Car of the Year Awards 2025: Best performance car for value
First and foremost, a great performance car is entertaining and involving to drive, but unlike pure sports cars, they also have to be practical and comfortable enough to use every day...
BMW M240i xDrive
Small, understated, packs one hell of a punch… no, we’re not talking about Tommy Shelby. We’re talking about the BMW M240i.
But they do share more than a little in common, because while fast, compact coupés such as the Audi TT and Toyota GR86 are being wiped out faster than a rival Peaky Blinders gang, the M240i has stuck around. And we’re thrilled it has, because it does an important job: it takes the essence of a BMW M3 and distils it into a smaller, cheaper package.
True, it doesn’t have quite the sharpness of a full-fat M2 or M3. But in everyday use, the M240i’s gutsy six-cylinder engine is smooth and makes all the right noises, its eightspeed automatic gearbox fires through ratios like a gunfight in The Garrison, and, being four-wheel drive, it delivers all-weather pace.
Sure, Audi’s RS3 saloon is a bit faster and roomier, but it costs significantly more money. Ultimately, the M240i is a reminder that small, punchy coupés still exist and can deliver big thrills without demanding big money. So, go buy one while you still can. Because, unlike Tommy, such cars aren’t invincible.
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