Test Drive: 2022 BMW M240i

2022 BMW M240i xDrive

Class: Premium Sporty/Performance Car

Miles driven: 222

Fuel used: 10.4 gallons

Real-world fuel economy: 21.3 mpg

Driving mix: 75% city, 25% highway

EPA-estimated fuel economy: 23/32/26 (mpg city/highway/combined)

Fuel type: Premium

Base price: $48,550 (not including $995 destination charge)

Options on test car: Thundernight Metallic paint ($550), black leather with blue stitching ($1450), Driving Assistance Package ($1450), Premium Package ($2750), passenger-seat width adjustment delete (-$100), passenger-seat lumbar adjustment delete (-$175), Aluminum Tetragon trim ($150), driver’s seat lumbar support ($350), Harman Kardon surround-sound audio system ($875)

Price as tested: $56,845

Quick Hits

The great: Invigorating acceleration; agile handling; more practical than many performance-focused sporty coupes

The good: Respectable ride quality considering the handling prowess; standard AWD capability; decent value among premium-brand performance cars

The not so good: No manual transmission or convertible body style offered; stingy rear-seat space; observed fuel economy trailed EPA estimates

More 2-Series price and availability information

John Biel

The BMW 2-Series ain’t what it used to be. With the launch of a completely redesigned model for 2022, there’s no longer a convertible or an available manual transmission. Nope, it’s not what it was—it’s better.

For its second generation, the 2-Series coupe gets a little bigger and roomier. It comes with more power in both of its engines and improved aerodynamic elements in front of and under the car. Of course there’s fresh styling, too—but not with the gaping-maw grille design of larger BMWs that has vexed so many in recent years.

Consumer Guide’s test of the new 2-Series came from the top of the 2022 lineup, the 6-cylinder, all-wheel-drive M240i xDrive. At $49,545 (with delivery) to start, it costs $12,200 more than a 4-cylinder, rear-drive 230i—the only other model available at launch. However, the test car’s final price came to $56,845 with options including a purplish metallic paint with a name—Thundernight—that could belong to a Marvel Comics character due for a big origin-story movie.

While the 2.0-liter turbocharged four in the 230i gets a little hike in output (just seven horsepower; its real gain comes from an extra 37 pound-feet of torque) the M240i goes bigger. Its 3.0-liter turbocharged inline six boasts 47 fresh ponies for a new total of 382 horsepower. Power delivery is excellent, with quick throttle response and fast kickdown from the 8-speed automatic transmission when passing situations arise. In “Sport+” driving mode, behavior can feel a little peaky in around-town driving, bolting eagerly from stops then backing off hard off throttle, and the exhaust raps and pops a bit. Otherwise, this is an all-around enjoyable car to drive.

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EPA fuel-economy estimates for the M240i xDrive are 23 mpg in the city, 32 mpg on the highway, and 26 mpg combined. This driver’s stint of 121.4 miles—two-thirds of it in city-type conditions—came out to a slightly underachieving 23.0 mpg.

BMW claims the 2-Series chassis has been stiffened. The car is mounted on a 2-inch-longer wheelbase and wheel tracks have been expanded front and rear. With the adaptable M suspension standard in the tested model, ride is firm, handling is taut. The recent wails about BMW’s apparent loss of its steering mojo don’t seem as applicable in the M240i, and changes in resistance in the two sport settings feel right. Even in “Comfort” mode the car corners well and responds alertly to steering inputs. Particularly bad pavement will jolt the car, but overall it’s a comfortable tourer, even in the sportier settings. Other M240i standards that affect driving dynamics include specific 19×8-inch alloy wheels, an M Sport differential, an M Sport brakes—conspicuous by their blue calipers—that deliver quick and strong stopping power.

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Not having ever been asked to engineer an automobile ourselves, CGers can imagine the exasperated eye rolling among those who do when they are simultaneously praised for coming up with a lively, flingable device that’s no bigger than it needs to be but lashed for tight passenger accommodations. One of the few key gripes about the dynamically admired first-gen 2-Series was a cramped backseat, but the new car’s extra inches should relieve that. Well, at least for more people… this 5-foot-10.5 tester could sit in the back with just enough room for feet and knees behind the passenger seat but his head was wedged up against the Anthracite headliner. Adult access to the 2-passenger seat isn’t bad because the front seats power forward—slowly—once the release is activated. However, getting up and out from the low seating position is a little bit more work. Front space is fine and drivers enjoy good sightlines.

There’s been a slight improvement to the trunk floor—it’s now uniformly flat all the way across. (The previous version had an odd dropped section down the center.) Rear 40/20/40-split seats fold at a slight upward incline but they are flush with the trunk floor. Net pouches at rear corners of the trunk will restrain incidentals from rolling around loose.

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For cabin storage the glovebox is modest, the console box is small. Door pockets are big and have bottle holders. The only rear-seat storage is net pouches on the backs of the front seats. Front cup holders are hidden under a lid at the front of the console; rear cup holders are in the center armrest.

Standard equipment skews more toward convenience and technology items than plush ambience. The black leather seats with blue accent stitching were an extra-cost item—simulated leather is standard. The M Sport steering wheel is wrapped in leather and the console sprouts pads where front passengers’ knees might contact it, but there isn’t much soft-surface material elsewhere around the cabin. Rear passengers don’t even get padded sidewall armrests, and door tops and the right half of the dash lack any underlying give. Aluminum Tetragon trim panels on the dash and console were a $150 option. At least the power moonroof is included in the base price.

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Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity is standard, and a Wi-Fi hotspot and wireless charging are included in the M240i. Blind-spot monitoring, front and rear parking sensors, forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, and lane-keep assist are standard safety and driver-assistance features. Climate control comes from a dual-zone unit activated by an easy-to-reach strip of repetitive-push buttons centered below vents in the center of the instrument panel.

With the iDrive infotainment system you can work through the console dial if you like the challenge, and it might be handy for deep dives into the many menus for vehicle data, entertainment, and other functions. One thing you can do without too much fuss directly on the touchscreen is make audio-system inputs. The costly Premium Package injected a 12.3-inch driving-control screen and 10.3-inch infotainment touchscreen for BMW’s Live Cockpit Pro with navigation. (A head-up display is another Premium Package feature.) The Driving Assistance Package added self-parking assist and adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go capability.

If you can’t be what you used to be, maybe you can be better. The BMW 2-Series is.

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2022 BMW M240i

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