First drive: 2022 BMW 2 Series M240i Coupé prototype review

But we haven’t come to Munich to pore over the specification. We’re here to sample the most powerful standard version of the new 2 Series Coupe on challenging back roads and wide-open autobahns.

Stepping inside, we discover a familiar driving environment, albeit one covered with soft fabric to hide the more intricate details of the cabin until its planned unveiling early next month. The dashboard, instruments, central touch display, controls and trims are all similar in design to those of the 2 Series Gran Coupe. The driving position is spot on - snug and fittingly low.

We’re hardly a mile into our test before the willing properties of the reworked six-cylinder remind us of its remarkable dual character. Despite the added power, it remains deliciously smooth and tractable. With free-revving qualities and 367lb ft of torque, it provides the new M240i xDrive with the sort of all-round athleticism other four-cylinder performance rivals can’t match. It sounds terrific, too.

In this particular prototype, it’s mated to an updated version of the old model’s eight-speed automatic gearbox. Like the engine, it operates in a tremendously smooth manner with outstanding shift quality no matter what the driving mode. BMW is yet to announce any performance claims but you can expect a 0-62mph time of around 4.5sec together with a limited 155mph top speed. 

The new BMW coupe is an absolute joy. It lacks the hardened edge of the existing M2. But in most situations it feels every bit as quick as its older performance sibling – itself set to be replaced by an even more powerful successor model based on the new 2 Series Coupe in 2023. BMW has focused a lot of attention at refining the suspension of the new 2 Series Coupe with the addition of a series of new braces and other measures, many similar to those found on the larger 4 Series Coupe.

Their benefit is felt in the handling, which is even more entertaining than before. There’s a sweetly struck balance to the M240i xDrive's on-road qualities. Over challenging roads the body control is excellent; there’s a typical tautness to the action of the M-sport suspension, but it doesn’t come at the expense of ride quality, which remains nicely compliant even in the more sporting driving modes. This is largely thanks to the quick-acting qualities of the adaptive dampers, which will come as an option on the range-topping 2 Series Coupe. The ability of the aluminium-intensive underpinnings to soak up high-frequency bumps is particularly impressive.

The most noticeable improvement from the driver's seat, however, is the steering. It delivers added precision, and the weighting is much more constant off-centre. With that added negative camber for the front wheels, there is added eagerness to the turn-in, too.  

The M240i corners in a confident and very neutral manner. Its four-wheel-drive system is programmed to provide the majority of drive to the rear wheels and there's an electronic differential to apportion power to each rear wheel, but there’s always an excess of grip, allowing impressively high cornering speeds, even in the wet, but ensuring it remains engaging as well.

You can switch between Eco, Comfort and Sport modes, altering the amount of steering assistance, throttle sensitivity, gearbox settings and stiffness of the adaptive dampers to suit the conditions. But the M240i xDrive is arguably at its best in Adaptive mode.

Reach a town after a quick run along country roads and it relaxes the properties of the steering, throttle, gearbox and damping as you reduce speed. Get back on it again, and it adopts a tangibly more sporting set-up. This broad set of characteristics ensures the new 2 Series Coupe remains a compelling proposition.

Most importantly, though, it feels like its predecessor in every detail, only better and even more eager on the move. A definitive call on its performance and dynamic properties will have to wait until we get to drive final production version later this year.