My New Daily - BMW M240i
Discussion
Hi everyone,
Been meaning to get this up for a while now - but I'm a bit lazy and so it's taken a little while to put it to post. Probably going to be a bit of a long one, so if you want just scroll down for some (admittedly pretty crappy) photos.
Having ran a Pistonheads standard issue lease spec (c) Golf R for the past two years, it was time to choose a new daily. I went through a few different moods of thought. I first thought I would get something much more sensible and cost-effective (cough) as a daily, and just use my Z4M to dispatch the petrolheads duties. After umming and ahhing and looking at a few different options (the hybrid lexus options seemed to be the most interesting choices), I finally came to my senses and decided I needed another lairy daily.
I immediately ruled out another Golf R - as much as I enjoyed my two years in that car, I really wanted to try something different, and as we are spoilt for choice in this day and age it seemed rude not to. I really should do an end of term write up of that car. Ruling out the Golf R, it also ruled out the other VAG offerings - so off went the S3 and the Cupra. I test drove an RS3 and wasn't a huge fan of the driving feel after the Golf so that got ruled out also.
I then moved on to the Civic Type R and the Focus RS. The reason I've put these both into the same catagory (despite offering fairly different driving experiences) was the overall look of the cars. I actually really like the way they look, however as I have to park my daily in some not so glamorous areas for work I preferred something a bit more subtle that would blend in.
Which brings us nicely onto the BMW M140i. I actually test drove the M135i way back before choosing the Golf R, however after a couple of years it was a good idea to have another go. The salesman kindly informed me that a refresh was coming along in the way of the M140i. I thought if the M135i was so good, the M140i must surely be an upgrade. I got a very reasonable offer for an M240i and one thing led to another and it got dropped off the same day the Golf went away.
Anyway, enough waffle - On to some pics;
Here's how it came from the factory;
There were a couple of things I immediately wanted to change. Wasn't a fan of the ferric grey wing mirrors - I had some brushed aluminum mirrors on the Golf, however as the car was white these blended right in. So I bought a set of carbon fibre mirrors from a company called AutoID, which took all of 15mins to install;
A very high quality product, that fits very well. Thoroughly recommended. The eagle eyed amongst you will notice that I also changed the chrome grill for a set of OEM gloss black set. These were less simple to put on, an experience which I am not particular in a hurry to repeat - suffice to say blood was shed.
The even more astute amongst you will notice the canopy over the car. I had the chaps over at Artisan Detailing do a full new car paint correction, detail and protection. All being said, the paint came from the factory in very good nick with very little swirling at all - which made their job easier. Fantastically thorough job by the chaps there, very professional job on a Saturday morning.
Seeing as this is pistonheads I should probably talk a little bit about the car, I have covered just over 1400 miles now, and so it's safe to say it's well run in.
Probably the most commmon question I get asked is, how does it compare to the Golf R.The first thing that stood out was the jump up in the quality of the interior. The golf wasn't all that shabby, but the BMW has a more driver focused interior, and you sit a lot lower in the car so it feels a bit more special. The new idrive system is far superior to the Golfs touchscreen offering. I have an M Performance Exhaust fitted to my car (more on that to come), but even without the sound of the car from the outside is leaps and bounds over the Golf. They both have a bit of fakery going on with the in car noise, but I don't mind either. I've just ran the BMW in, so it's still very much early doors but to drive the BMW certainly feels more lively. It won't allow you to thrash it the same way the R will, but it certainly feels more rewarding.
The ZF 8 Speed gearbox really is as good as the reviews say. It's an incredibly slick unit, one that I find compares very favorably to the DSG offering in the Golf.
Compared to the Z4M, you get the same "shove" in the back that the Z4 has, that feeling of being pushed along, although the similarities stop about there. THe engine whilst offering very similar performance figures in both delivers it in very different ways. The S54 in the Z4M screams towards the red line and seems to get better the further up you take it, whereas the B58 in the M240i pulls hard from much lower down but doesn't quite have the same top end. Mind you, it means that you get to play up and down the gears which is a delight - the paddles much improved over the Wolfsburg DSG offerings.
