BMW’s new M2 is currently the most popular Bavarian, as it brings BMW back to its days of lightweight, small and simple sports cars. It is a superb driving car and easily the most exciting car to come from BMW in many years. However, the BMW M2 has a little bit of a problem in the form of one of its siblings — the BMW M240i.
While the M2 is a spectacular car to drive, it isn’t actually one of the fastest cars in its segment. With 365 hp and 343 lb-ft of torque from its 3.0 liter turbocharged I6 engine, the BMW M2 is capable of 0-60 mph in about 4 seconds with a DCT gearbox. That’s genuinely quick and far fast enough to be exciting. But its younger brother, the BMW M240i with its 340 hp and 368 lb-ft of torque, is damn quick, too. So in this new video from AutoTopNL, we take a look at side-by-side acceleration from both cars to see which is faster.
To 60 mph, the M2 is the quicker car, doing the sprint in 4.3 seconds for AutoTopNL, while the M240i did the same sprint in 4.6 seconds. So the M2’s short game is a bit better than the M240i’s. However, once the speeds get higher, the M240i starts to gain an advantage. If you watch the video and take a look at both speedometers, after about 160 km/h, the M240i starts to really gain on the M2 and the lead grows as the speed does. So to their top speeds, the M240i is the faster car.
The reasons for this could be multiple. The M240i has more torque, but that shouldn’t really matter too much at the top of the rev range, where both cars’ torque figures drop off a bit and peak hp kicks in. The M240i also has the new B58 engine, rather than the older N55 engine in the M2. The new engine manages heat far better and has more advanced technology, so it might just be better at putting power out at high speed. But the most likely culprit for the M240i’s better high-speed acceleration is gearing. Whereas the M2 in this test has the optional seven-speed DCT gearbox, the M240i has the optional eight-speed ZF automatic. The latter car’s extra gear and taller gearing might have given it a significant advantage.
Another thing to note is that, from the driver’s seat view, the M240i seems significantly more stable at high speed. The driver is fighting the steering wheel far more in the M2 at 160 km/h and up. This is likely due to the M240i’s longer travel suspension, softer chassis tuning and less twitchy steering. While the M2’s steering has far more feel and is more tactile at sane speeds, it seems to be quite twitchy at high speed. The M240i’s more comfortable suspension and more numb steering likely helps its high-speed stability.
The comparison between the two cars is very interesting, especially considering their price. Both are very similar in price and the M240i, the cheaper car to start, is faster at high speed and more comfortable and stable. The M2, while more expensive to start but the better value overall, is faster off the line and in real world driving while also being more dynamic but also more uncomfortable. So which is the car to buy?
