[ScottyRyan2019]

I looked at an M240i before getting the M2. I really liked the idea of the xDrive for a year-round daily in Minnesota plus you just pin it and go from a stop. I thought it was a lot of car and performance for the money. But then I always wanted an M car and this M2 came available and the price was right.

[Kuskus]

Originally Posted by RockCrusher

Think the M240i is enough of a car to be fun to drive. Heck my 230xi is fun to drive.

The flip side is with the M2 it can serve as a daily driver. One can daily drive any car just a matter of if one is willing to accept the consequences.

For instance at some point I daily drove a Dodge Challenger Hellcat. I could live with the 15mpg fuel consumption and the increase in servicing costs due to the more rapid accumulation of miles and the cost of consumables like tires and eventually brakes.

Before I bought my M2 I considered an M240i.

I built a M240i and an M2 and while the M2 was more money it was still well within my budget. But the M240i wasn't available with a 6-speed manual. And for my pleasure car I wanted a manual so I switched from an M240i to an M2.

Rather than build an M2 and order it I searched and found an M2 launch car on a dealer's lot and bought the M2. This April of 2023. Traded in the 230i.

When I bought the M2 my daily was a 2023 MINI JCW w/6-speed.

But about 9 months after buying the JCW I traded it in for a 2024 BMW 230xi.

The 230xi is my daily driver. It gets about the same gas mileage as the MINI JCW did. Both cars are about the same when it comes to capabilities and features although of course they differ considerably in the running gear department. The MINI JCW was FWD mated to a 6-speed manual vs. the 230xi being AWD mated to an 8-speed automatic.

But being an automatic the 230xi is a bit "better" in its role as a daily driver. And I could argue -- and did with myself -- the 230xi being AWD is better suited for my daily driver given where I live snow on the roads is a thing.

Sure I could have bought an M240i (or M240xi even) for my daily. Just the 230xi was a bit less money and while I could afford the M240i since I don't drive that much -- being retired -- my cars don't get a lot of use. If I'm going to buy a car to not use it a lot the 230xi is the better choice over the M240i...

Thanks for this! Yeah well I daily drove the z4m40i also for a long time and I was looking for the same experience but with a "practical" sense into it lol

[Montaver]

I own and M340i an M2. The B58 is a seriously impressive engine, sounds great, linear, responsive. It makes peak torque very low in the RPM band so it feels effortless to drive quickly. I don't have enough miles on the M2, but my initial impressions are the S58 feels a touch laggier by comparison. The Xdrive is uncanny with its ability to find grip, you can go 100pc throttle in the wet and the car just grips instantly with no drama. Depends what you are looking for in a car, but looking purely at the B58 there's really not much I can critiscise it for.

[iifymbro]

Originally Posted by Montaver

I own and M340i an M2. The B58 is a seriously impressive engine, sounds great, linear, responsive. It makes peak torque very low in the RPM band so it feels effortless to drive quickly. I don't have enough miles on the M2, but my initial impressions are the S58 feels a touch laggier by comparison. The Xdrive is uncanny with its ability to find grip, you can go 100pc throttle in the wet and the car just grips instantly with no drama. Depends what you are looking for in a car, but looking purely at the B58 there's really not much I can critiscise it for.

only criticism I have for the B58 coming from a G20 is the top end is a bit anti-climactic, sounds nice but it's pretty flat. Still in break-in on this S58 but it should be a lot nicer from 4k to redline by comparison

[Ravenseal]

The B58 is tuned for maximum torque off the line, and flattens out at about 5500 RPM. There's no reason to ever shift above that threshold. It's a great engine for daily driving and getting quickly off the line. You're going to get bored very quickly though, when driving spiritedly, specially with the 8ZF tune in the M-Lite.

The S58, specifically in the M2, will make power all the way to its 7,200 RPM redline. That makes it more engaging in high performance driving scenarios and track use, specially with a manual gearbox. Having driven the G87 with both an automatic and a manual gearbox, I would still take the manual for maximum enjoyment. The 8ZF is ok, Even with the more aggressive tune, it's still a slush box. A Dual Clutch transmission would have been a different conversation, though.

Those are my two cents having owned both cars.

[Montaver]

Originally Posted by iifymbro

only criticism I have for the B58 coming from a G20 is the top end is a bit anti-climactic, sounds nice but it's pretty flat. Still in break-in on this S58 but it should be a lot nicer from 4k to redline by comparison

I'm also in break in so can't really compare the S58 yet, the aforementioned lag is the only thing I noted. My M2 is a manual so it scores higher on the engagement factor because of that. I really do like my M340i a lot, as an all around car its hard to beat. The M2 doesn't feel dissimilar, which is a good thing. The G series in general is so well sorted.

[m2not1LE]

Originally Posted by Ravenseal

What's fuel economy?

Send me a check that equates to the amount you spent on gasoline over the past 12 months and you'll find out what it is.

