Considering an M240i - any info?

[Driver101]

Court_S said:

JackReacher said:

There is a lot of love for the m140 and m240 on the internet and youtube influencers, but I'd urge you to think carefully and make sure you have a really good extended test drive. It's easy to get suckered into the monster engine and straight line pace, which is fantastic, but there are real weaknesses as well.

It does depend on your expected use, and as all round daily it makes a lot of sense. But it really isn't the sort of car to take for a weekend blast. That all round ability it too weighted on the daily aspect, with not enough fun at the weekend.

I like my manual m240i, but as you can tell from the above I wouldn't choose it again. I'd rather have the latest Type R or a hot Megane which may not be quite as good on the commute (and look terrible in the case of the Honda), but a much better weekend option. If you don't need rear seats. have a shortish commute, and are happy to have a slightly older car, there are much better options out there like a 987.2 cayman. Or if you really like the look, stretch a little to an early M2.

Isn’t that the same for many of these cars? I doubt many people find themselves getting excited over a Golf R or an S3 (I certainly didn’t). I’m fine with it doing the boring stuff well, because most of my driving is commuting, taking the boy to rugby etc.

The original M2 is pretty compelling now as a used buy. The cheapest AUC was £27k...a lot of car for the money. I think an M2 will be my next car.

You can see how well the influencers work by comparing M135i v M140I sales. Not really much between the cars, but the sales figures are massively different in a time when there is even more choice.

The M140i is overhyped when a near identical car didn't get anywhere near the same exposure on YouTube.

[Tea Pot One]

Engine superb. Gearbox brilliant. Steering ... hmmm ... suspension ... hmmm .... wafty under power but easily a great car for the UK roads. It takes concentration. It is fun but it is at the limit of what it can do. An M2 is no quicker but I am sure handles. The M240i is great, and pre 17 makes a great noise. It is, however, too soft on suspension and tends to pogo along. The steering is too light too.

And yes, I did have one ... and loved it as it makes you concentrate :-D

[Court_S]

Driver101 said:

You can see how well the influencers work by comparing M135i v M140I sales. Not really much between the cars, but the sales figures are massively different in a time when there is even more choice.

The M140i is overhyped when a near identical car didn't get anywhere near the same exposure on YouTube.

The M135i was a press darling for at least a wee bit when launched.

I still kick myself for not buying an LCI 135i because the quote I had was so damn cheap; far more so than a similarly spec’d 140i that I actually bought. The draw for me was a) being a BMW fanboy and b) the engine. I love a straight six and they’re a thing of the past in small cars now. It’s far from perfect, but they’re also pretty unique because I can’t think of anything similar for the cash that has a six pot.

We’re there many YT types pushing the 140? Other than Joe Achilles I cant think of any others.

[FLGirl]

Appreciate the follow up comments and interesting about the ride/handling. I had a Z4C for nearly 4 years which I loved, apart from the awful tramlining! They’re well known for such handling woes.
I’d certainly find that off putting in a 240 so extended test drive noted, thanks all

I definitely don’t need 4 seats but much as they’re rated a Cayman is off the cards partly due to age but also the well known bore scoring issues. Much as that may be overstated, I hate the niggle you get in the back of your mind (also owned a 996 and although it was fine in 2 years it cost a bomb to run and I never fully enjoyed it).

It’s the endless dilemma of finding a good “compromise” car! The kind of car I’d love just isn’t really daily enough, and anything that works for everyday driving is of course not really sporty or fun enough!

Lots to ponder as always!

[Driver101]

Court_S said:

Driver101 said:

You can see how well the influencers work by comparing M135i v M140I sales. Not really much between the cars, but the sales figures are massively different in a time when there is even more choice.

The M140i is overhyped when a near identical car didn't get anywhere near the same exposure on YouTube.

The M135i was a press darling for at least a wee bit when launched.

I still kick myself for not buying an LCI 135i because the quote I had was so damn cheap; far more so than a similarly spec’d 140i that I actually bought. The draw for me was a) being a BMW fanboy and b) the engine. I love a straight six and they’re a thing of the past in small cars now. It’s far from perfect, but they’re also pretty unique because I can’t think of anything similar for the cash that has a six pot.