More to come of adventures and further mods!!
Been meaning to get this up for a while now - but I'm a bit lazy and so it's taken a little while to put it to post. Probably going to be a bit of a long one, so if you want just scroll down for some (admittedly pretty crappy) photos.
Having ran a Pistonheads standard issue lease spec (c) Golf R for the past two years, it was time to choose a new daily. I went through a few different moods of thought. I first thought I would get something much more sensible and cost-effective (cough) as a daily, and just use my Z4M to dispatch the petrolheads duties. After umming and ahhing and looking at a few different options (the hybrid lexus options seemed to be the most interesting choices), I finally came to my senses and decided I needed another lairy daily.
I immediately ruled out another Golf R - as much as I enjoyed my two years in that car, I really wanted to try something different, and as we are spoilt for choice in this day and age it seemed rude not to. I really should do an end of term write up of that car. Ruling out the Golf R, it also ruled out the other VAG offerings - so off went the S3 and the Cupra. I test drove an RS3 and wasn't a huge fan of the driving feel after the Golf so that got ruled out also.
I then moved on to the Civic Type R and the Focus RS. The reason I've put these both into the same catagory (despite offering fairly different driving experiences) was the overall look of the cars. I actually really like the way they look, however as I have to park my daily in some not so glamorous areas for work I preferred something a bit more subtle that would blend in.
Which brings us nicely onto the BMW M140i. I actually test drove the M135i way back before choosing the Golf R, however after a couple of years it was a good idea to have another go. The salesman kindly informed me that a refresh was coming along in the way of the M140i. I thought if the M135i was so good, the M140i must surely be an upgrade. I got a very reasonable offer for an M240i and one thing led to another and it got dropped off the same day the Golf went away.
Anyway, enough waffle - On to some pics;
Here's how it came from the factory;
There were a couple of things I immediately wanted to change. Wasn't a fan of the ferric grey wing mirrors - I had some brushed aluminum mirrors on the Golf, however as the car was white these blended right in. So I bought a set of carbon fibre mirrors from a company called AutoID, which took all of 15mins to install;
A very high quality product, that fits very well. Thoroughly recommended. The eagle eyed amongst you will notice that I also changed the chrome grill for a set of OEM gloss black set. These were less simple to put on, an experience which I am not particular in a hurry to repeat - suffice to say blood was shed.
The even more astute amongst you will notice the canopy over the car. I had the chaps over at Artisan Detailing do a full new car paint correction, detail and protection. All being said, the paint came from the factory in very good nick with very little swirling at all - which made their job easier. Fantastically thorough job by the chaps there, very professional job on a Saturday morning.
Seeing as this is pistonheads I should probably talk a little bit about the car, I have covered just over 1400 miles now, and so it's safe to say it's well run in.
Probably the most commmon question I get asked is, how does it compare to the Golf R.The first thing that stood out was the jump up in the quality of the interior. The golf wasn't all that shabby, but the BMW has a more driver focused interior, and you sit a lot lower in the car so it feels a bit more special. The new idrive system is far superior to the Golfs touchscreen offering. I have an M Performance Exhaust fitted to my car (more on that to come), but even without the sound of the car from the outside is leaps and bounds over the Golf. They both have a bit of fakery going on with the in car noise, but I don't mind either. I've just ran the BMW in, so it's still very much early doors but to drive the BMW certainly feels more lively. It won't allow you to thrash it the same way the R will, but it certainly feels more rewarding.
The ZF 8 Speed gearbox really is as good as the reviews say. It's an incredibly slick unit, one that I find compares very favorably to the DSG offering in the Golf.