[m2not1LE]

Originally Posted by Ravenseal

The B58 is tuned for maximum torque off the line, and flattens out at about 5500 RPM. There's no reason to ever shift above that threshold. It's a great engine for daily driving and getting quickly off the line. You're going to get bored very quickly though, when driving spiritedly, specially with the 8ZF tune in the M-Lite.

The S58, specifically in the M2, will make power all the way to its 7,200 RPM redline. That makes it more engaging in high performance driving scenarios and track use, specially with a manual gearbox. Having driven the G87 with both an automatic and a manual gearbox, I would still take the manual for maximum enjoyment. The 8ZF is ok, Even with the more aggressive tune, it's still a slush box. A Dual Clutch transmission would have been a different conversation, though.

Those are my two cents having owned both cars.

RE: "There's no reason to ever shift above that threshold."

Of course there. Shifting above peak HP is frequently advantageous in order to maximum drive axle torque at any given vehicle speed. Suggested reading here:https://glennmessersmith.com/shiftpt.html


M240i with ZF8 speed automatic here under full throttle acceleration from a standing start. Note the tach reading - shifting well above 5,500 RPM as programmed by BMW drivetrain engineers.

Optimal shift points for maximum acceleration is when the engine torque * gear ratio multiple in the lower gear (e.g, 2nd) is where it'll be in the next highest gear (e.g., 3rd) using the same equation, realizing that torque multiplication the next highest gear (3rd) will be proportionally lower to the change in ratio).

[m2not1LE]

More. Here are the shift point calculations for my 2018 VW GTI (with Neuspeed Power Module set to + 5 PSIG boost).

I'll note that I'm a mechanical design engineer. (Some folks on the forum have dismissed and even mocked that, as though mechanical engineers have nothing to do with BMW M car design. )

The way to do this is to begin with chassis dyno results (preferably in the 1:1 ratio, though it really doesn't matter) and combine that with final drive ratios in each gear as I've done here.

Note how optimal RPM shift points (e.g., 1st to 2nd vs. 3rd to 4th) DIFFER. Most people instead shift at redline ever time (or even worse at peak engine torque - LOL) and lose to their counterpart in the exact same car who shifts like this.

[G87M2GS]

Originally Posted by Kuskus

I might be in the market of purchasing an M240i or an M2 but their price difference isn't really that close. It's so hard to choose between 2 good cars!

For reference, I'm looking for a daily drivable coupe that can be also fun but. I've seen mixed reviews on the M240i and M2 and some say the M2 is still daily drivable but the M240i is more value for money. I've owned and driven a B58 engine car (z4M40i) and there is no doubt I with the fun I got with that vehicle. But I'm in a pickle deciding between the B58 or S58.

I currently have the 2023 G42 M240i xDrive with M Technology Pack and it’s a fantastic car… but it’s no G87 M2.

Previously I had the M140i it was pure RWD madness, not for the uninitiated, my first introduction to BMW.

The G42 M240i xDrive is safe, predictable, but not a drivers car.

I was curious about the G87 M2, so took it for a test drive, 20 mins later when I handed the car back with brakes still smoking, I had the biggest smile on my face, I couldn’t place the order quick enough.

Still 3 months to wait, goes in to build next week.

[m2not1LE]

Originally Posted by G87M2GS

I currently have the 2023 G42 M240i xDrive with M Technology Pack and it’s a fantastic car… but it’s no G87 M2.

Previously I had the M140i it was pure RWD madness, not for the uninitiated, my first introduction to BMW.

The G42 M240i xDrive is safe, predictable, but not a drivers car.

I was curious about the G87 M2, so took it for a test drive, 20 mins later when I handed the car back with brakes still smoking, I had the biggest smile on my face, I couldn’t place the order quick enough.

Still 3 months to wait, goes in to build next week.

So you glazed the brake pads and perhaps warped the rotors on someone else's car?

[G87M2GS]

Originally Posted by m2not1LE

So you glazed the brake pads and perhaps warped the rotors on someone else's car?

The salesman said I needed to warm up the tyres on the demonstrator, before I got a true sense of how the car handled, so I did… and I ordered.

[m2not1LE]

Originally Posted by G87M2GS

The salesman said I needed to warm up the tyres on the demonstrator, before I got a true sense of how the car handled, so I did… and I ordered.

Warming tires and smoking the brakes (ruining pads) are two very different things.

I'll also add that smoking brakes on a new M2 on public roads is pretty much impossible.

Only brakes I ever smoked were those in my then new 1986 Mustang GT. Sliding single piston cast iron calipers with 10" font discs and 9" cast iron rear drums...And that required many very hard and consecutive stops over a six or so minute period in a situation I won't won't further elaborate on here. I was 22 years old when that happened.

I just don't even remotely believe that you "smoked the brakes" on a G87 M2 unless you post a video of it.