[ZilberGrau ZHP]

As a 12 year BMW customer. I have owned quite a few BMW's after many Audis: From 2004 to present day E46 ZHP Sedan 6MT (Best car I have owned- smooth as butta) 3 years, Z4M (So under appreciated- A beautiful German Metal machine- such a refined howler - loved it) 4 years, 2006 E46 ZHP Convertible (LOVE E46 ZHP) and current cars 2004 E46 ZHP Coupe (1 year owned - bought used of course) and 435 GC (Like it a lot- Love some things- less enamored with others). My wife has a 2015 M235 and I love her car and drive it when I can. But my current ZHP will be traded in Early next year for an M240.

So I have half a clue as to how BMWs have and do handle, ride and the "mission" of each car/series. While I have never tracked a car- I have channeled my inner Ayrton Senna for 3 decades in the beautiful Texas Hill Country roads in San Antonio and Austin (and beyond). I also am not a fanboy- I like, and have owned many cars other than BMW. There are a lot of things about the modern BMW that I am not crazy about.

With all that said- I believe the M240 maybe among the best BMWs ever made with precious few flaws- And when I say this the context is that I am harking back to the "old days" before BMW made X6's and other beasts- nothing wrong with them- you have to sell to the modern market and make the cash. But put me squarely in the camp that smaller is better and generally makes for better driving dynamics (My wife had a 135 and that was TOO small) - and in the past at least BMW ruled among small sport cars (along with certain GTI's over the years) .

Everybody wants/needs something different out of the vehicle they plunk their hard earned money down for.
As a 57 year old- I want a car in the E46 idiom and size- the M235/240 (Really just call it the 240 and drop the M already OK?) is just spot on. But the 240 has now raised the bar. Keeping with the 6 cylinder (take that Audi) the power/torque numbers are astounding. The drivability excellent and for ME PERSONALLY I dont like the "boy racer" aspect of the M2- the front "fangs" just dont do it for me. But the 235 is a bit Frumpy looking - BMW nipped and tucked the 240- in addition to the new engine that we all know about, they added a rear spoiler lip- makes the car look slightly longer, they lowered the car 10mm (Wundabar), redid the front air dam to look more aggressive but by no means overwrought - sadly they kept the same ugly ass 18" wheels as standard (Cmon BMW you would sell a lot more wheels if a buyer could configure from the website). Comes with BMW adaptive suspension. M Sport brakes and adaptive steering (ALL of which I paid extra for in my 2015 435 GC) and then they did something else that I love- the made it QUIETER. For 50k It SHOULD be quieter. If you want the engine noise piped in you have that or you can have them uncheck that option in the software the next time you got to the dealer. Oh and it improved the crappy BMW interface by having Apple Play as an option! Finally geez its about time for get BMW into the modern world sometimes. Although they still dont offer the ultimate sound systems - sad as the HK system is just OK. Oh and with the M240 you get many more color and interior options than the m2 . Just not a better sound system than the HK- Oh I already mentioned that didnt I.


No it will not have the spec of the M2- Nor should it!- for its better suspension bits, Bulging body work, all the track day advantages of the M2 and the (now only slight) more power- the M2 is "better" in some ways for sure. But these are TWO DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT MACHINES intended for different uses. While both can be used everyday- the M2 is just better if you are to track it some point. WIll the M2 shine in normal driving or even on weekend drives? Maybe some but not really much IMO. On publix roads, even nice windy ones- can you get the "extra juice" with a M2 vs the new 240? SOme sure but not much really?? But the number of people who actually track their cars- are truly the same amount who actually go Diving in a "Dive" watch. But in their segment- the M2/M240 are simply the best out there at this time. And when they get all 4 door variants out the next couple of years- they will be even better.

For someone like me who wants a solid back road crusher- appreciate the amazing thrust at 369 lb. ft- have a slightly lower, slightly faster. slightly quieter car, with even slightly better gas mileage!! (sheesh) - all the right tweaks IMO. This car is as good as many previous M's with all the modern doo dads at a very reasonable price. My 2006 E46 ZHP Convertible had in 2006 a sticker of $ 53,000!!

Some in this and other forums have compared the M2 and new 240 , as they should, with some ire thrown at BMW- but hey time marches on- the M2 will approach the magic 400hp one day soon and M2 owners will all be better then. These are really cars meant for different owners and purposes. But for someone like me who needs the everyday car- with some secret power (Perfect Q-car?) and driving dynamics in the 9-9.5 range- along with the smaller size that makes it great on the freeway and parking downtown Austin makes the M240 the best current BMW on sale at this time.
I will throw some gunmetal BBS 19's on my Mineral Gray M240- add carbon fiber mirror caps, carbon fiber front splitter and alcantera steering wheel and Ill be have my "dream car". (Im one of those whose hands tend to "stick" on the BMW leather steering wheels).