Compared to the Z4M, you get the same "shove" in the back that the Z4 has, that feeling of being pushed along, although the similarities stop about there. THe engine whilst offering very similar performance figures in both delivers it in very different ways. The S54 in the Z4M screams towards the red line and seems to get better the further up you take it, whereas the B58 in the M240i pulls hard from much lower down but doesn't quite have the same top end. Mind you, it means that you get to play up and down the gears which is a delight - the paddles much improved over the Wolfsburg DSG offerings.
More to come of adventures and further mods!!
As someone who went along a similar route to yourself in regards the Golf R to a 235i, it would be interesting to know if you feel the same as me as regards the handling. I don't think I trust the BMW. It's far too skittish in anything other than a dry road and I feel willing to break away whenever the mood takes it. The Golf never felt like that to me.
Alex
Alex
Edited by alex020869 on Thursday 17th November 22:39
alex020869 said:
As someone who went along a similar route to yourself in regards the Golf R to a 235i, it would be interesting to know if you feel the same as me as regards the handling. I don't think I trust the BMW. It's far too skittish in anything other than a dry road and I feel willing to break away whenever the mood takes it. The Golf never felt like that to me.
Slex
That is exactly why I chose an M135i - it is a handful in anything other than bone dry conditions and therein lies its appeal to me - I don't want to have a car that is completely trustworthy - it adds to the enjoyment of the car Slex
Thanks for the kind comments chaps, after owning (still owning?) a raft of black, silver and white cars the novelty of a car with colour still hasn't worn off. Although the short days means that I have to console myself with looking at it on my lunch breaks!
The Z4M is much more of a handful in the wet with cold tires so I'm probably taking more liberties then I should with the M240i. Having said that - I will be taking it over to the evo triangle this weekend, where I will have a bit of a better idea of it's B-road capabilities (or how nice it looks decorating a farmers field).
alex020869 said:
As someone who went along a similar route to yourself in regards the Golf R to a 235i, it would be interesting to know if you feel the same as me as regards the handling. I don't think I trust the BMW. It's far too skittish in anything other than a dry road and I feel willing to break away whenever the mood takes it. The Golf never felt like that to me.
Slex
I agree with you, what tyres do you have on the M235i? I had MPSS on the Golf R and you could be so brutal with your inputs and it would just hold on forever, but this requires a much more measured approach. As the commentator above mentioned, it does demand more but I feel that it's also much more rewarding when you get right!Slex
The Z4M is much more of a handful in the wet with cold tires so I'm probably taking more liberties then I should with the M240i. Having said that - I will be taking it over to the evo triangle this weekend, where I will have a bit of a better idea of it's B-road capabilities (or how nice it looks decorating a farmers field).
Andy665 said:
alex020869 said:
As someone who went along a similar route to yourself in regards the Golf R to a 235i, it would be interesting to know if you feel the same as me as regards the handling. I don't think I trust the BMW. It's far too skittish in anything other than a dry road and I feel willing to break away whenever the mood takes it. The Golf never felt like that to me.
Slex
That is exactly why I chose an M135i - it is a handful in anything other than bone dry conditions and therein lies its appeal to me - I don't want to have a car that is completely trustworthy - it adds to the enjoyment of the car Slex
t' moment and it all feels alive. Granted it was 10 years ago now but I had an 8L S3. What a great and quick car that was but I lost interest fairly quickly as it was a little too polished and took the fun out of it.So thought I'd add up a little bit more on to this post, up to where I am now in the car!
I started off when I first took delivery by taking it out on local back roads that I know well, and despite holding back somewhat because of still being new to the car/trying my best to run it in - I found it was brilliantly well balanced.
I decided that with the sountrack already being much better then the Golf R, the most appropriate thing to do would be to upgrade the exhaust. I got offered an M Performance exhaust by the lovely chaps at Cotswold BMW and duly had it fitted. I went for the carbon tips, which despite being a bit more - once you see them in person.. well you just would, wouldn't you?
Sound Differences here for those interested - although I must say that it does sound different now with a thousand or so miles on it. I should probably make another vid.
