota GR Supra (2:03.00).
The Supra is the most affordable of the three, retailing in Germany from €52,850. The Golf R is up next at €54,800 whereas the M240i begins at €58,100 in RWD guise and from €60,100 if you want xDrive. Although the Porsche Cayman wasn’t included in the test, a previous track battle featured the mid-engined coupe, which lapped the circuit in 2:00.03, basically matching the M240i RWD. In the same test from March 2022, the Alpine A110 and Audi TTS posted nearly identical lap times.
Source: Sport Auto / Youtube
