The outgoing BMW M140i is tasked with the rather tough job of going after the Mercedes-AMG A45 and Audi RS3 Sportback. And it has to do so with less power than either of its rivals.
Still, unlike the all-wheel drive Audi and Mercedes, the BMW M140i has an ace up its sleeve; the fact that you can get it with rear-wheel drive, something driving purists enjoy. Also, it uses a larger engine than both of them, a 3.0-liter straight-six, with TwinPower Turbo technology, which pushes out 340 PS (335 hp / 250 kW) and 500 Nm (369 lb-ft) of torque.
When paired to the six-speed manual gearbox, the 0-100 km/h (62 mph) acceleration takes 4.8 seconds. That time drops by 0.2 seconds with the optional eight-speed automatic. Thanks to the work from BMW’s engineers, the sprint time has dropped by 0.3 seconds compared to the previous iteration, whereas fuel consumption has been reduced by 7 percent.
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Despite the lack in power compared to the super hatch kings of the segment, the BMW M140i is one capable ride. In fact, it’s so brave that it was recently taken out for a top speed run, on a no-speed-limit segment of a German highway, and the adventure was recorded for us to witness.
While enthusiasts continue to enjoy the current BMW M140i, the automaker is working on a new generation. This time, it won’t be based on a RWD plaform, but a FWD architecture, though the range-topping M140i will come with standard all-wheel drive. Lesser versions of the next iteration of the hatch will sadly have to make do with front-wheel drive.