BMW M240i xDRIVE COUPE

Can quickest version of new compact two-door impress us again, now on UK roads?

- JAMES DISDALE

TESTED 3.3.22, WARWICKSHIRE ON SALE NOW

TESTER ’S NOTE The dashboard is lifted from a 3 Series, which, thanks to its extensive use of old-school physical switchgear, is easier to use on the fly than the all-touchscreen effort in the i4. JD

In terms of on-paper specification, the new M240i xDrive is the sort of car that we can get along with, and get along with famously at that. This is a machine that BMW’s engineers fought hard to deliver: a compact, low slung, two-door coupé built on a bespoke platform with a longitudinally mounted six-cylinder engine that is bolted to a heavily rear-biased four-wheel drive system.

In many ways, it is so far removed from the recent rush by manufacturers to deliver ever more EVs and SUVs that it’s incredible it was given the green light by the bosses. Yet we’re very glad they did because, as we’ve already discovered abroad, the flagship version of the allnew 2 Series Coupé is a bit of a corker.

The question is: does it stack up on the UK’s more challenging roads?

Well, the initial signs are promising, the M240i giving off all the right vibes even at a standstill. With its muscular haunches and taut lines, it has a real street-fighter swagger, with a squat, wheel-at each-corner stance that hints at a quick-witted agility.

The beautifully built interior is good too, with a hunkered-down driving position that places you at the centre of the action, plus just enough space for four people.