RE: BMW M240i: Driven
Discussion
JackReacher said:
Ive read some very good reviews of the Birds m235i suspension and LSD package, which apparently addresses the weakness of the standard suspension. Trouble is most of those reviews read more like an advert. Any real world experiences?
I put the Schnitzer springs on my 640d GC, transformed the car, all for less than £500.RedTrident said:
I pcp'd the m140i. Have a young daughter and needed 5 doors with a baby seat, boot for pram etc.
I specced it as much as I could to make it a driver's car. Manual etc etc.
It's absolutely bland. I can't wait to get rid of it. It gives me no joy whatsoever. I'm stuck with it for the next 2 1/2 years by which time my daughter will be 5 and hopefully I can get something else. I can't see how this version will be any better.
They're not even close to being M cars imo. Completely soulless regardless of it being a rear wheel drive, 6 cylinder manual.
Did you not test drive it?I specced it as much as I could to make it a driver's car. Manual etc etc.
It's absolutely bland. I can't wait to get rid of it. It gives me no joy whatsoever. I'm stuck with it for the next 2 1/2 years by which time my daughter will be 5 and hopefully I can get something else. I can't see how this version will be any better.
They're not even close to being M cars imo. Completely soulless regardless of it being a rear wheel drive, 6 cylinder manual.
I've driven a 235 (admittedly, the auto which is the better car), and it was exactly as I expected. It isn't bland and souless in it's sector, it's a quick fun car, but it isn't an M2 either. It takes 5mins to realise that behind the wheel?
Edited by Ares on Tuesday 15th August 09:26
BFleming said:
RobM77 said:
I don't have the LSD because it's only a 320d ED
Another reason will be that they don't offer a LSD with the correct 1:2.79 ratio for your car. You mess around with the ratios on the modern BMWs (diesels at least) & the car has no clue what gear its in, will hold back on the power (even if it is 163PS) & things like cruise control & gearshift indicator won't work. Birds will say they've never come across the issue, but take it from me it all happens! 
O/T: I can report if anyone's reading this thread and thinking of fitting the kit that even with the stiffer ARBs limiting droop, there are no issues at all with traction and the 20d engine (and without wishing to sound like a hooligan, I'd find issues if there were any).
I got one.
Mineral white M240i, with adaptive suspension, 8spd auto, adaptive headlights, full professional media, harmon kardon, folding mirrors, heated seats etc, list price if you build it to the same spec on the configurator is £42k.
I got it pre-reg with 9 miles for £29.5k, a bargain I think, I even got a good part-ex price for my F31 330D.
Have done 14k miles now, have averaged just over 31mpg during that time and it fits four people in and I even managed to fit a Beta 300 trials bike in it!!
I know its not an M car, but I commute 80 miles a day and its a nice place to sit for 2 hours.
Its the extra torque that sold me over a Golf R, it effortless.
Mineral white M240i, with adaptive suspension, 8spd auto, adaptive headlights, full professional media, harmon kardon, folding mirrors, heated seats etc, list price if you build it to the same spec on the configurator is £42k.
I got it pre-reg with 9 miles for £29.5k, a bargain I think, I even got a good part-ex price for my F31 330D.
Have done 14k miles now, have averaged just over 31mpg during that time and it fits four people in and I even managed to fit a Beta 300 trials bike in it!!
I know its not an M car, but I commute 80 miles a day and its a nice place to sit for 2 hours.
Its the extra torque that sold me over a Golf R, it effortless.
Edited by whitevancam on Tuesday 15th August 10:30
Of course, as mentioned by some, no-one actually pays list price for one of these whereas magazine comparisons and reviews always have to go by the quoted list price. BMW does fairly enormous discounts on the 40i-engined 1s, 2s, 3s and 4s.
Broadspeed and Coast2Coast, to name but two brokers, are currently quoting discounts of around £6.5k on an M240i coupe, meaning a bare-bones manual can be yours on the road for £30k. They are relatively well-equipped as standard, so that is good value, all things considered.
Same goes for the 440i coupe. The afore-mentioned brokers are knocking those out at sub-£36k (a saving of £8.5k). A boggo 440i comes with pretty much everything you could reasonably require as standard in a £35k coupe, including BMW's top-end Professional sat nav, electric heated leather seats and metallic paint.
Out in the real world and at those prices, little else comes even close. I went through all the alternatives and then bought a 440i GC late last year factory-ordered to my specification, for £39k versus an original OTR price with options of £48.5k. Having had several BMWs, I had fancied a different brand for a change, but the BMW was just a clear winner by some distance on cost grounds versus things like the Audi S5, Jag XE-S and AMG C43.
Broadspeed and Coast2Coast, to name but two brokers, are currently quoting discounts of around £6.5k on an M240i coupe, meaning a bare-bones manual can be yours on the road for £30k. They are relatively well-equipped as standard, so that is good value, all things considered.
Same goes for the 440i coupe. The afore-mentioned brokers are knocking those out at sub-£36k (a saving of £8.5k). A boggo 440i comes with pretty much everything you could reasonably require as standard in a £35k coupe, including BMW's top-end Professional sat nav, electric heated leather seats and metallic paint.
Out in the real world and at those prices, little else comes even close. I went through all the alternatives and then bought a 440i GC late last year factory-ordered to my specification, for £39k versus an original OTR price with options of £48.5k. Having had several BMWs, I had fancied a different brand for a change, but the BMW was just a clear winner by some distance on cost grounds versus things like the Audi S5, Jag XE-S and AMG C43.
Edited by Wolands Advocate on Tuesday 15th August 10:41
Ares said:
RedTrident said:
I pcp'd the m140i. Have a young daughter and needed 5 doors with a baby seat, boot for pram etc.
I specced it as much as I could to make it a driver's car. Manual etc etc.