Youtube Link
The only problem with these are that they have highlighted that rather awful slab of plastic on the rear bumper...something should get done about that. Hmm, this could get expensive.
The exhaust sounds much better then stock, and although it's still not incredibly loud on the inside, its just about perfect for me. Cold starts are a bit marmite. I love them. Others, less so.
So far trips out have included Millbrook to test drive the new Giula QV (Brilliant car), where it was in some rather more illustrious company;
London to visit family - can confirm it's fine in the stop start nonsense of London. Heres the Baby BMW looking rather huge next to a true small car!
And most recently a trip to the Goodwood Breakfast Club for the recent Hot Hatch Day, lovely meet up with some like minded chaps;
It's well and truly run in now and I'm still very pleased with it. On a run, it will return mid 30's mpg rather comfortably, but on a blast it's no worse then the Golf (mid to low 20's). The sound seems to have improved over the last thousand miles or so and it rasps nicely as a 6 cyl should, along with the rather customary burbles on over run that seemed to be standard these days.
Taking it up to the Evo Triangle this weekend, should be interesting to see how well it holds up on some damp British B-Roads.
I started off when I first took delivery by taking it out on local back roads that I know well, and despite holding back somewhat because of still being new to the car/trying my best to run it in - I found it was brilliantly well balanced.
I decided that with the sountrack already being much better then the Golf R, the most appropriate thing to do would be to upgrade the exhaust. I got offered an M Performance exhaust by the lovely chaps at Cotswold BMW and duly had it fitted. I went for the carbon tips, which despite being a bit more - once you see them in person.. well you just would, wouldn't you?
Sound Differences here for those interested - although I must say that it does sound different now with a thousand or so miles on it. I should probably make another vid.
Youtube Link
The only problem with these are that they have highlighted that rather awful slab of plastic on the rear bumper...something should get done about that. Hmm, this could get expensive.
The exhaust sounds much better then stock, and although it's still not incredibly loud on the inside, its just about perfect for me. Cold starts are a bit marmite. I love them. Others, less so.
So far trips out have included Millbrook to test drive the new Giula QV (Brilliant car), where it was in some rather more illustrious company;
London to visit family - can confirm it's fine in the stop start nonsense of London. Heres the Baby BMW looking rather huge next to a true small car!
And most recently a trip to the Goodwood Breakfast Club for the recent Hot Hatch Day, lovely meet up with some like minded chaps;
It's well and truly run in now and I'm still very pleased with it. On a run, it will return mid 30's mpg rather comfortably, but on a blast it's no worse then the Golf (mid to low 20's). The sound seems to have improved over the last thousand miles or so and it rasps nicely as a 6 cyl should, along with the rather customary burbles on over run that seemed to be standard these days.
Taking it up to the Evo Triangle this weekend, should be interesting to see how well it holds up on some damp British B-Roads.
Edited by Lites on Thursday 17th November 22:59
Edited by Lites on Thursday 17th November 23:00
Another few weeks in, another thousand or so miles in the car. The only change up to this point was tinting of the rear windows. I know its a bit thug life, but I felt it suited the blacked out look of the car better.
Took it for it's first proper drive to the Evo triangle a few weeks ago with some friends and was blessed with dry weather - although it was still very icy!
Pics first;
Went just about everywhere in North Wales, from Bala to the triangle up to Llandudno. It is a really well sorted car when making progress, the sound of the engine when it is rolled around to the limiter is something else! The car feels small and nimble enough on our narrow backroads that you can attempt to pick your line without worrying too much about how close the hedge / oncoming bus is.
One thing that did let the car down is the tires. They are a set of standard fit Bridgestone Potenza run flats. I don't think they actually ruin the ride all that much, but what is alarming is how quickly they can lose grip and before you realise it you're handed an armload of understeer or oversteer from nothing at all. I realise now Pilot Super Sports are an optional (no cost) extra which I think I would have gone for had I known at the time. I had a set on the Golf R and even though it had excellent grip, they really did take it up a notch - particularly in the dry. I've heard good things of the new PS4, so tyre shopping soon I think.
