BMW M240I vs Toyota Supra

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 Toyota GR Supra GT is a superb sports car that’s relatively easy to live with in the city even with the manual gearbox and incredibly fun to drive out where the roads are free from traffic.

Not only is the GT great for the price compared to rivals but it’s the pick of the Supra range.   

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.

Perhaps it’s just me but I think the Supra looks exactly how it should look - like a Hot Wheels car.

Seriously, how good does the back view look? I love the spoiler that angles up like a crazy ski jump and the tail-lights integrated underneath it.

I love the huge rear hunches swollen like they’ve been stung by an enormous wasp. Check out the roof - see how it’s curved? And that bonnet with the vent above the wheel arches, I love the styling of every millimetre of this car.

But my neighbour doesn’t. I pulled up and said, “How good does this look?” And he gave me this stare like I was bonkers.

I don’t know, maybe you and I have the same excellent taste, but if there’s anything I hate it's anything that’s boring.

To me the BMW Z4 ‘twin’ is getting very close to the boring end in the styling department. 

Talking of BMW, the Supra's interior is very BMW from the indicators stalks to the media system and climate control set-up.

It’s a modern and minimalist cabin… if only there wasn’t a cupholder right where my elbow goes. That’s a good place to stop and talk about the Supra GT’s practicality. 

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.

The good news is that if you’re tall like me (189cm) and mainly legs then you’ll have more than enough legroom and headroom because the footwells are impossibly deep and the seats can be lowered to what feels like ground level.

Actually, you are almost at ground height in this car so the bad news if you’re as tall as me you’ll probably have to crawl out of the car on all fours.

The cabin of the Supra doesn’t do the storage space thing well. Sure there are two cupholders but their location is the same place my elbow frequents while changing gears and resting.

The wireless phone charging area is good and easy to access, but the door pockets are as thin as post box slots so if it’s letters you’re storing there you’re in luck.

If it’s anything thicker than that you’ll be left looking around for a place to put your purse or wallet and end up throwing it in the phone charger space if the passenger seat is taken.

You could always ask your co-pilot to hold onto your things which reminds me to tell you that the Supra is a two-seater only. There are no back seats, and there’s no option to have back seats.

If you’re looking for a sports car with rear seats (although space will be limited) for the same money then there’s the Audi A4 45 TFSI and at an even lower price is the Ford Mustang GT.

If you look over your left shoulder while in the driver’s seat of the Supra GT you’ll see into the boot -  there’s no wall separating the cabin from the cargo area. This is handy for throwing a school bag in as I did for my son on the morning drop off, but also means your items may make an unexpected visit to the cockpit if you stop suddenly.

The boot is large for a sports car at 296 litres (VDA) and it managed to fit our large CarsGuide suitcase with space to spare as you can see in the images.

The Toyota GR Supra GT with the manual gearbox lists for $87,380 and you’ll pay the same price for the same car with the automatic transmission. 

Yes, almost $90K might sound like a lot of money for a Toyota (unless it’s a LandCruiser) but it’s actually a bargain considering the GTS grade above costs $10K more and has the same engine plus pretty much the same features apart from a fancier stereo, head-up display and 19-inch alloys (rather than the 18s on this GT).

Also, if you didn’t know already the Supra is a BMW/Toyota joint venture model aligned with the BMW Z4, and if you want the Beemer version with the same engine as the Supra GT you’ll pay $139,800 for it.

So see, it’s a bargain in comparison.

The standard features list of the GT has pretty much everything you need. There’s a proximity key, LED headlights with adaptive high beam, active cruise control, sat nav, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 10-speaker stereo, wireless phone charger, heated and power adjustable seats, shifting paddles and sports pedals. 

Great features, but let down only by a small 8.8-inch screen for your media and nav. Still, that absolutely shouldn’t be a deal-breaker for you.

The rivals? Well, clearly the BMW Z4 which is way more expensive, but also there is the Nissan Z which costs between $70-$80K and is also a hoot to drive.

Add the Ford Mustang GT to your research list, as well. It’s not as agile as the Supra but it’s quick, fun and sounds better to my ears. 

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.

You’re looking at a Supra that could be the peak of its model evolution because since the generation’s arrival in 2019 Toyota has increased the power of the 3.0-litre turbo-petrol in-line six-cylinder from 250kW to 285kW (torque remains the same at 500Nm) and introduced a six-speed manual. 

This 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo-petrol is the only engine you can have with the Supra, there are no four cylinders or V8s - now there’s an idea. 

Toyota says the 0-100km/h time for the GR Supra with the manual gearbox is 4.4 seconds and 4.1 seconds for the automatic which comes with a ‘launch control’ feature.

Of course, all Supras are rear-wheel drive.

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.

Toyota says the 3.0-litre six-cylinder straight-six turbo-petrol engine in the Supra GT paired with the six speed manual gearbox should use 8.9L/100km after a combination of open and urban roads.

I did a week’s worth of city commuting and then a couple of hundred kilometres on country roads, but no motorways and the trip computer told me I was averaging 10.3L/100km.

Not bad for a big engine in a car tuned for performance, driven by a big kid who feels like he’s playing with somebody else’s toys.  

Premium 95 RON fuel is recommended, although 'standard' 91 is acceptable. A 52-litre fuel tank translates to a theoretical range of around 580km, dropping to approximately 500km using our real-world number.

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.

Ah, but what about living daily with a manual? As a car enthusiast most of the cars I’ve owned have been manuals and I’ve rarely cursed them because I love to drive.

But there were times when they were a pain, such as in traffic, or in traffic on steep streets and in traffic in shopping centres. Did I mention in traffic, also?

But on the nice roads with bends and dips, hills and sweeping corners, hairpins and twisty parts in places without traffic, then all is forgiven. 

And so it goes with the manual version of the Supra. 

Making life easier in the Supra GT is a clutch pedal without much travel so you don’t feel as though you’re at the gym doing a one-sided leg press.

I found the shifts themselves, while short, to be less than smooth. At first, I thought that the clunky changes might have been because the gearbox hadn’t been run in yet, but the odometer was saying 7500km, so this could just be the nature of the gearbox and after a few days I became used to it.

The rev-matching feature of this gearbox is a nice touch, especially on those sporty drives when you change into a gear and you’re thrown straight back into the power band again.

Superb balance, great steering with a nose which points exactly where you want it to and that magnificently smooth turbo-petrol in-line six posting all its meaty grunt to the rear wheels just behind your shoulders makes for a sports car that’s fun, talented and quick.

Good brakes (348mm ventilated rotors with four piston calipers at the front and 330mm discs with single piston calipers at the rear) and grippy Michelin Pilot Supersport tyres (255/40 fr - 275/40 rr) complete a great package. 

A ride that’s still comfortable over bad Sydney roads and surprisingly good visibility made the Supra easy to live with in the city, from parking to school drop offs.

Yes, used it each day for the school run with my older child and the grocery shopping. 

The GR Supra GT has not been crash tested by ANCAP, but its BMW Z4 twin scored a maximum five stars when it was tested by the European equivalent Euro NCAP.

Still, the Supra has seven airbags, there’s AEB with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane keeping assistance and blind spot warning, plus front and rear parking sensors. There are seven airbags on board.

There’s no spare wheel, but there is a tyre inflation kit which should get you out of trouble.

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.

Toyota covers the GR Supra GT with its five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty. Servicing is required every 12 months or 15,000km and is capped at $415 per service.

The warranty is the industry standard in terms of time and kilometre length, and the capped service prices are very reasonable - a lot more affordable than a car with a prestige badge on the bonnet, too.