It may not pack the power and punch of the M2, but the 2025 BMW M240i makes up for it with elegance and manners. While the coupe has been only mildly refreshed for 2025 – with no design updates – there was nothing wrong with the car’s athletic appearance, long snout and cute, short rear end that needed fixing. If it’s not broken… (you know the rest).
Powertrain: That adage particularly applies to the linchpin of the M240i’s fun factor – the powerplant and drivetrain. The turbocharged 3.0-litre inline six puts down 382 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque through all four wheels using an eight-speed automatic transmission.
The thrills start at zero when you hit the throttle and could end in four seconds as you top 100 km/h, but why stop there? This car displays truly impressive acceleration from 100 on up, especially when you drive it in sport plus mode. It’s so smooth it could definitely get you into trouble if you don’t pay attention to the speedo.
With the M badge the car gets a tougher differential, sport suspension, and variable sport steering. Our tester was also equipped with the $3,500 M Enhanced Track package, which adds 19-inch wheels, a dedicated cooler for engine oil, adaptive M suspension, giant 347-mm front brake rotors, and body-coloured fender flares.
Drive: The M240i is a driver’s car without drama. Sure, it doesn’t have a manual or dual clutch transmission to let you go crazy on the track, but the features noted above are more than enough to make just about anybody happy on the road.
The car can purr along in Eco-Pro or Comfort mode like a grand tourer, with a quiet, comfortable and fuel-efficient ride. But with a couple taps on the touch screen to select Sport or Sport Plus – along with any custom options you might want – and the beast is unleashed. Driving the M240i – in either mode – is a pleasure. It’s refined and quick.
Exterior: A low-slung, snouty coupe will always turn my head, and this M240i is no exception. The design conveys both grace and power without being brash.
It would look best in the newly available Zandvoort Blue, a colour that was until now only available on the M2. The brighter, eye-catching hue suits the car’s personality and would complement the M Sport Pro package ($1,250 extra), which added red brake calipers, unique headlights, black rear M spoiler and black highlights to the test car.
Interior: BMW may have focused its attention on the digital aspects of the cockpit, but the M240i also earned a few sweet new interior touches for 2025. The first of note is the new standard M leather steering wheel, with a flattened bottom, a red marker showing dead straight, and stitching in the BMW M red, white and blue. It’s a brawny wheel, which was comfortable, but left me wondering whether people with smaller hands might find it a bit thick.
Heated front sport seats are now standard and available in a choice of four colours in each of two finishes. Aluminum Rhombicle Anthracite trim is now standard in M240i models, but this one was equipped with very attractive carbon fibre trim, a $600 option. There are three other options to choose from.
Fancy interior mood lighting usually just annoys me, as it’s just one more distraction, especially at night. But the lighting on the insides of the door panels in the M240i and on the central air vents, is both attractive and easy to control or turn off for uncompromised night vision.
One last word, although BMW says this car can carry five people, but they fail to specify that the three riding in the back seats need to be under the age of six to have any chance of squeezing their legs in or contorting themselves through the door openings to get back there.
Infotainment: The interior update for 2025 is all about digitization, BMW claims. And it’s hard not to be dazzled by the screens and the wealth of information they – quickly – display. The BMW Curved Display is one big piece with two sections, a 12.3-inch Information Display and a 14.9-inch Control Display that stretch from the passenger’s side of the centre stack all the way to the driver’s left.
They operate on the new BMW operating System 8.5 which means that functions like climate control, seat and steering wheel heaters and windows can be operated by touch or voice commands. (Just don’t ask the car to shut a window after it opens it for you – it politely declines.) The touch screen is so much better than the old console dial and push buttons, which require far too many touches to find what you need.
Conclusion: The M240i outperforms the competition on price and practicality. With an MSRP of $60,900, you can trick the BMW out with all the extras and still drive off the lot at about what you’d pay for a basic Porsche Cayman or Audi RS3 and you’d be going home with a better looking, more useful vehicle.
2025 BMW M240i
2025 BMW M240i
2025 BMW M240i
2025 BMW M240i
2025 BMW M240i
2025 BMW M240i
2025 BMW M240i
2025 BMW M240i
2025 BMW M240i
The M240i won me over. If you are looking for a high-end sporty coupe that combines serious fun with a modicum of practicality and oozes elegance at the same time, the M240i is worth a test drive.
2025 BMW M240i
Price as tested: $76,250.00
Freight: per dealership
Configuration: Front engine, All-wheel drive
Engine/transmission: 3.0-liter, 6-cylinder turbo/8-speed automatic
Power: 382 hp, torque of 369 lb-ft
Fuel capacity: 52 litres (Premium)
Fuel economy ratings (L/100 km): 10.3 city; 7.3 highway; 10.2 combined (on 18-inch tires)
Warranties: 4 years/80,000 km
Competitors: Audi RS3, Porsche Cayman
Website: BMW Canada