I had grand designs of reams of brilliant youtube footage, although launch control combined with a shoddy suction cup, led to a very poorly GoPro;
More recently, I decided that I had finally had enough of that odd grey band across the back bumper, seemed to really let the rear of the car down - especially with the carbon fibre tips. Handily the M Performance guys produce just the solution, so a rear diffuser was purchased, sprayed to my request and fitted;
Excuse the double yellow parking (it's a dead end/I'm just conforming to what is expected of BMW driver stereotypes).
I feel like that sets the back end off much better then the grey band thing! More planned over Christmas.
Took it for it's first proper drive to the Evo triangle a few weeks ago with some friends and was blessed with dry weather - although it was still very icy!
Pics first;
Went just about everywhere in North Wales, from Bala to the triangle up to Llandudno. It is a really well sorted car when making progress, the sound of the engine when it is rolled around to the limiter is something else! The car feels small and nimble enough on our narrow backroads that you can attempt to pick your line without worrying too much about how close the hedge / oncoming bus is.
One thing that did let the car down is the tires. They are a set of standard fit Bridgestone Potenza run flats. I don't think they actually ruin the ride all that much, but what is alarming is how quickly they can lose grip and before you realise it you're handed an armload of understeer or oversteer from nothing at all. I realise now Pilot Super Sports are an optional (no cost) extra which I think I would have gone for had I known at the time. I had a set on the Golf R and even though it had excellent grip, they really did take it up a notch - particularly in the dry. I've heard good things of the new PS4, so tyre shopping soon I think.
I had grand designs of reams of brilliant youtube footage, although launch control combined with a shoddy suction cup, led to a very poorly GoPro;
More recently, I decided that I had finally had enough of that odd grey band across the back bumper, seemed to really let the rear of the car down - especially with the carbon fibre tips. Handily the M Performance guys produce just the solution, so a rear diffuser was purchased, sprayed to my request and fitted;
Excuse the double yellow parking (it's a dead end/I'm just conforming to what is expected of BMW driver stereotypes).
I feel like that sets the back end off much better then the grey band thing! More planned over Christmas.
Going up to dealer this week to pay for mine hopefully should pick up later in the week, went for the girly convertible version though!
Kind of apprehensive about seeing the car has havent seen any of the options i picked! Went for mineral grey with brown roof brown leather and the light wood option.
Do you have any interior pics?
Kind of apprehensive about seeing the car has havent seen any of the options i picked! Went for mineral grey with brown roof brown leather and the light wood option.
Do you have any interior pics?
Really informative thread OP. 
I much prefer your painted diffuser - why do BMW insist on putting big bits of black or grey plastic on the rear bumpers of all the M-Sport models? If you bought a Ford with that in the 90s it meant you had the poverty spec. model.
It's refreshing to hear that someone still makes an RWD car that is a bit "edgy" when you push on a bit!
Great to see you also have a Z4M - even more edgy!
I much prefer your painted diffuser - why do BMW insist on putting big bits of black or grey plastic on the rear bumpers of all the M-Sport models? If you bought a Ford with that in the 90s it meant you had the poverty spec. model.
It's refreshing to hear that someone still makes an RWD car that is a bit "edgy" when you push on a bit!
Great to see you also have a Z4M - even more edgy!
Really informative thread OP.
I much prefer your painted diffuser - why do BMW insist on putting big bits of black or grey plastic on the rear bumpers of all the M-Sport models? If you bought a Ford with that in the 90s it meant you had the poverty spec. model.
It's refreshing to hear that someone still makes an RWD car that is a bit "edgy" when you push on a bit!
Great to see you also have a Z4M - even more edgy!
I much prefer your painted diffuser - why do BMW insist on putting big bits of black or grey plastic on the rear bumpers of all the M-Sport models? If you bought a Ford with that in the 90s it meant you had the poverty spec. model.
