2026 BMW M240i xDrive | UK Review

Mild-hybrid status and 392hp has brought the M240i back to our attention - what's not to like?

If PH can be forgiven a moment of doom and gloom, you do wonder if the latest BMW M240i need be road tested at all. Not because it’s unworthy of our attention (far from it), but because its chief rivals, never that numerous to begin with, have retreated to the point of non-existence. The Porsche 718 Cayman and Audi TT are long gone, respectively taking with them the prospect of equally interesting six- and five-cylinder engines. Most of the senior hot hatches have gone, too. Or are about to.

So if you’re the kind PHer who likes their four-seat coupe to come with a burly petrol engine (which is presumably all of us) and would rather not part with the kind of money needed to buy an entry-level 911 or Mercedes-AMG GT, then short of the V8-powered Ford Mustang, you’re looking at virtually the only option available. Thank goodness its maker, apparently blessed with more foresight than the competition, has not only declined to retire the M240i, but has gone to the trouble of future-proofing it.

The solution, unsurprisingly, involves bolting on the mild-hybrid system that the model previously did without. Traditionally, that would trigger a theatrical eye roll from the faithful, not least for the weight gain that inevitably comes with creeping electrification - but BMW somewhat sweetened the deal by announcing last year that 374hp would become 392hp. And sure, there’s 12hp of electric motor output in there (peak torque increases to 398lb ft on a similar basis), but more is more. More is good.

At this point, the stickler in you might choose to note the unchanged 0-62mph time, a sure sign that going from a quoted kerbweight of 1,765kg to 1,830kg has left its mark - although anyone inclined to fixate on the spec sheet must also concede that combined economy has improved to as much as 38.7mpg. Moreover, juggle the spec just so and the configurator suggests (and BMW’s own test car spec confirms) that you’ll get the CO2 emissions down to a 167g/km average. It’s practically a Prius, you can tell your significant other.

It still looks fairly innocent, too. Which is to say, less overtly muscular than the M2 above it in the 2 Series lineup. Uglier, some might say, though it wasn’t the word that occurred to yours truly, even with it visually hamstrung in this instance by Alpine White. It is a trifle dull from some angles, and awkward at the front - though given the depths BMW has sunk to this past decade, you might consider it a triumph. At any rate, in terms of scale, it’s pretty much what you want from a vaguely practical but compact 2+2. You’ll fit in it nicely and so will your luggage. Back seat passengers less so.

Anyone in possession of a 71-plate M240i might wince at the removal of the proper gear selector or the introduction of BMW’s dashboard-spanning display that incorporates infotainment touchscreen and instrument cluster both - but these were introduced back in 2024, so they’ll be familiar to current owners. That doesn’t mean either is an improvement on what came before, though we needn’t waste time dwelling on the missing horse now the stable door is already bolted: suffice it to say, the cabin is upmarket, the seating position good and the fleshy steering wheel not quite round. C’est la vie.

Chances are, you’ll regard it with considerably more affection once the traditional straight-six burr arrives with a flurry of start-up revs. BMW must know how important this sonic bear hug is to buyers; perhaps now more than ever, the sheer presence of the engine is meant to seem like a tonic, and it is. Better yet, if you have concerns about even modest hybridisation tarnishing the throttle response, these can be put to bed pretty much straightaway: if no one told you a dinky generator was helping to grease the wheels, you probably wouldn’t notice.

Instead, as with most carefully integrated 48V tech - and especially when combined with a turbocharged lump that majored on ease of use anyway - the difference is marginal and mostly noticeable in the swiftness of the start-stop system. If at very low speed and revs the latest M240i surges forward a bit more effortlessly (and comes to a smoother stop), the resulting uplift is much like caffeine in Coca-Cola - faintly perceptible, yet also hard to distinguish from the accompanying head rush of a sugar high.

Of course, in the case of the M240i, the latter effect is supplied in heaped spoonfuls by a 3.0-litre motor that builds speed and revs in happy, husky union. Predictably, it’s the mid-range torque delivery doing most of the heavy lifting here (aided no end by the very effective eight-speed auto), but this doesn’t dilute the impression of a likeable, hard-charging engine, nor the pleasure of working it hard when the mood takes you. In this regard, the car is a fine reminder that circa 400hp (in something weighing less than two tonnes) is plenty enough power - or enough at least to make you think about the speed limit rather than gliding nonchalantly past it.

Much else, as you might expect, is where we left it. If the additional weight is not tangible in performance terms, there is the lingering suspicion that the ride quality might have suffered a wee bit: the M240i seemed occasionally stiff-legged around town, even with the greater latitude afforded to its (unforgivably, still optional) adaptive dampers in Comfort mode. But clearly this wasn’t a back-to-back test, and there’s still sufficient compliance at pace to make the most of the underlying CLAR platform the 2 Series shares with its bigger brother. Which is saying something.

This doesn’t mean that you won’t sporadically think about how much livelier and lovelier the M240i would be if it weighed closer to 1,500kg than it does 2,000kg (you will), yet it seems increasingly like that ship has sailed; it is generally easier to appreciate the things the car does well. And when this abiding sense of wellness is underwritten by authoritative steering, a positive, equitably balanced chassis and the dependably rear-focused xDrive system, you do quickly run short of things to get high and mighty about.

Or you do if you’re not inclined to see the M240i as merely a halfway house to the M2, one with too many driven axles and insufficient M-car special sauce. Obviously that’s a valid take as far as it goes - but when the former starts at £50k, and the latter, £70k, BMW could hardly be accused of inconsiderate positioning. Particularly not when the outgoing Audi RS3 is from £62k, or when Volkswagen will charge you at least £48k to unlock the new top-tier Golf GTI. Granted, it does seem likely that an xDrive version of the current M2 might be just over the horizon, and the prospect of an all-season variant of the flagship model is an appealing one. But, again: that will be very expensive. The M240i is only moderately expensive. And therefore, all things considered, very good value.

Specification | BMW M240i xDrive (LCI)

Engine: 2,998cc, straight-six, turbocharged, mild-hybrid
Transmission: 8-speed automatic, four-wheel drive
Power (hp): 392 @ TBC
Torque (lb ft): 398 lb ft @ TBC
0-62mph: 4.3secs
Top speed: 155mph
Weight: 1,830kg
MPG: 38.7 (WLTP)
CO2: 167g/km
Price: £50,215
Price as tested: £57,307

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Motormouth88

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