BMW M140i F20
A straight-six, rear-drive hatchback with a manual — a layout nobody else built and BMW walked away from.
B58 six, rear drive, six-speed manual, hatchback. The specification reads like a wish list because nobody else would build it.
28 reviewers · 49 videos
Reviewers strongly agree on its fun to drive and daily drivability, but split on performance and handling.
across 28 reviewers
"what you get with that is that glorious B58 with a serious amount of torque. We're talking 500 Newton meters."
Tim Williams · ▶ 1:44"around a wet and tight track like this one the open diff BMW proved most tricky to keep under control"
Car Throttle · ▶ 12:34"dynamically the BMW it's a very enjoyable track day car what a fun car"
Lovecars · ▶ 2:13"the m140i meanwhile is more like a sledgehammer especially in the wet that will simply knock over the wall"
Car Throttle · ▶ 1:25Performance
4.5/528 of 28 reviewerssplit“what you get with that is that glorious B58 with a serious amount of torque. We're talking 500 Newton meters.”
positive · Tim Williams · ▶ 1:44“The BMW 1, it completed the standing quarter mile in 8.8 seconds.”
positive · carwow · ▶ 11:50“there was a clear gap forming every time i dropped the gear and put my foot down”
positive · lookship · ▶ 5:59Handling
3.5/528 of 28 reviewerssplit“dynamically the BMW it's a very enjoyable track day car what a fun car”
positive · Lovecars · ▶ 2:13“I just love that rear-wheel drive front engine balance is just tipping on or off the edge of grip”
positive · Autocar · ▶ 11:28“the m140i meanwhile is more like a sledgehammer especially in the wet that will simply knock over the wall”
critical · Car Throttle · ▶ 1:25Fun to drive
4.5/528 of 28 reviewersstrong consensus“what has always made the M140 stand out is because it's such a playful little beast.”
positive · Tim Williams · ▶ 6:38“the real drivers the real enthusiasts are really only gonna go for one option”
positive · Joe Achilles · ▶ 20:21“Oh man, this is a good car. This is a good car. Whoa, that is cool. I like it.”
positive · Car Focused · ▶ 12:13Daily drivability
4.0/527 of 28 reviewersconsensus“And that is what makes the M140i so good as a daily. You can commute in it, stick the family in it, and then go out and have fun on a B road.”
positive · Tim Williams · ▶ 5:22“it's a perfect daily and I think that's how you can summarize this car”
positive · MDrives · ▶ 14:57“I would say this car honestly is a very very good daily driver's car.”
positive · OG Schaefchen · ▶ 5:54Value
4.5/527 of 28 reviewersconsensus“price has to go to the m140i since they're a couple of grand cheaper”
positive · lookship · ▶ 5:52“the m140i is really the bargain of the year”
positive · Drive.com.au · ▶ 14:14“I would be buying that car behind me. I would buy a M140i.”
positive · Performance Nic · ▶ 10:15The M140i is the F20 1 Series after BMW gave it the B58. The earlier M135i used the N55; the 2016 update brought the new modular six with a closed-deck block and an intercooler built into the intake, and with it a fatter, earlier torque curve. In a hatchback of this size the engine dominates the car.
Mechanically it is a small BMW in the old sense: engine north-south, gearbox behind it, propshaft to a rear axle. The choice was a six-speed manual or the ZF 8HP, and the automatic is the quicker and, by most accounts, the better-matched of the two. The manual is the one people want anyway.
The open differential is the flaw. The regular car has no limited-slip, the front tyres are narrow, and the chassis is softer than the engine deserves. On a dry road it is friendly and adjustable; in the wet it is busy. The car rewards a few well-chosen changes — a proper diff above all — more than almost anything else in the class.
Where it places in the lineage: the end of the rear-drive compact BMW hatch. Its replacement went transverse.
Hear it in the reviewer’s words
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- Shadow Edition2017 on, UK; darkened lights and grille, dark 18-inch wheels. A trim package, mechanically standard.
- Performance Edition2017, Australia only, 60 cars (45 automatic, 15 manual); M Performance parts, and the manuals were the only M140i built with a limited-slip differential.
The rear differential is open on every regular M140i, and on a wet road the car will spin an inside wheel well before the engine runs out of torque. The one factory exception is the manual version of Australia's 2017 Performance Edition. A mechanical LSD was sold as a BMW M Performance accessory and is the first modification most owners make. xDrive was available in some markets and only with the automatic. Sold as a three-door (F21) and five-door (F20). Never offered in North America.