BMW M240I vs Lexus LM 500H

What's the difference?

With a six-cylinder sweetheart of an engine and a thrilling drive experience on offer, there are some seriously good reasons to consider the BMW M240i. But there are a couple of question marks over some of the finer details - none of them are deal-breakers, however.

So, back to the preposition I plotted at the beginning - does it make sense as a more affordable alternative to the M2? The answer is yes... but it's also, no.

I'd spend the extra money and get the M2, but power and presence matters more to me than it might to most. And then again, I'd probably buy a manual M2 Pure, which is not as far a stretch.

The Lexus LM 500h is luxurious, comfortable, practical, easy to drive and expensive. While it may appear to be the ultimate family car, with only four seats it's limited in terms of how many kids and their friends you can carry. On top of that, the privacy screen introduces accessibility issues to the kids you wouldn't encounter on other vehicles. If you are thinking of a Lexus people mover as your next family car I'd suggest looking at the LM 350h which has seven seats and no privacy screen. If you’re looking at a business class executive van the LM 500h would be perfect. 

From most angles the M240i looks fairly sporty, which is precisely the requirements for a driver-oriented two-door car. The styling of the body lends itself to the rear-drive underpinnings, with short overhangs at the front and the rear - but to my eye, it still looks a bit funny side-on, where the bubble top gives away its hatchback heritage (it's based on the 1 Series hatch).

New for the 2018 model are adaptive LED headlights, new L-shaped LED tail-lights, re-sculpted bumpers front and rear, and a new set of 18-inch wheels. On the whole, I think the appeal and appearance of the 2 Series coupe is getting better with age - a bit like a scrawny teen, it's slowly growing into its clothes. I guess that's what happens when you have a muscle man like the M2 for a big brother.

The LM 500h doesn't look real. More like a concept vehicle with its vertical face wearing that enormous grille. Feels like if you watched it for long enough you’d catch it transforming into some kind of robot. Yet, at the same time its styling is elegant and prestigious.

I have a confession to make. I used this Lexus as my office. Its interior is that comfortable and spacious. I'm also a parent and there were times where it was the quietest place to get some work done.

It also let me observe people's reactions as they walked past with their dogs not knowing what was going on inside behind those tinted windows. The people that noticed were clearly car enthusiasts as they knew what they were looking at and couldn't pass without gaping it awe.

The LM 500h’s interior is superbly plush with thick carpets, beautiful copper metallic trim and nappa leather seats.

As I’ve said, the cockpit up front is less luxurious than the extravagant first class section in the back behind that dividing wall.

And yes, I’ve seen large screens before but nothing that stretches the width of the vehicle.

What is perhaps the most peculiar thing about the 2 Series Coupe range is that from the back seat it feels almost more spacious than in the 1 Series hatch. Odd, right? And the access to the second row - by way of a pair of folding-and-electronic-sliding seats - is reasonably easy unless you're a plus-size adult.

If you do find yourself in that category, there's a good chance you won't want to be finding yourself in the back seats very often, as there isn't a whole lot of space - anyone pushing 183cm (six-foot) will find their hair brushing the head-lining and their knees bumping the seat ahead. There are only two seats, but they would be well suited to children or occasional adult use.

Up front is BMW’s 'Navigation System Professional' is standard in the M240i, with its large 8.8-inch screen offering touch capability as well as the clever dial controller between the front seats. The system has the new 'iDrive 6' software, just like you'll find in the new 5 series, and there is Apple CarPlay, which is cable-free in this iteration, but BMW asks buyers to pay $623 for the privilege.

The multimedia system also includes BMW ConnectedDrive capability, with emergency calling if you happen to have an accident, and real-time traffic information. When I was driving in to the office, I was alerted of a particularly bad snarl caused by a break-down, which I wouldn't have known otherwise. Clever! And the M240i has a 12-speaker harman/kardon surround sound system, which is good - but not great.

The red leather trim of our test car mightn't be to all tastes, but it certainly is eye-catching, and the quality of the 'Dakota' trim (I always wonder, was that the name of the cow(s)?) is excellent quality. There are front seat heaters, too. Height-adjustable seat belts would be nice, as would seat belt presenters - it's a bit of a reach back to retrieve your clicker, particularly for shorter drivers.

There is good storage on offer, with large enough door pockets for a bottle, though they aren't sculpted as such. There are cupholders in the front, but not in the back - between the two seats is a small storage tray, and there's no flip-down centre armrest between those rear positions, either.