We’re there many YT types pushing the 140? Other than Joe Achilles I cant think of any others.

There is tons of the YT types with the M140i now. Sadly many of them aren't exactly helping the reputation of the car. Cheap PCP deals instantly puts fast new cars into the wrong hands.


There has been consistently large discouts off the M135/M140i. Even at launch there was 20-25% off the M140i. Discounts carried over from the M135i as there was minimal difference between the cars.

The M135i got good write ups when it was new. It never got the internet/social media hype like the M140i does, even though the cars are basically the same, and the M135i was doing it years before.

The M140i sold more than double the amount of M135i in a shorter period of time. The M135i and even the 135i were also unique in the their class at the time. I think a good percentage of that was down to all the hype on social media. Lots of the videos were vastly overhyped and people with little experience or knowledge were having their opinions taken as fact.

It was also because it ended up the cheapest performance car to PCP. A lot of people bought the M140i after the Golf R. Many of them have had to change their defence after years of justifying why the Golf R was the best car. People will defend whatever they currently have.

[Court_S]

Driver101 said:

There is tons of the YT types with the M140i now. Sadly many of them aren't exactly helping the reputation of the car. Cheap PCP deals instantly puts fast new cars into the wrong hands.


There has been consistently large discouts off the M135/M140i. Even at launch there was 20-25% off the M140i. Discounts carried over from the M135i as there was minimal difference between the cars.

The M135i got good write ups when it was new. It never got the internet/social media hype like the M140i does, even though the cars are basically the same, and the M135i was doing it years before.

The M140i sold more than double the amount of M135i in a shorter period of time. The M135i and even the 135i were also unique in the their class at the time. I think a good percentage of that was down to all the hype on social media. Lots of the videos were vastly overhyped and people with little experience or knowledge were having their opinions taken as fact.

It was also because it ended up the cheapest performance car to PCP. A lot of people bought the M140i after the Golf R. Many of them have had to change their defence after years of justifying why the Golf R was the best car. People will defend whatever they currently have.

Fair enough, I don’t really pay much attention to many YT types but I know Joe Achilles was a big supporter of the M135/40. I guess all fast cars with aggressive finance get into the wrong hands; the Golf R was/is common as muck and from what I can gather sold far more than the M135/40.

For me the M140i was still unique in its class; six pot, RWD etc. They do seem to divide option though and seem to be a popular car to deride based on purchase routes etc. The handling thing has been jumped on by the internet. Is it perfect? No. But by the time it starts to get a bit wobbly you’re travelling at a fair old lick and in public roads you probably have bigger issues than that.

Personally I really like mine. The engine dominates it, it has its flaws and you learn to get the best out of it. It’s not horrific to run, does the daily stuff well even if that may be at the expense of outright run. I’m also not really bothered that various YTers have them but I’m not really bothered by stuff like that (I had four years of piss taking for choosing a vRS company car which I actually liked).

[Davel]

Had an M240i for a while and sold it to a guy on here.

Great car but very little feedback from the steering.

Fantastic performance.

Find one with the Professional Sat Nav if you can, which is much better.

[Sticks.]

I changed my M235 for a TTS. If you don't need 4 seats, it works well as a DD, the 6 cyl engine being the only thing I miss.

[Classic E46]

I’ve had my M240i for a month or so now and I can’t find the part number for the Pro Nav as I have the slightly smaller one.

If I were to get the larger screen nav, which version would it be?
Would it be the one with gesture control?

If anyone has had this done, please share your experience thanks.

Ps. My car is March 2017

[Deep Thought]

Classic E46 said:

I’ve had my M240i for a month or so now and I can’t find the part number for the Pro Nav as I have the slightly smaller one.

If I were to get the larger screen nav, which version would it be?
Would it be the one with gesture control?

If anyone has had this done, please share your experience thanks.

Ps. My car is March 2017

I'm sure someone will be along with an answer shortly, but if not try babybmw.net.

Our car is 2019 with the bigger Pro screen, but i dont think it has gesture control.

[Deep Thought]

Tea Pot One said:

Engine superb. Gearbox brilliant. Steering ... hmmm ... suspension ... hmmm .... wafty under power but easily a great car for the UK roads. It takes concentration. It is fun but it is at the limit of what it can do. An M2 is no quicker but I am sure handles. The M240i is great, and pre 17 makes a great noise. It is, however, too soft on suspension and tends to pogo along. The steering is too light too.

