2019 BMW M240i Review // The $50,000 Sweet Spot

J James James what are you doing sometimes something happens like what magic things of ray guns that grow things see your future selves Infinity stones not every intro has to be special effects and humor sometimes we actually have to dis review the car okay what obvious enjoying doing those things well nufs enough James besides where we're going we don't need intros [Music] you're watching Patil house I'm Thomas and I'm James and today we want to answer a question that's plaguing the entire first world do you need an m2 competition because we loved it we did it's very expensive though it is very expensive but this has a 6-cylinder engine at the front it has an M sport exhaust at the back there's a little M badge on the side so is an m240 enough because looking at the price difference of over $10,000 us this should by all means be an inferior car from the outside there's less styling indication of an out-and-out sports car and even under the hood the power numbers dropped proportionally to the price difference keep in mind though we're talking about the understudy to the m2 competition a car that is absolutely adored by anyone who crosses paths with it what we mean by that is that we think that this car even though it's just a sporty 2 Series as the potential to fill the void that a proper M car could so today we are going to give it a serious shakedown to see if it's good enough but before we get started make sure to subscribe to the channel if you haven't already and hit the notification bell so that you see our videos as soon as they come out also if you want to see what we're filming before it goes live on YouTube follow us on Instagram at the throttle house [Music] yes oh this car is genuinely fast okay the m240 I this is a fantastic little car this has the b-58 engine which it's been paying attention is the same engine pretty much it's going to come in the new Supra pumping out 335 horsepower 369 pounds of torque this thing used to have more torque than the m2 but since the m2 competitions come along this actually has bit less quite a bit less than that s 55 engine actually but honestly other than a lower redline this is a absolutely brilliant powerplant the torque is immediate the power is ruthless it is a fantastic engine and it is all you need and thanks to xDrive there really isn't much in it between this and the m2 competition for straight-line acceleration I think this car sounds great really really lovely tone there's something about an inline six it's there so I'm in Sport+ right now shifting manually obviously in gear watch 4000 foot down there's just oh oh there's no like delay it's just a wave of torque that comes in and it sounds really good the exhaust on this isn't as likely Allah as the m2 competition but it is genuinely fantastic sounding in the cabin and outside okay so this has the 8-speed transmission not like the 7-speed and double clutch in the n2 but I'm telling you now the way it's tuned this feels like an extension of my brain the shifts are so smooth and yes there is a brief moment of sadness when you realize that we haven't got the manual today but once you get over that you realize that this thing it's so so good and in manual mode that the shifts are are very very satisfying would I have chosen a manual if I was to be able to choose between these two cars yes but honestly once you really get it out here these shifts are so fast second up it's just crisp and incredibly satisfying to drive and then when you put it in automatic comfort mode it's completely out of your way and when you go into manual mode in this car BMW lets you take full heart but pops are so good BMW lets you take full control and you can hit the rev limiter it won't alter up for you so you got to do the work all right in these corners oh this Karl wants to play it wants to play so you can feel the nimbleness of this car the size of it this is where it differs from things like the 4 Series and especially the 8 series I've been driving this week it is oh it's so small and playful I love it all right we're in Sport+ right now diving into the corners you can feel the rear come around so easily oh it's just this is a supremely balanced vehicle the steering in this car I would say isn't quite as direct as the m2 competition but it's as near as makes no difference the nose goes in we are on not sticky tires right now but honestly it feels very direct and and there's a connection from the front end to the rear end that is just genuinely fantastic like my inputs on the steering create motion in the whole car it creates yaw in the corner in just all the time it feels fine all the time so when BMW started with electric steering there was a bit of deadness on center this thing is it it's not perfect but it's a lot better there's nothing I can complain about in the steering this is one of the best balanced vehicles even with the xDrive that I have driven in a long time other than the m2 competition brilliant chassis standard with the m240 is the adaptive em suspension so I'm driving in this in sport mode at the moment and on the road it is is too firm but it's it's so communicative so if you want that you've got it in comfort mode it is on the cusp of being a bit too firm but still excellent this is not a GT Cruiser car you will always feel by now James and I consider ourselves the type that for pure fun would always choose rear-wheel drive however we both founded the X Drive in this to elicit those same sensations you get from a purely rear-wheel drive car ok so the engine in this car goes this way so it's predominantly rear-wheel drive but thanks to X Drive it sends power to the front where needed and that means you have everything you need to drive this car all year round which I can't say that the m2 competition which is real driver and honestly the X Drive in this doesn't really seem to matter it sends power to the rear and it rotates on the throttle and then in the winter time you go anywhere so Thomas has been living with this car for a few days and I know that he's been sitting on Autotrader trying to find one for himself and I think in that investigation we've discovered that the m2 holds its value much better than the m2 14 but we were looking and you can get an m235i which has the n55 engine for like 28,000 canadian it's gonna have a few kilometers on it but just like as he used Prospect this thing is amazing I paid more than that for my Miata and now I'm upset okay now the one thing the m2 has over this obviously is the M Sport differential and yes that genuinely does make a difference it connects the rear in a way that you can actually feel that said to things out here you don't notice it push the power around the corners a little bit the rear goes around you smile also for a couple grand you can go to a dealership and have them installed that M differential in this car with a warranty so I mean if you factor that into the price and honestly go after market anyway spend less and get a Torsen difficulties are comfortable the driving position is is is great and then on the back road you could just sing this car through the corners it floats it's such a fun car to drive even in xDrive format [Music] oh well on the road what more can you want yeah like the m2 has more if you're on a track and you're doing power slides there so yeah and with the new M engine it sounds a little bit better but like honestly on the road do you genuinely need any more than this I can't it doesn't look any different inside no it does it's basically the same theory you lose a few things the front doesn't have as aggressive of styling yeah right well we lose the kidney girl you lose a kidney girl with the the connected front which looks very cool named to come and these doesn't have the m wing mirrors as well no they still look cool they said they do it cool they're very good but it doesn't have like the hook the horn wing mirror that the m2 car those are very good but these rules for the winds it sets up yes no it's the normal northern we are ignore them yes but the proportions are absolutely overlay a picture right now like just the size of it yeah feels absolutely fantastic it's all inside you can feel how the help you can feel the wheelbase when you're driving it although comment on the color yes you can't get this in Long Beach blue and you can get the m2 comp in Long Beach blue and I think there's the best blue on the road it's true but for the price difference you'd wrap it literally any color you want no I like this color it is a good color yeah interior yes let's do it alright okay this is simple and nice and clean yes but I would say it's also borderline dated okay yeah like you mean like this section yeah the gauge cluster actually I don't mind it's classic it's this section that looks so good on the new 3-series okay and I'm looking forward to that coming to the twos that's true but everything else in the new 3-series and the new x5 and the new X 7 and the m855 right now videos coming out next week is too much there's too much going on it's too complex there are too complicated materials in here are not amazing this this person is less offensive than the 3-series this blue line is very nice that is good yeah yeah there's something to be said about how clean this is does this go Orange oh I didn't know that was there that is out of place modern those that are at home I'm not actually pressing on these I'm just worried yeah you're grazing them great yes they stole this technology from the Sheep it's Gray's technology not to be confused with Grey's Anatomy sister okay but anyway old I Drive which I like better than new I Drive because this is simple blocks of information it's all here and you just click in it I'm gonna leave the benefit of the doubt that apple carplay this is a touchscreen if you want it to be right yep it's all there but you can't control it with this you can't go with that and in a couple position steering wheel is very nice it is doesn't seem dated this bit although the stitching and then the 3-series is really nice in the sense of it but who cares yeah yes it's a heated steering wheel as well it does yeah on a button on the side yeah paddle shifters paddle shifters are very nice and clean they feel expensive actually they they are like a purposeful they do you love cars like the c-class and 3-series actually they just add this kind of happens to be there these feel like they're meant to be exactly right then our school is the m2 ones that are really long but like they're still very good and by the way I know we talked about already I love this gauge cluster it is so classically BMW it is clean it is so easy to read but I am curious to see what a modernized version of this would look like without sacrificing too much we kind of got that already with like what was in the 5 Series with like the - oh yeah but now they've changed it - this is this weird digital thing that I'm not a fan of it all and I think that's just it's nice not small it is a good I've lived with this cabin for like 3 days and I do like these seats are comfortable cruising in this car is so easy and then like at the flick of a button you're wailing on a back road I love this car absolutely it's not too often that we both agree this much on something but both of us loved the m240 and James wasn't joking I am actually shopping for one of these but even though this xDrive automatic was tons of fun I think I'm looking for a rear-wheel drive manual version so after spending lots of time in both this and the new m2 competition we have found ourselves at a crossroads on one hand the m2 is the more special sought-after model and the one that goes above and beyond for a driving experience but on the other hand the m240 eye is pretty much as fast and we'll put as big of a smile on your face for much less money so with that in mind it looks like the m2 is the one that you want but perhaps the m240 is the one that you need [Music] [Laughter] [Laughter]