It's refreshing to hear that someone still makes an RWD car that is a bit "edgy" when you push on a bit!
Great to see you also have a Z4M - even more edgy!
Debating one of these over my Golf R, there are some amazing finance deals out there and it seems almost too good to believe!
My only issue is, I ride MTB, and as of current I sling my bike in the back of the golf! How's the through loading facility for it? or is there a roof rack option for it? The alternative is the 140, but I CANNOT get over that back end!
My only issue is, I ride MTB, and as of current I sling my bike in the back of the golf! How's the through loading facility for it? or is there a roof rack option for it? The alternative is the 140, but I CANNOT get over that back end!
Thanks for the kind words friends!
Here are some pretty terrible interior pics! I had a choice between red/black/white leather. As a daily, which is expected to handle all duties from the tip to the track, white was out of the question. I already have red in the Z4M so I went with black. To contrast this a little bit I went with the hexagon trim with the estoril blue strip, as I felt it tied outside and in!
A slightly different interior pic;
Sheetmaself said:
Going up to dealer this week to pay for mine hopefully should pick up later in the week, went for the girly convertible version though!
Kind of apprehensive about seeing the car has havent seen any of the options i picked! Went for mineral grey with brown roof brown leather and the light wood option.
Do you have any interior pics?
You're gonna love it! Sound's like the perfect spec to take down to the south of France Kind of apprehensive about seeing the car has havent seen any of the options i picked! Went for mineral grey with brown roof brown leather and the light wood option.
Do you have any interior pics?
Here are some pretty terrible interior pics! I had a choice between red/black/white leather. As a daily, which is expected to handle all duties from the tip to the track, white was out of the question. I already have red in the Z4M so I went with black. To contrast this a little bit I went with the hexagon trim with the estoril blue strip, as I felt it tied outside and in!A slightly different interior pic;
axel1990chp said:
Debating one of these over my Golf R, there are some amazing finance deals out there and it seems almost too good to believe!
My only issue is, I ride MTB, and as of current I sling my bike in the back of the golf! How's the through loading facility for it? or is there a roof rack option for it? The alternative is the 140, but I CANNOT get over that back end!
Agreed on the 140 backend! It's a bit gopping. I don't think there is a roof rack option (not that I've seen anyway). As standard the entire rear bench folds down, and it is quite accessible. You can configure split loading for a couple of hundred extra, gives you an arm rest too I think. The boot is actually much bigger then the Golf, although it is not as accessible as the hatch. I'd go to your local BMW and ask them for one for a day and see if you can get your bike in the back!My only issue is, I ride MTB, and as of current I sling my bike in the back of the golf! How's the through loading facility for it? or is there a roof rack option for it? The alternative is the 140, but I CANNOT get over that back end!
Picking it up on Friday evening, will get some photos up it will replace my z4 28sdrive so probably not quite the event so sit in but my o my that engine will make up for it!
Agree about the 1 series back end but it is where the smart money goes as a useful £50 per month cheaper than the 2 series, can get one before haggling for £319 deposit £319 per month on four years 32000 miles
Agree about the 1 series back end but it is where the smart money goes as a useful £50 per month cheaper than the 2 series, can get one before haggling for £319 deposit £319 per month on four years 32000 miles
Sheetmaself said:
Picking it up on Friday evening, will get some photos up it will replace my z4 28sdrive so probably not quite the event so sit in but my o my that engine will make up for it!
Agree about the 1 series back end but it is where the smart money goes as a useful £50 per month cheaper than the 2 series, can get one before haggling for £319 deposit £319 per month on four years 32000 miles
Be interested to hear about this, i have a z4 28i at the moment. Agree about the 1 series back end but it is where the smart money goes as a useful £50 per month cheaper than the 2 series, can get one before haggling for £319 deposit £319 per month on four years 32000 miles
my wife has an M135i, they are phenomenal - the M240i is at the top of the list for my next car after the Z.
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