What exactly does the M mean for BMW owners?

[wayn0000]

Ok I have just taken delivery of my 1st BMW an M240i.

Now I understand that in the hierarchy there's an M2 which is a more exciting, brutal version of my car, but yesterday I walked past a 218i M Does this effectively mean its just a lower engine version of mine? or does the M in this case mean something else ?

Is there an significance in the M being before the numbers? ( M2, M240)


TIA

[Catatafish]

Mostly M is for Marketing.

Various versions of a mass produced platform which have different bits and pieces swapped out depending on which notch in the hierarchy it is pitched at.

[Smuler]

wayn0000 said:

Ok I have just taken delivery of my 1st BMW an M240i.

Now I understand that in the hierarchy there's an M2 which is a more exciting, brutal version of my car, but yesterday I walked past a 218i M Does this effectively mean its just a lower engine version of mine? or does the M in this case mean something else ?

Is there an significance in the M being before the numbers? ( M2, M240)


TIA

Yours is one of these, sometimes referred to as a "M Lite."


https://www.bmw.co.uk/en/footer/experience-bmw/m-p...


It's distinct from a more focused (as you say brutal) M Division car, "a full fat M" as some say, such as the M2, M3, M4, M5, M8

But sits a level above an ordinary car of the respective series, such as your example of 218i M Sport.

In the previous generation (prefixed E) you would have a situations where for example a 318i was almost identical (engine apart) to the performance pinnacle of that range, a 335i.

These M Lites introduce further sportier changes than just the engine.

The position of the M is not key, as there are full fat M cars of SUVs called X3M and X4M.

[Pica-Pica]

Motoren

[4rephill]

M2, M3, M4, M5, M6 = Full fat.

M240 = Semi skimmed.

218M = Skimmed.

[Bodie390]

When the ‘M’ meant something. I can’t keep up with the modern ‘M’ marketing.

[Wills2]

Bodie390 said:

When the ‘M’ meant something. I can’t keep up with the modern ‘M’ marketing.

You could buy an M-tech 316i back then as well, was ever thus.

[Maxus]

Wills2 said:

Bodie390 said:

When the ‘M’ meant something. I can’t keep up with the modern ‘M’ marketing.

You could buy an M-tech 316i back then as well, was ever thus.

Not quite. You could buy M Technic accessories for your E30 316i but not a Sport/M-Tech model. The E30 325i Sport had M Tech equipment on it as did the E34 Sport models (525i/535i etc.). It wasn't until the E46/E39 that the Sport trim level with M Technic equipment was introduced and available as an alternative to SE pretty much regardless of engine. Later in the E60 era cars the naming changed from Sport to M Sport and the splatting of M badges throughout each M Sport car has grown ever since.

[Abarth595turismo]

Wills2 said:

Bodie390 said:

When the ‘M’ meant something. I can’t keep up with the modern ‘M’ marketing.

You could buy an M-tech 316i back then as well, was ever thus.

Don’t think they offered a 316i M-tech model back then.

[Mr Tidy]

Well I'm old school, so for me M-Sport just means Marketing with some bling! Which used to be a Sport model.

For me a real M car needs to have a bespoke naturally aspirated performance engine that was only ever fitted to M cars.

Like E30, E46 and E9* M3s, E28, E39 and E60 M5s, etc.

I was lucky enough to be in a position to buy a Z4M Coupe in December that has the same engine as the E46 M3, so a 3.2 litre N/A straight 6 with 343 bhp at 7,900 rpm that just sounds angry when you chase the red-line!

But since around 2010 "M" models seem to just have production turbo engines with higher boost, re-maps and fake pop and bang soundtracks and maybe some upgraded internals - not for me thanks.

[StuntmanMike]

Mr Tidy said:

Well I'm old school, so for me M-Sport just means Marketing with some bling! Which used to be a Sport model.

For me a real M car needs to have a bespoke naturally aspirated performance engine that was only ever fitted to M cars.

Like E30, E46 and E9* M3s, E28, E39 and E60 M5s, etc.

I was lucky enough to be in a position to buy a Z4M Coupe in December that has the same engine as the E46 M3, so a 3.2 litre N/A straight 6 with 343 bhp at 7,900 rpm that just sounds angry when you chase the red-line!