The boot is a sizeable 390 litres, 30 litres larger than the 1 Series hatch, and because there isn't a spare wheel (the 2 Series, like all BMWs, uses run-flat tyres, and tyre pressure monitoring is fitted) there is no penalty to pay for boot depth. The rear seats fold down by way of triggers mounted in the cargo area, but if the headrests have been up on the back seats, they may snag when you drop them down.

You might be able to take Lexus out of Toyota but it's very hard to take Toyota out of Lexus and this particularly applies to the practicality of the LM 500h.

Every day I discovered new compartments, tray tables and storage areas. There are so many cabinets, lockers and hidey holes that we almost left my belongings (an entire family of plushie toy capybaras) behind because there are so many places to check.

Of course, I'm talking about the rear compartment here because up front there's not much storage. In fact, it proved to be quite a problem in that I had nowhere to put my bag with somebody sitting next to me and no area behind the front seats to stow it, either.

Talking of seats, the LM 500h only has four of them, with two up front and two in the rear. Up front, the seats are supportive and large, but the rear seats - those are, well... have a look at the images.

We’re talking two large captain's chairs that look as though they’ve been removed from the first class section of a plane.

And while this might be suitable for businesses shuttling a couple of executives to and from meetings, for a family, even with two children, the extra couple of seats a third row offers would come in handy.

The LM 350h has seven seats over three rows and no privacy screen. A far better choice for families.

For device charging there are USB ports up front and in the rear. There are wireless phone chargers for those in the back seats but not up front.

The LM 500h has a cargo capacity of 752 litres with all seats in place.

The Lexus LM 500h sits at the top of its range and is without a doubt one of the most expensive people movers on Earth with its list price of $220,888.

As you would imagine the standard features list is as extensive as it is extravagant.

For starters, while the regular LM 350h has two rows of seating in the rear (seven seats all up, including the front two), the 500h has the third row removed and just two super luxurious and enormous fully reclining seats fill the entire space. It’s like a theatre back there.

That theatre theme keeps going with a media screen in the back so large it stretches the width of the vehicle. Seriously, it's a 48-inch screen to watch movies or connect to your device.

The sound system is probably the best I’ve experienced - a spine tinglingly incredible 23-speaker Mark Levinson set-up.

What else can I tell you? Those rear seats are upholstered in beautifully soft semi-aniline leather. They’re heated and ventilated with a massaging function and... ridiculously comfortable.

There’s four-zone climate control, windows which have an electronic shade that turns the glass opaque, there are wireless phone chargers in the doors and carpet throughout so thick you sink down into it as you step inside.

Our LM 500h was upholstered in the 'Solis White' leather which also brings contrasting and mesmerising copper metallic trim.

Oh, and there’s a wall with an electric glass screen that can be raised or lowered to separate the rear passengers from the driver.

I should have mentioned this earlier. The kids loved it, but these parents spent a lot of time telling the 10- and three-year old not to put the screen up again.

The rear occupants, aka the kids, can also lock the screen in place. Which they did, and so sound proof is the dividing wall that we can only just hear their uproarious laughter.

Up front, the cockpit is comfortable but it’s clear all the space and luxury is for those being driven around.

Still, the front seats are leather with heating and ventilation, there’s a 14-inch media screen and 12.4-inch digital instrument cluster, plus a head-up display. Sat nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are also standard.

The 3.0-litre turbocharged six-cylinder engine is good for a stonking 250kW of power and 500Nm of torque, which is well good for a car of this size. So good, in fact, that BMW claims a 0-100km/h sprint time of 4.6 seconds - just 0.3sec slower than the M2. Sounds like money well saved - you'd have to spend quite a bit more on other German coupes to get this sort of performance.

Shifting gears is an eight-speed automatic with a sport mode, manual mode and paddles, with drive being sent to the rear wheels.

The LM 500h is a petrol-electric hybrid with a 2.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine which makes 202kW/460Nm and works in concert with two electric motors.

The front motor makes 64kW/292Nm and the rear makes 76kW/169Nm. The combined maximum power output of the two motors and the petrol engine is 273kW.

The LM 500h is all wheel-drive and has a six-speed automatic transmission.

BMW claims fuel use of 7.1 litres per 100km, with emissions rated at 163g/km. I didn't quite get that, with my mix of highway, stop-start and spirited steering returning a consumption number of 8.1L/100km. I'm going to call that better than fair, considering the grunt on offer.

You'll need 52 litres of 95 RON premium unleaded to fill the tank.

Lexus says after a combination of urban and open roads the LM 500h should use 6.6L/100km. In our own testing we found consumption was higher at 9.4L/100km.