Channel: Throttle House

Views: 374,510

Rating: 4.9218159 out of 5

Keywords: bmw, bmw m2, bmw m2 competition, bmw m240i, bmw 2 series, sports car, sports compact, straight pipes, bmw m2 review, bmw m240i review, 2019 m240, 2019 BMW, 2019 audi, 2019 mercedes, bmw m240i awd, german sports car, m240i, 2019 m240i, new bmw, 2019 m2 competition, x-drive, 2019 m240i x-drive, 2019 m240i exhaust, m240i exhaust, 2019 bmw m240i

Id: qOONH9H-09U

Length: 13min 47sec (827 seconds)

Published: Fri Mar 15 2019

Reddit Comments

[u/butermunch]

It’s a tough decision for which one to get. On one hand the M235 is crazy fast and handles great and has comfort/features.

Then every time I see the higher trims I wonder if I made the right choice.

Then does your decision change when it’s a used model? Does it Change based on how long you want to own it?

To me it feels like this could be a 10 year long daily driver before stepping up to a Porsche

[u/theblackshell]

My daily is a 2018 M240i and I love it, it is a wonderful mix of crazy speed and low key comfort. It handles amazingly, sounds great, blends into the crowd for non-car people and gets thumbs ups and questions from enthusiasts. Small car fits my 6’4, chonky-ass nicely and it makes my wife giggle in launch mode.

Don’t hate on it till you drive. It’s an inexpensive rocket/go kart and it’s awsone.

[u/ItsTheFatYoungJesus]

In my country:

New M2 competition: equivalent of $163k for the manual. 169 for the auto.

M240i is $67k equivalent.

Waaaay better deal.

[u/mkdz]

Can't watch right now, what's their conclusion? Is it worth spending the extra $10k for the M2?

[u/KCBassCadet]

$50k buys you a decent Certified M3.

• Bigger rear seat
• Dual Clutch transmission vs ZF8 automatic (I've owned both, DCT is better)
• Absolutely superior engine and tuning potential
• Superior vehicle dynamics, better aftermarket support if you want to track it, a better driver's car period.
• Better resale value/less depreciation on the M3
• M3 looks fabulous compared to this car
• Much nicer interior, more luxurious appointments, etc

[u/AskListenSee]

I think it looks very disproportionate and the wheels are way to small. The only 2 series that looks decent is the M2 line up. The others just look like squished 4 series with weird lines etc