I’ve never had much respect for the “poser” sports cars. You know the ones I’m talking about. All show and no go; all the badges and none of the substance; the S-Lines and M-Sports. But I must say, in recent years the Germans have been cooking their sport-lite models more thoroughly, none more so than BMW. The solid line that used to separate an M-Sport model and a “real” M car has become more of a venn diagram. The X3 M50 opened my eyes to that, and this 2025 BMW M240i xDrive hammers it home.
What’s under the hood?
The damn-near-legendary “B58” 3.0-litre turbocharged inline-six, shared across many BMW products and even the Toyota Supra, powers the M240i. It produces a criminally underrated 382 horsepower and gives you all 369 pound-feet of torque as low as 1,800 rpm. Power is sent to all four wheels via BMW’s rear-biased xDrive all-wheel-drive system, though lucky buyers in the U.S. can get a rear-wheel-drive version. There’s no manual transmission available here, but as far as conventional automatics go, it’s hard to find a single fault with the ZF-sourced eight-speed that BMW has been using for a long time.
Driving impressions
I didn’t mean to kill the surprise so quickly, but it had to be said right away: the M240i is phenomenal to drive. This is a wonderful product that deserves every bit of the M badges plastered on the lower grille, front fenders, and trunk lid. Dare I say, the 2 is a Goldilocks in both size and weight; it weighs just under 3,900 pounds, and the tidy proportions make it feel spacious but not too big for a sports car. Even visibility is even great all around, which inspires confidence when you’re doing extra legal speeds.
And boy, does this thing inspire a whole lot of confidence. The all-wheel-drive system ensures you can pin the throttle like you’re playing Need for Speed without worrying you’ll go sideways into a guardrail, and the power just keeps coming virtually uninterrupted whether you’re letting the transmission do its thing, or clicking the slightly-cheap-feeling-but-nevertheless-responsive paddle shifters.
The steering continues BMW’s recent trend of being accurate and well-weighted—and I’d even say there’s actually a bit of feedback and modicum of communication as to what the front wheels are doing. The adaptive suspension never felt hardcore to me, instead striking a nice balance similar to BMWs of old. One caveat is that this particular tester rolled on BMW’s factory-backed winter wheel and tire setup, meaning 18-inch wheels with higher-profile sidewalls. The standard 19-inch summer wheel and tire setup will likely yield a slightly harsher ride.
No, the M240i won’t scare you like an M4 CS would, but it does feel like it has a closer lineage to older BMWs—and yes, I’m including the older M cars in that. They don’t necessarily scare you, at least not in the same way the new ones do. But the M240i is pleasingly competent without being the least bit vanilla, so long as you keep it in one of the more aggressive drive modes. Nevertheless, it’s incredibly quick: BMW quotes a zero-to-100 km/h sprint in 4.3 seconds, but I don’t doubt it can do it in four seconds flat. Even then, it feels wholly composed as it builds speed. With two completely average drivers behind the wheel, I’d bet money on the automatic M240i dusting a stick M2 in a straight line. How’s that for M-lite?
Interior comfort, style, and tech
The M240i has little in the way of direct competitors, instead going up against sportier compact sedans like the Audi S3 and Mercedes-AMG CLA 35. This does put it at a slight disadvantage; the M240i has a 390-litre trunk versus 460 for the CLA, not to mention giving up a set of rear doors. Despite that, I’d argue the M240i has a more usable space for passengers. The cabin feels more airy than the CLA 45 I tested, there’s plenty of legroom up front, and you can even fit a front-facing child seat with ease—as long as your spouse is five-foot-three, like my wife. The long doors and relatively upright-for-a-coupe roofline even made getting my two-year-old buckled in surprisingly easy.
I’m not sure anyone does fit and finish better than BMW these days. Every touchpoint feels solid in every modern BMW I’ve driven, and the M240i is no exception. The steering wheel is typical M thick with a racy red stripe at 12 o’clock, the gauge cluster is unobstructed and all controls are within reach. There’s even a rotary knob that I never even touched because the touchscreen is wonderfully responsive. The front seats are comfortable and provide enough support for spirited driving and the back seats are actually usable—shocking considering how small the 2 Series is overall, at least by modern-day standards.
As is the case with virtually every other BMW, there’s a single-piece screen setup going on for both the gauge cluster and infotainment. I’ll never not miss analog gauges, but as far as digital gauge clusters go, the M240i’s display is clean, responsive, and intuitive. Ditto for the infotainment screen, which keeps climate controls and other easy-to-access shortcuts on-screen all the time. Of course wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are on board, along with a solid 12-speaker Harman Kardon audio system. Ambient lighting is adorned on the center of the dash and doors that is both unique and understated. For 2025, the M240i receives a number of subtle updates inside and out, most notably an update to BMW’s latest iDrive software and new colour options inside and out.
The exterior is a bit of an exercise in restraint. To the uninitiated, the M240i may come off vanilla, but like BMW M cars of old, the beauty is in its subtlety. Have you ever heard the saying, “speak softly but carry a big stick”? The M240i doesn’t have any wild fender flares or even oversized wheels; everything looks like it’s been designed by an adult, right down to the right-sized kidney grilles and relatively obscure M badges. As someone who prefers to fly under the radar, the M240i is a breath of fresh air in a sea of tryhards. Look closely enough and you’ll see a very E90 M3-esque hood bulge and a subtle diffuser out back. I think the M240i will age rather well, but I’ll take mine in Thundernight Metallic instead of my tester’s Skyscraper Grey—one of the aforementioned new colour options for this year.
Is the BMW M240i xDrive Coupe worth it?
It’s hard not to recommend the 2025 BMW M240i xDrive Coupe. It’s just such a well-put-together package and represents excellent value during a time where everything seems overpriced. At $68,350 as-tested, there isn’t much out there that can compete with the M240i’s combination of year-round adrenaline-inducing fun, quality and practicality. Yes the M2 is the more capable vehicle overall, especially if you’re planning on hitting the track and definitely if you want a manual. But if you’re looking for something that feels every bit an M car and want to save a cool $20,000 in the process, you won’t miss out with the the M240i. That M-car venn diagram is pretty much a circle at this point.