Just my .02 on the deal.

Oh and I wish they did have blind spot monitoring- that should be a prerequisite on all cars. But I can wait to get one. It will look great next to its bigger Uncle 435GC.

[DF]

I was under the impression the exterior of the 235/240 were identical. I agree on blind spot monitoring. My friend was out looking at cars this weekend. A Kia Optima' legacy and Malibu all had it. Most cars don't have car play.

[mwickens]

Originally Posted by DF

I was under the impression the exterior of the 235/240 were identical.

Same. OP, where does your info come from? Same with the 240 being quieter. First I've heard of this. Or did you mean quieter than the M2?

[Poochie]

The only changes to the 240 over the 235 is the new motor, added Apple Play, wireless charging and hotspot.. Nothing else... Useless features if you ask me.. Also, even if the 240 was encrusted in diamonds and anointed with holy water, I would still take an M2 over a 240 any day - and I own a 235 and love it - but that's just my humble opinion..

[mwickens]

Originally Posted by sunil_linus

The only changes to the 240 over the 235 is the new motor, added Apple Play, wireless charging and hotspot.

And iDrive 5.0. (And the option for black leather with blue stitching.)

[Poochie]

Yes the 5.0 navigation system but I heard it is limited version on the 240i vs the higher end models.. But not really sure what that means yet..

[ZilberGrau ZHP]

Originally Posted by mwickens

Same. OP, where does your info come from? Same with the 240 being quieter. First I've heard of this. Or did you mean quieter than the M2?

Here is a fairly definitive report on the 2017 M240 Mentioning both the extra sound baffling in the engine department and the lowering of the ride height by 10mm- fairly substantial on a car this size actually.

http://www.topspeed.com/cars/bmw/201...-ar171119.html

[BMW335iOn18s]

lol I stopped reading after OP wrote that BMW changed the look of the M240i....

[Poochie]

Ok, take my word this; don't believe everything you read. I learned this before I bought my 135i in 2012 when some magazines refer to the new N55 engine as a "twin turbo"... Even the dealers did.. Smh.. I read that article before I posted my comment and yes, there might of been some sound deading in the engine bay but that still might be because the new motor is louder and they wanted to keep the sound level in check.. And as far as the suspension goes, check the part number, I'm sure it's the same for both; as BMW is not gonna waste time and money in new suspension; since this not even a full LCI face lift.. I think the writer meant the 235/240 have the active "M suspension" which in general, is 10mm lower than the standard 2 series.. I'm not trying to play devil's advocate; I would hate to have the wrong info and make an uninformed decision, so I'm passing along my experience, I hope it helps..

[bimmerfile]

Originally Posted by ZilberGrau ZHP

But the 235 is a bit Frumpy looking .

Which is identical to the 2017 M240i.
You may be thinking of the upcoming 2018 MY LCI M240i?

[XutvJet]

Sounds to me like the styling literature is remnants from 2014 M235 introduction where it was talking about the differences between the M235 and standard 228.

[EuroDude]

Article was completely speculative other than the new motor which we all knew.

[doccyber]

If you are planning to track the car then M2 may be a better option but then it's the driver that makes the car not the other way around. About 10 Years ago I did a 2 day M driving school in So. Carolina. Guess what one of the instructors said his favorite car which was also his daily driver and his "track" car was? His 325i coupe with stick and sport package. Otherwise totally stock. Also have you guys seen Chris Harris drive a 320i on YouTube? For me my M235 is way more than I care to handle.

[Transfer]

Nice read despite some little bits of misinformation. You are correct that the 235/240i is a dream car for sporting daily drivers who will not visit the track. There are very few (if any?) complaints to have with this car as long as it meets your driving goals going in on it. The downsides I see with mine are all related to either options I didn't choose to pay for or performance - which is present in the M2 and which I don't actually need.

So the 235 and presumably the 240 have everything... except they lack emotion. If speed excites you, then they have that, but they don't seduce the senses. What I mean by that is the 235/240 are more than capable but there is little fuss and little noise (real induction noise). They're comfortable and do everything right. How dull!

When my lease is up in 2018 I want to get back into a car with more emotion to it and will have a hard time deciding between M2, Cayman GTS, E9x M3 (again), or some other V8 wonder. I'm not sure I can go with another forced induction car - if there is a choice - but the M2 would be the only one I would consider. Modern turbos are very good, but NA engines conjure more emotion for me.

[Dylan86]

And if you do track, the 235/240 will do just fine also. Some tend to think only "real" M cars can "handle" track duty, which is false.