And yes, I did have one ... and loved it as it makes you concentrate :-D

Yes, thats a good summary. It definitely feels as quick as our previous A45 in a straight line, but the A45 was much much easier to drive fast round the twisties. Our M140i on the other hand requires concentration to do so and just wouldnt have that same composure at speed.

Also, not sure if the M240i had it, but we retrofitted the M135i rear underbody chassis brace which helped ours. Seems a common mod.

[Taozzz]

In terms of original list price, are all M240i from 2019 within £40k? Or does that depend of specs / options? Just thinking along the line of the "luxury tax".

[Deep Thought]

Taozzz said:

In terms of original list price, are all M240i from 2019 within £40k? Or does that depend of specs / options? Just thinking along the line of the "luxury tax".

A M140i with a bit of spec could break £40K, so i'd imagine theres a real chance an M240i could.

[Classic E46]

Deep Thought said:

Taozzz said:

In terms of original list price, are all M240i from 2019 within £40k? Or does that depend of specs / options? Just thinking along the line of the "luxury tax".

A M140i with a bit of spec could break £40K, so i'd imagine theres a real chance an M240i could.

A close family friend of mine recently bought a brand spanking new M240i and he payed just over £40k, I’ve got to say it’s a lovely spec I’ll try get a picture of it some time. I bought mine approved used but only has 14k miles on it, I’ve got a few modifications in mind after seeing Tom Wrigley’s.

[Classic E46]

I’m also thinking of getting a LSD retrofitted to mine as I’ve heard the handling improves a lot especially when taking corners, it’s less twitchy.

Any opinions?

[Deep Thought]

Classic E46 said:

I’m also thinking of getting a LSD retrofitted to mine as I’ve heard the handling improves a lot especially when taking corners, it’s less twitchy.

Any opinions?

The constraint i find with the open diff is that on anything but perfect dry surfaces it just cuts the power when it loses traction on a wheel. Very annoying as its very easy done. Hard to get all the power down from a standard start.

I dont notice it so much on other roads. Theres a nice 5 mile country run from the local town out to our house and my previous modded 2018 Cooper S used to lift the inside front wheel incredibly regularly at speed on corners but the M140i doesnt lose grip pretty much at all. Getting the power down isnt the problem on cross country roads. It is ragged though close to the limit. Our A45 was definitely quicker with a lot less effort.

I'll live with the irk of standing start grip rather than spend £2,500 though.

[LocoBlade]

Taozzz said:

In terms of original list price, are all M240i from 2019 within £40k? Or does that depend of specs / options? Just thinking along the line of the "luxury tax".

My M240i was £42.5k list when I bought it in 2017 and that was by no means fully loaded. It was delivered at the start of March though so the new tax system didn't apply.

[LocoBlade]

Classic E46 said:

I’ve had my M240i for a month or so now and I can’t find the part number for the Pro Nav as I have the slightly smaller one.

If I were to get the larger screen nav, which version would it be?
Would it be the one with gesture control?

If anyone has had this done, please share your experience thanks.

Ps. My car is March 2017

You can retrofit the larger the screen quite easily, but that doesn't upgrade it to Pro Nav spec, it will just be Business Nav on a Pro Nav screen. Also beware there's incompatibilities between years/variants so you need the right screen for your car.

https://www.babybmw.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9121...

Edited by LocoBlade on Saturday 27th June 11:57

[LocoBlade]

Deep Thought said:

Also, not sure if the M240i had it, but we retrofitted the M135i rear underbody chassis brace which helped ours. Seems a common mod.

Its standard on the M235/40i, and also some if not all 3 door cars IIRC

[Deep Thought]

LocoBlade said:

Deep Thought said:

Also, not sure if the M240i had it, but we retrofitted the M135i rear underbody chassis brace which helped ours. Seems a common mod.

Its standard on the M235/40i, and also some if not all 3 door cars IIRC

Interesting RE the 2 series.

Only ever got fitted to the 3 door M135i in the 1 series apparently. Easy and cheap retrofit though.

https://www.babybmw.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=74&a...