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The 2022 BMW M240i is the best-handling car in its segment, which also means it's tons of fun to drive.

The 2022 BMW M240i is a brand-new offering of the compact performance coupe segment and is here to thrill the American gearheads. Coming with the legendary 3-liter turbocharged inline-6 motor mated to one of the fastest shifting automatic gearboxes, the M240i is easily up there with the best of the lot in terms of acceleration and refinement. The superb suspension and chassis make it a nimble handler, too.

Being a 4-seater performance coupe, the car is also adequately practical as a daily driver, and the ride quality is phenomenal for a car that is more focused on setting track records. It is reasonably comfortable too, and the interior comes loaded with many features as standard. Offered for a base MSRP of $48,550, it is here to compete with the likes of Toyota GR Supra, Chevrolet Camaro, and Lexus RC350 F Sport. Here are 10 things you need to know before getting the 2022 BMW M240i​​​​​​.

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The 2022 BMW M240i comes with the 3-liter TwinPower turbocharged inline-6 motor that produces 382 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque. This makes the M240i one of the fastest offerings of the segment, which is only surpassed by the Chevrolet Camaro with the 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 motor. The top-end performance is intoxicating, and that makes this Bimmer a capable track car.

Even when being driven around the congested cities and straight roads, the power on tap is surreal. Being an incredibly light car fitted with such an impressive powertrain, a slight tap on the pedal is all that is required for a quick overtake. The 0-60 mph time of 3.6 seconds and the quarter-mile time of 12.1 seconds are some of the best of the lot too.

The 8-speed Sport Automatic transmission comes as standard with the 2022 BMW M240i, similar to that of the older 2021 model. This torque converter automatic transmission is up there with the Audi S3, both in terms of speed and smoothness. Put the foot down and the enthusiastic transmission is always ready to drop the gears, helping in achieving insane acceleration.

The 2022 BMW M240i also gets manual mode and steering column integrated paddle shifters, both of which make the drive very enjoyable. The transmission is also quite remarkable with engine braking and that helps the car to anchor down easily while applying the brakes. This also partly contributes to the lower 60-0 mph braking distance.

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Being a fast Bimmer, the 2022 BMW M240i is an excellent handler. With the same strut front suspension and multi-link rear suspension with coil springs and anti-roll bars, the M240i feels taut and precise when taking corners. The body roll is well under control and the car handles B-road beautifully with no major understeer and oversteer.

What makes it even better than the rivals like the Audi S3 and the Chevrolet Camaro is when it comes to the steering. This is easily the best electric power steering of the segment, and that is due to the superb feel and feedback on offer. It is razer sharp and weighs up beautifully at higher speeds too.

Even though the suspension setup is tuned to the slightly stiffer side to aid their handling and driving dynamics, the ride quality doesn't take a toll. While driving at slow speeds, the 2022 BMW M240i does a decent job of filtering almost all the irregularities of the road. However, the biggest of the potholes do tend to come into the cabin, making it not as comfortable as some of the rivals.

Take the car to the highways, and you would be impressed with the superb ride quality on offer. The ride remains completely flat and composed, and even the biggest of the undulations doesn't unsettle this sedan. There is no major body roll to report, and the car doesn't get affected by the crosswinds easily.

With no major changes to the interior from the earlier generation, the 2022 BMW M240i is definitely not the most spacious compact performance coupe out there. The front seat occupants would find the seat a tad bit hard. The side bolstering could have been better too. However, the front row headroom and legroom are similar to the rivals like the GR Supra and Camaro.

When it comes to the rear seat, it is not going to be the most ideal place for those long road trips. Even though it can accommodate two passengers, the under-thigh support is pretty mediocre. The headroom and legroom are also not ideal for tall Americans. Nevertheless, the rear seat was better than the Lexus RC350 F Sport, which is one of its biggest rivals.

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In comparison to the regular 2022 BMW 2 Series, the M240i is a few notches below in terms of gas mileage. This is mainly because of the standard xDrive all-wheel-drive system and the punchy turbocharged inline-6 motor under the hood. Even then, the M240i turned out to be more frugal than the rivals of the lot.

It managed to churn out 23 mpg in the city, 32 mpg on the highways, and combined gas mileage of 26 mpg. With a 13.7-gallon fuel tank capacity, the 2022 M240i could do a highway range of 498 miles, which is the best of the segment. In terms of gas mileage, the 2022 GR Supra and the RC350 F Sport managed to come second and third with 25 mpg and 23 mpg of combined gas mileage.

Even though it lacks a bit in terms of space, the interior is still up there with the best of the lot in terms of overall quality and refinement. There are no loose panels and uneven panel gaps anywhere, and that makes the car feel very premium. In comparison, the 2022 Chevrolet Camaro felt like the other end of the spectrum when it comes to the fit and finish.

The interior comes covered in leather and aluminum inserts, both of which make the car feel upmarket. The silver accents on the dashboard, premium SensaTec upholstery offered in multiple colors, contrastive stitching, and many more adds to the elegance of this simple cabin.

Since this is an all-new generation of the BMW 2-Series, the design sees a major change from the outgoing conventional BMW design. The design looks trendy, which is mainly helped by multiple elements and minute attention to detail, making it stand out from the rivals of the segment. Coming with seven exterior colors, it looks more youthful, too. However, the midnight metallic color palette is the one that suits the car the most.

Both the M Performance and Shadowline exterior trim packages are on board and that adds a few subtle exterior elements like bigger wheels, painted brake caliper, etc, making it looks more purposeful. The LED headlights with integrated LED DRLs, sharp body lines, blacked-out kidney grille, and the sporty rear-end design add to the character of this performance coupe too.

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The 8.8" iDrive touchscreen infotainment system, which is offered with the outgoing model, comes as standard with this 2022 iteration of the M240i. This is a pretty intuitive unit with an excellent display and touch sensitivity and a pretty slick user interface. Everything is laid out very neatly in the menu and there are no stutters or lags. The center console gets a rotary controller too.

Apart from the standard system, there is also an optional 10.3" touchscreen infotainment system, which is even better than the standard one. Nevertheless, both the systems get steering-mounted controls, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, SiriusXM radio, wi-fi hotspot, voice recognition, and many more. The audio is handled by a 10-speaker Hi-Ft audio system which offers excellent low, mid, and high-frequency audio output.

The brakes on offer on the 2022 BMW M240i are more than enough to stop the car with ease. With the inclusion of features like ventilated rotors, ABSD with EBD, hill hold control, brake assist, and many more, the braking turned out to be sharp and precise.

Apply slight pressure on the brake pedal to understand the excellent initial bite the brakes have to offer. While doing full-on braking from highways speeds, the top-notch braking progression of the outgoing model could be identified in this model year, which remains unchanged. The front-end dive is minimal, and the car doesn't feel twitchy during hard braking.

Mohith is our in-house motorcycle mechanic and automotive geek. He loves riding and driving at the limits, and you would frequently notice him on racetracks at the weekends. Mohith is someone who would redline anything that comes with a motor - even our office lawnmower. He often does cross-country road trips in his trusted 300ZX and you could find him riding his CB750 quite often through the streets of Pasadena as well as on the Moore Motorsports racetrack.