Shropshire Star

Saying hello to our new BMW M240i long-termer

Darren Cassey has taken delivery of a Melbourne Red coupe – could it be the perfect daily driver it appears to be?

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I’ve always thought the BMW 2-Series might be the perfectly sized car for modern life. It’s small enough that you can relax while driving it even on tight, congested British roads, but is big enough that you can take friends and family in the back with plenty of luggage space in the boot.

And the peach of the range should, theoretically, be the M240i. Cheaper to run than the fully performance-focused M2 but with enough poke to make the most of your favourite back road, it makes a lot of sense on paper.

So when BMW offered up the opportunity to run one for six months I jumped at the chance. And that’s how I ended up the temporary custodian of YJ67 XRR, a Melbourne Red M240i.

(Blackball Media/PA)
(Blackball Media/PA)

The loan period takes in the Christmas holidays and new year, when the weather is at its worst and the title of ‘perfect daily driver’ will really be earned. First impressions are good, too.

Under the bonnet sits a 3.0-litre six-cylinder petrol engine that’s largely devoid of character but is very linear in its power delivery. The noise is raspy but wholly synthetic – only time will tell if this starts to grate. With 335bhp and 500Nm of torque on tap, it’s plenty fast enough, and if you get on the power too early in a corner the rear tyres will scrabble for grip. This is, for the most part, very good fun.

I’m not usually a fan of red cars but this deep shade – a £550 optional extra – really suits the 2-Series’ curves, while the interior is spacious, comfortable and feels every inch as premium as you’d expect a BMW to feel.

The base price for the car is £34,835, but our tester comes in at just under £40,000 thanks to a raft of extras. At £1,600 the automatic transmission is the priciest option, but a welcome one – despite purists loving manuals for making you more involved in the driving experience, BMW’s gearboxes are traditionally unsatisfying to use. The auto, on the other hand, is quick-witted and slick shifting, and therefore very welcome.

At £775 we have the professional media package, which includes satellite navigation, online entertainment and ‘remote service’, which gives you the ability to control vehicle functions from your mobile phone without being beside the car. This should prove welcome for pre-heating the car in the winter.

Other options include sun protection glass (£290), folding electric wing mirrors (£275), and high-beam assistant (£150). Our car also has 18-inch alloy wheels, a £175 option that look great but incredibly appear quite small in the arches. Not long ago alloys that size would have looked massive on a small coupe – proof cars are getting bigger?

(Blackball Media/PA)
(Blackball Media/PA)

There is one glaring omission in all this, though. A speed limiter is included as standard, but you have to pay £360 extra for cruise control, something that really shouldn’t be the case on a premium sports coupe. Everything comes with this technology nowadays and it’s been around for years, so surely BMW doesn’t have to recoup development costs from the consumer anymore? Especially in a £35k-plus car…

That minor irritation aside, the M240i has quickly settled into life as a do-it-all daily driver. From gridlocked commutes to late night blasts through winding country roads, it’s proved an excellent companion.

With forecasters predicting an extra cold December it’ll be fun to find out what this rear-wheel-drive coupe is like when the roads get a little bit icy…

MODEL: BMW M240i
PRICE: £39,240
ENGINE: 3.0-litre six-cylinder
POWER: 335bhp
TORQUE: 500Nm
MAX SPEED: 155mph
0-60MPH: 4.6 seconds
MPG (COMBINED): 40
EMISSIONS: 163g/km
MILEAGE (TO DATE): 1,127

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