The 2 Series Coupe lineup has something for everyone as BMW is selling its compact sports car with four- and six-cylinder gasoline engines alongside a 2.0-liter diesel with two-stage turbocharging. Customers can also pick from a front- or all-wheel-drive system, along with manual and automatic gearboxes. Granted, all but the M2 G87 range topper come with an automatic eight-speed automatic transmission, including this M240i.
Initially, BMW sold the M Performance version only with xDrive but a rear-wheel-drive configuration entered production last summer. After seeing the RWD M240i in a hot lap around Hockenheim, the tail-happy coupe traveled to the Autobahn for a series of acceleration tests followed by a top-speed run. It managed to reach 62 mph (100 km/h) from a standstill in 4.43 seconds, so nearly three-tenths of a second quicker than advertised.
Subsequent acceleration tests showed the potent inline-six engine allowing the two-wheel-drive M240i to perform the 62 to 124 mph (100 to 200 km/h) sprint in just under 10 seconds. Flat out, it reached 158 mph (254 km/h) on an unrestricted section of the German highway. However, the GPS-based app showed the car’s real speed was about 6 mph (10 km/h) lower.
It should be noted that removing xDrive makes the RWD M240i about 55 kilograms (121 pounds), but it’s still not a light car by any stretch of the imagination. It tips the scales at a rather substantial 1,635 kg (3,604 lbs), which is approximately 90 kg less than the new M2. The latter is offered strictly with RWD, although we’re hearing an xDrive version could arrive after 2025.
With or without xDrive, the M240i doesn’t have too many rivals to worry about since six-cylinder engines are few and far between in this segment. It would’ve been great to have a stick shift in the M Performance model as well, but that might have cannibalized sales of the M2. Speaking of the engine, it doesn’t sound half bad considering gasoline particulate filters have become the norm on cars sold in the European Union.
Source: AutoTopNL / YouTube