Worth noting my driving environment was mainly a hilly suburban one filled with school drop offs. Achieved some personal bests this week, with one long run to Sydney’s outskirts, only to return in nightmarish peak hour traffic.

Premium (95 RON) fuel is required and the tank size is 60 litres. In theory the driving range is a smidge more than 900km, which drops to around 640km using our real-world average.

If you want to feel on edge, you really ought to take a no-holds-barred spin in the BMW M240i. I mean, ideally, you'd want a closed road or a race track - but a quiet twisty road could be enough to entice your inner enthusiast.

The 3.0-litre turbo six is superb, with plenty of push - you've got to keep an eye on the instruments to make sure you're not moving too quickly: it's that fast. What a shame that those outside of the car get to hear more of it than those in the cabin, though: there is a nice chortle and some crackle on the overrun, but you only get to really hear that if you have the windows down, or you're standing to the side as the car drives past you.

The automatic transmission can be a little tentative in its most sedate mode, but the paddles can fix that, allowing you to bounce off the rev limiter without overriding your choices, bad as they may be.

No doubt this is a brilliant driver's car.

It has staggered width Michelin Pilot Super Sport tyres - 225/40 up front and 245/35 at the rear - around the 18-inch wheels (7.5-inch at the front, 8.0-inch at the rear), but to be honest it could do with even more at the back, because when the engine's 500Nm of torque comes on from 1520rpm all the way up to 4500rpm, you'll be asking a lot of those rear rubbers to keep a grip on the road.

The traction control system does a decent job of keeping things under control - if that's what you want - but the Sport+ setting allows a bit more slip at the back, making for a pretty fun experience in corners. The brake pedal is a little soft under foot, but pulls the car up pretty well.

The adaptive M suspension is changeable based on the drive mode chosen, with Sport and Sport+ setting the chassis up for corner carving over comfort, while Comfort is, er, more comfortable. That isn't to say it is plush, with the rear-end in particular still offering some abrupt reactions to sharp-edged bumps.

No doubt this is a brilliant driver's car - one you won't find the limits of, nor appreciate the abilities of, unless you find yourself on a race track or a closed road. But it also doubles as an amenable commuter, dealing with the droll days of driving to and from work without much hassle at all.

Quite simply, driving the LM 500h is like piloting a limousine on stilts. Superbly comfortable, but with an elevated driving position that offers outstanding forward and side visibility, the LM 500h is an easy vehicle to drive for long periods of time.

A digital rear vision mirror means visibility behind is good and unobstructed by the privacy screen or the seats.

The drawbacks are down to the lack of space up front, with the driver’s chair limited in its ability to recline or slide back due to the bulkhead behind it.

And that's compounded by the lack of cabin storage for bags if the front passenger seat is taken.

As for the rear passengers there aren't many people movers offering this level of comfort, except perhaps the Zeekr 009.

Variable suspension that adjusts continuously keeps the vehicle composed and provides a high level of comfort for those in the rear. At the same time, the LM stays nice and flat through roundabouts while remaining civilised over speed bumps.

And then there's the acceleration, which, while not supercar-like is incredibly brisk for a van. The all-wheel drive system provides outstanding traction in wet and slippery conditions, too. 

Our family used the LM daily for everything from school runs to shopping trips and weekends away and not only was it fun to drive, our lucky rear passengers enjoyed sitting high and being able to see clearly out their windows along with the luxury of a giant movie screen.

The Lexus  LM 500h is yet to be tested by ANCAP so it doesn't have a safety assessment score. There is, however, a high level of safety tech onboard including AEB which can detect pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and other vehicles, emergency steering assist, lane keeping assistance, road sign recognition, rear cross-traffic alert, front and rear parking sensors as well as six airbags.

For child seats there are ISOFIX points and top tether anchor mounts on the two rear seats. We have a forward facing child seat and found it easy to install.

A space-saver spare wheel is located under the boot floor.

BMW's standard warranty program spans three years/unlimited kilometres, with the same period of cover for roadside assistance. There's a basic five-year/80,000km service plan available for $1340, which covers annual vehicle checks, oil changes, filters and plugs, and labour costs. The car's condition-based service system will tell you when it thinks it needs maintenance.

Lexus covers the LM 500h with a five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty. 

The Lexus Encore Platinum program is complimentary for LM owners for three years, providing 24-hour roadside assist, a loan vehicle or pick-up/return service at service time, 'On Demand' vehicle evaluation options, valet and airport parking benefits as well as exclusive offers and event opportunities.

Servicing is recommended annually or every 15,000 kilometres, and impressively, pricing is capped at $695 per service over five years.