When BMW introduced the second-generation 2 Series Coupe in early July last year, it exclusively told us there would be a rear-wheel-drive version of the M240i. Fast forward to May 2022, the German luxury marque is living up to its promise by giving the M Performance G42 model a tail-happy derivative. Official images have yet to be published, but all you have to do is imagine the car below without the xDrive badge on its trunk lid.
As with the all-paw version, the M240i with a RWD setup uses a 3.0-liter engine good for 374 horsepower and 500 Newton-meters (369 pound-feet) of torque. It’s enough inline-six punch for a 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) sprint in 4.7 seconds. For the sake of comparison, that makes it 0.4 seconds slower than the xDrive-equipped model. No word about top speed, but it’s likely electronically capped at 155 mph (250 km/h) to mirror its AWD sibling.
Removing the all-wheel-drive system must have shaved off some weight over the M240i xDrive, which tips the scales at 1,690 kilograms (3,726 pounds) in European specification without the driver. The six-cylinder coupe gets an eight-speed automatic transmission as well as an M Sport differential to optimize power transfer to the wheels.
As with every other G42 model out there, the M240i lacks a six-speed manual gearbox. BMW will address this issue with the new M2 as the crown jewel of the 2er family is widely believed to have a clutch pedal as standard. An automatic will also be available to please both worlds. Speaking of which, the auto will come bundled with shift paddles on all 2 Series models going forward, so including the four-cylinder flavors as well.
BMW Deutschland has already updated its configurator to include the M240i Coupe sans AWD and we get to find out it costs from €56,000 or €2,000 less than the equivalent xDrive model. As part of a wider summer update, the 2 Series Coupe also gets a base 218i version, iDrive 8, plus Innovation and Comfort packages.
Source: BMW