But since around 2010 "M" models seem to just have production turbo engines with higher boost, re-maps and fake pop and bang soundtracks and maybe some upgraded internals - not for me thanks.

I would agree with this, they have prostituted that badge so much I don’t ever give modern ones a second glance.
They lost their magic along time ago.

[TerryHarman]

3series wise The last proper m car was the e46 m3

Edited by TerryHarman on Monday 20th April 09:28

[Wills2]

Abarth595turismo said:

Wills2 said:

Bodie390 said:

When the ‘M’ meant something. I can’t keep up with the modern ‘M’ marketing.

You could buy an M-tech 316i back then as well, was ever thus.

Don’t think they offered a 316i M-tech model back then.

Yeah they did you could put M-Tech kit on your E30, BMW started marketing "M" the very day they launched it no different to today's M-sport models, yet people like to think it's a new thing for some reason.

[motco]

Mr Tidy said:

I was lucky enough to be in a position to buy a Z4M Coupe in December that has the same engine as the E46 M3, so a 3.2 litre N/A straight 6 with 343 bhp at 7,900 rpm that just sounds angry when you chase the red-line!

Z4M Coupé at Thruxton

[Killthebankers]

Wills2 said:

Abarth595turismo said:

Wills2 said:

Bodie390 said:

When the ‘M’ meant something. I can’t keep up with the modern ‘M’ marketing.

You could buy an M-tech 316i back then as well, was ever thus.

Don’t think they offered a 316i M-tech model back then.

Yeah they did you could put M-Tech kit on your E30, BMW started marketing "M" the very day they launched it no different to today's M-sport models, yet people like to think it's a new thing for some reason.

The E30 325i sport which was particularly lovely was probably the closest to the M-tech you are talking about but they did not offer a designated M-tech e30 316i.

[rassi]

TerryHarman said:

3series wise The last proper m car was the e46 m3

Edited by TerryHarman on Monday 20th April 09:28

Rubbish - the E9X M3 and its S65 V8 engine was a fitting salute for the N/A M engines!

[4rephill]

Mr Tidy said:

.....For me a real M car needs to have a bespoke naturally aspirated performance engine that was only ever fitted to M cars.

Like E30, E46 and E9* M3s, E28, E39 and E60 M5s, etc.....

The BMW M division's first foray into road cars from @ 1974, were modified E12 525's, 528's & 528i's, which had their engines replaced with production factory standard 3.0 & 3.2 litre engines (along with various other mechanical modifications to suspension, brakes, gear ratios, wheels, seats). These cars didn't carry any ///M badges.

After the 1978 M1 supercar, which came with a bespoke M engine (and carried the ///M1 badge ), the M division's next production car was the 1979 E12 M535i, which didn't have a bespoke M engine. The M division were more than happy to fit these cars with an ///M badge in front of the 535i.

I suspect the M division is just as proud of these cars as they are of those fitted with bespoke "M" engines, and count them as "real M cars", because they were modified/made by the M division (unlike the E9* M3 "real M car", that was assembled on the standard 3 series production line )

[Touring442]

M is like S Line and AMG, just a trim level. It's basically a re-run of Ford in the seventies and eighties with L, GL and Ghia, trim levels offering very little of real benefit and targeting suckers.

[Touring442]

4rephill said:

The BMW M division's first foray into road cars from @ 1974, were modified E12 525's, 528's & 528i's, which had their engines replaced with production factory standard 3.0 & 3.2 litre engines (along with various other mechanical modifications to suspension, brakes, gear ratios, wheels, seats). These cars didn't carry any ///M badges.

Well, the E9 CSL if you're being strict although work on that began around 1970/71. Again, no Motorsport badging.

The 3.0 E12's were 528's and they were only sold to selected racing drivers rather than being a catalogued model. I managed to stumble across one in 2018 at a BMW meet in Holland - I have a feeling that they were all Chamonix white. They basically used 3.0 CSL running gear such as the 3.0 D Jet engine and 3.07 LSD - the E9, E3 and E12 are all very closely related. BMW made a 530i for the USA so were able to homologate it quite easily.

[Mr Tidy]

motco said:

Thanks for that. Shame I can only go to the shops just now!

ETA - A gratuitous photo seeing as we are all bored!

Edited by Mr Tidy on Tuesday 21st April 23:22