Review: BMW M240i

More power and yet more grins for BMW’s Cayman chaser

(BMW)

BMW has revised what used to be known as the M235i. This has a little more power and, to recognise that fact, a new name.

Despite this, the changes don’t run ever so deep. There’s a new acoustic bonnet to try and make the engine note sound purer, and auto models get an active vibration damper – but easily the biggest news is a 14bhp, 37lb ft hike in output – meaning you now have 335bhp and 369lb ft at your disposal.

In our test car, this is channeled through a six-speed manual box, which is jolly good though the gearchange itself requires slower, more precise actions that you’d surely want in a car like this. The good news is that the eight-speed auto option is brilliant – and the better news is that as well as making the M240i even faster, it makes it more frugal too. The bad news is that you have to pay for it, but we’d recommend doing so.

More taxing, anyway, is the ugly truth that this is one of those rare occasions on which we find ourselves wondering if a car is simply too powerful. Show it a wet road, and the M240i’s back tyres are never far away from being snowed under. We’d suggest staying clear of Sport Plus mode in these conditions, so that the traction control will jump in for you if things get torrid.

Either way, though, the engine is never less than up for it. At low revs, it hauls you forward on a rolling swell of torque, and the faster it spins the happier it is to play the game. It sings for joy when revved, and the results are apparent in the pure pace of the thing.

Talking of which, it now has a sprint time of 4.8 seconds. That’s a fifth of a second up on the old model – yet what’s most impressive is that combined fuel consumption is now 36.2mpg, and that a hefty 7% better than before.

Best of all, though, is the M240i’s handling. Or rather, its blend of handling and ride. Our test car had the optional adaptive shocks, and their worth is evident in every mode – set the dial to Sport Plus and in the dry, its agility, balance and immense drivability are close to matching the other-worldly Porsche Cayman.

In Comfort, meanwhile, the engine is calm and the suspension docile, making it a breeze on long journeys. It’s a nice place to ride – and a nice place to sit, too, thanks to cabin whose styling and materials are every kind of premium. It has a boot worthy of the name, too – as well, of course, as the golden ticket in the shape of BMW’s perennially undefeated iDrive infotainment system.

In fact, the latter has just had a bit of a freshen-up which makes it better than ever. Which hardly seems fair on the opposition.

Still, since the main opposition is the Cayman we don’t think it needs our sympathy. The Porsche remains the driver’s choice – but BMW now has an alternative that costs less, is better equipped, has a six-pot engine and, to all intents and purposes, put just as big a smile on your face.