It's absolutely bland. I can't wait to get rid of it. It gives me no joy whatsoever. I'm stuck with it for the next 2 1/2 years by which time my daughter will be 5 and hopefully I can get something else. I can't see how this version will be any better.
They're not even close to being M cars imo. Completely soulless regardless of it being a rear wheel drive, 6 cylinder manual.
Did you not test drive it?I specced it as much as I could to make it a driver's car. Manual etc etc.
It's absolutely bland. I can't wait to get rid of it. It gives me no joy whatsoever. I'm stuck with it for the next 2 1/2 years by which time my daughter will be 5 and hopefully I can get something else. I can't see how this version will be any better.
They're not even close to being M cars imo. Completely soulless regardless of it being a rear wheel drive, 6 cylinder manual.
I've driven a 235 (admittedly, the auto which is the better car), and it was exactly as I expected. It isn't bland and souless in it's sector, it's a quick fun car, but it isn't an M2 either. It takes 5mins to realise that behind the wheel?
Edited by Ares on Tuesday 15th August 09:26
xjay1337 said:
They are nice - but 43k?! (As tested).
Can pick up an early M2 for that no?
If you read all of the pages back on here, discounts on the M-Lite are very generous. So, you won't pay anything like that, as long as you stay sensible with the options.Can pick up an early M2 for that no?
You're also getting into the old versus new debate. Lets not go there. There's also the difference between owning a fast sub-M car and a proper M car. They are 2 very different ownership propositions.
Wolands Advocate said:
It is bizarre. I had a manual M135i for nearly 5 years. It was many things but never bland or soulless.
It's most certainly a spectrum. The E30 M3 was a separately built homologation special, but nowadays, whilst the technical changes do run to a fairly large booklet describing them; from the driver's seat the differences, for example from E46 330i to E46 M3, aren't really that huge. This particularly applies to the M2 and 240i, because the engines, whilst not the same, are very similar (e.g. weight, CofG and mounting location must be near identical). If this issue is subtle character differences that people are picking up, a few subtle mods may do the same job.WCZ said:
these remap to 400bhp too, if it was me I'd spec nothing apart from xenons then remove the original seats and put in some nice sporty ones for £2k, remap it then enjoy a great value for money car
This was a popular option with the last generation 135i and 335i compared to the M3, although of course in that comparison the value for money choice didn't have the beautiful V8. There were lots of comparisons posted to You Tube and particularly in the American motoring press. With such similar engines from these two cars (M2 and 240i), your point is even stronger. I should say that there are of course many factory differences with an M car, and if you search online you can often find extensive PDF mechanical descriptions of these (produced as briefings for dealerships - I have the E90 M3 one somewhere), however not all of these differences are immediately apparent when driving on the public road. The biggest difference in my humble opinion with most M cars is the diff, especially on wet roads, although of course Birds will sell you a traditional mechanical LSD from Quaife.Wolands Advocate said:
It is bizarre. I had a manual M135i for nearly 5 years. It was many things but never bland or soulless.
Perhaps because the cabin is so well insulated noise-wise that unless you wind the windows down and nail it you never get the full waste gate and pops and bangs experience, just the cheesy (IMO, can appreciate some like it) 'active sound'. Perhaps some turbo lag would give it more character? 
ChocolateFrog said:
At lot of those options, really shouldn't be.
A £40k car really should have cruise control and heated seats as standard IMO.
Personally I want these things to be options and not adding money to the base car price because I want neither; car companies can never please everyone A £40k car really should have cruise control and heated seats as standard IMO.
Yipper said:
...But the handling is terrible in the wet...
Did you drive one in the wet or are you assuming powerful RWD plus rain equals death? It won't have the traction of 4WD rivals but cornering grip should be similar given similar tyre composition/size, weight and suspension geometry. It'll be more difficult to make the most of the power compared with 4WD/FWD but that doesn't make it terrible.Edited by MustardCutter on Tuesday 15th August 13:46
HeMightBeBanned said:
I'm saddened by the reports of lifeless / gloopy steering. There's lots that I like about the 240i (size, price, performance - it's like a fast 3-series of old) but I value steering feel more than most other attributes.
I'm a sucker for good steering feel and I don't find it too bad at all, it's certainly not dripping with feel but you can say that about virtually all modern cars now electric assistance has become the standard.MustardCutter said:
Yipper said:
...But the handling is terrible in the wet...
Did you drive one in the wet or are you assuming powerful RWD plus rain equals death? It won't have the traction of 4WD rivals but cornering grip should be similar given similar tyre composition/size, weight and suspension geometry. It'll be more difficult to make the most of the power compared with 4WD/FWD but that doesn't make it terrible.daemon said:
va1o said:
Where I'd save money is opting for the M140i 3dr instead which is essentially the same car 
An "advantage" of the 2 series is that they are nowhere near as common as the one series. If i'd a pound for every time someone comments on our A45 and says "yes, my sister / aunt / mum / brother drives one of those". No - they drive an A180d.
The M240i drives better than the M140i. There is a bigger gap between the M135i and M235i.
The 2 series retains more value.
RobM77 said:
RT: What aspects of a car are you interested in? I'm intrigued by the idea that by simply modifying the 240i with suspension and diff changes along with engine character differences we could turn it from utterly joyless to totally joyful.
It's the lack of feel for me if I'm honest. I just did a 200 mile round trip in it on Sunday. Took the daughter to visit her Auntie up in Bridlington. By the time I was back she was fast asleep. The car did everything I'd bought it for.
There are some lovely roads driving there and back from Manchester once I'm off the motorway. It honestly was just completely bland.
I'm just selling house at the moment and will have some spare cash. I'm genuinely thinking of getting into another 911. She'll be fine in the back and I won't need the pram soon.
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