BMW… a brand that to me, has always been luxurious and a car that meant you had been successful or had come into some money if you owned one. As for the M series, well that was simple, they just had the paint colours and look in any Motorsport they competed in when I was growing up.
Fast forward to 2016 and I was lucky enough to drive a BMW i8. In a former job I had the absolute pleasure of driving a fleet of luxury cars. You name it, I drove it. But believe it or not, the i8 was one of the best. Then came my first experience of the M series fleet – at a drive day at Sydney Motorsport Park I got to experience the raw power and guttural noice of the BMWs in their natural habitat. It was, as I’m sure you can imagine, absolutely sensational, and it made me appreciate these cars even more.
I even got to drive them on snow and ice at the Southern Hemisphere Proving Grounds not far from Queenstown in New Zealand, but now I’m just showing off… no really, I am, I mean, look at these photos. Did I mention we got there by helicopter and I got to have a beer with Kiwi sporting legend Geoff Wilson? Ok, I really am showing off.
Time for the review now and the great folk at BMW Australia trusted me with the M240i convertible, a truly beautiful car. From the moment I stepped into it, you could appreciate the luxury and the the craftsmanship that had gone into the production of this car. It’s interior was classic ‘posh’ tan leather and walnut look. Far from looking like something from Hollywood in the 1980s, this looked great and suited the car and it’s feel.
Turning the engine over and the noise took me back to that happy place at the track. Even without touching the pedals, this sounded mean and full of power. It’s a head turner, without doubt.
Having experienced convertibles before, there’s always a question mark over how functional the opening and closing of the roof is. A big thumbs up goes to BMW, as this is not only easy but at every stage it sounds solid and well made. You could also put it up and down whilst moving (up to a speed of 40kms an hour) which is surprisingly helpful, particularly when you’re in traffic on a hot day and the roof down option becomes too much.
Space wise, the children’s seat test passes with flying colours. My 4 year old loved sitting in the M240i, and took to playing the ‘spot the other BMWs on the road’ game, whenever we were out in this one. The boot space was pretty impressive for a convertible, and would pass the pram test. It certainly fit all our groceries after a big weekly supermarket shop with ease.
Heated seats are always a plus point in our family so that ticked the box. Individual climate control for the driver and passenger is also a positive in a car, and the BMW has that too… another box ticked. Finally, I’m a sucker for cool animations or functions, and the shot of the M240i driving on screen when you change the drive setting really appealed to both the 38 year old me, and my 4 year old son! I’m not sure what that says about me, but hey, I’m embracing whatever that is!
The audio system in this car is excellent too. We are big fans of Harman Kardon technology… if you don’t believe us, check out this review, and this one too!
The reversing camera is excellent too, it really offers great vision rather than the ‘blinkered’ view you can often get from other manufacturers.
One thing to note down if you do decide to get an M240i, the door lock button. It took us almost a week to find it, it’s not hard to find, we just couldn’t see it. It’s right in the middle of the centre console, you’ll see it in the photo above. Print it and keep it in your wallet, then thank me if you can’t find it either!