Potential M40i Purchase - Owners Views

[Boyo]

After almost 3 years in my Cayman I think it could be time for a change and Z4 No 5 is calling, probably in Thundernight. I have previously had a 35is and also an M140i so I would anticipate the driving experience is very similar with the 3 litre engine, auto and rear wheel drive.

At this stage I am interested in the opinions of anyone who either owns or has owned a M40i. What's good about them and what's not so great.

[Nanu]

Haven't owned or driven a M40i but as for the colour, there is an Isle of Man green which is only available on certain models at the moment and unfortunately the Z4 is not one of them. I am waiting till that comes available as it would be stunning on a G29

[Dave 2 dogs]

Watching this thread with interest
For obvious reasons

[sars]

I’ve been trying to make a list of M40i positives and negatives, I have lots and lots of positives like handling, ride, performance, agility, comfort and of course one of the best engines currently in production. I’ve now enjoyed over 20,000 miles in fifteen months, I love the fact it’s a great place to be on the motorway being both comfortable and refined. On an open A road it does all that I need given my modest driving ability and that is my only negative, it’s so capable and sure footed that speed becomes a tad excessive before you start to find the cars limits. I’m sure an MX5 is more fun on the open road, but just not as good to live with as a daily driver.

[PSQ777]

I've only had my M40i for 3 months and with the UK Winter I haven't really had the opportunity to fully explore its performance yet, but as my main car it really is great to live with on a daily basis. Reading a lot of the long term reviews many people comment on the fact that while they liked it, but not loved it, initially, but after several months it really started to get under their skin and they realise what an underrated car it really is. I guess it depends on what you want out of the car. Track monster ? All rounder ? GT ?

My positives are the performance, comfort, tech, interior, noise, the fact it has a dual persoanility of being a comfortable cruiser to raucous countryside blaster. It attracts plenty of positive attention too !

Negatives are the relatively small fuel tank, the repeated annual cost of using a bunch of the OS7 tech (maps, traffic, apps etc), and slightly grabby brakes at slow speeds.

To be honest I think my car is brilliant, I can't way for the weather to improve so I can spend a lot more time in it !

[john-e89]

You'll certainly notice just how big and heavy they are especially after coming from a Cayman Boyo, they feel really quite wide. Exhaust noise is a bit disappointing in stock form, lack of cooled seat option and a not too good Harmon Kardon if you spec it. Steering feel isn't a patch on the Cayman. Other than those, well, it's a superb car, firm chassis, lots of options to use regarding dampers, steering weight, sports modes etc, very very torquey engine, awesome mile muncher, as comfy as anyone could want. I'd have another, but only if I could keep my E85 M for a manual geared blast.

[Dave 2 dogs]

I know this isn’t my thread, but finding it very helpful. All 3 quotes above have done nothing to make me think i don’t want one. The list is interesting John e89.
Never had a cayman ( so don’t matter)
Don’t think the width will bother me , need to see.
Exhaust note. This matters- stick an ackropovic on
Cold seat , I can live without
Sound system- should not be allowed in a sports car , you should be listening to the exhaust and smiling keep the views coming
I’m half hoping someone will talk me out of the G29 perve I’m having

[tiglon]

I think you'll struggle to find anything negative about the M40i other than "it's not a Boxster" - and a Boxster of the same age and 300+bhp will cost nearly £50k vs £33k+ for the Z4.

[Dave 2 dogs]

I think you'll struggle to find anything negative about the M40i other than "it's not a Boxster" - and a Boxster of the same age and 300+bhp will cost nearly £50k vs £33k+ for the Z4.excellent, im going to have to find one to test drive I guess

[PSQ777]

You'll certainly notice just how big and heavy they are especially after coming from a Cayman Boyo, they feel really quite wide. Exhaust noise is a bit disappointing in stock form, lack of cooled seat option and a not too good Harmon Kardon if you spec it. Steering feel isn't a patch on the Cayman. Other than those, well, it's a superb car, firm chassis, lots of options to use regarding dampers, steering weight, sports modes etc, very very torquey engine, awesome mile muncher, as comfy as anyone could want. I'd have another, but only if I could keep my E85 M for a manual geared blast.

I agree that the Harmon Kardon sound system isn't great with the factory default settings. However push up the bass a couple of notches, and the treble half as much and it results in a much more rounded sound. As an aside it actually has a full graphic equaliser for fine control.

[Boyo]

Many thanks everyone so far for your thoughts. Sounds on the whole to be very positive which is really encouraging. I have up until now run 2 cars, one of which is a convertible. I am now going down to 1 car and the M40i will need to cover all of my needs which it seems more than capable of. I don't want to go down the 718 Boxster route as its time to reign things in a little now that I am a pensioner. I am planning to take a test drive in a M40i in a couple of weeks time once the weather improves a little. In the meantime if you have any M40i feedback then please keep posting

[F1SpaceMonkey]

zero negatives after 7 months, maybe the exhaust note could be louder Sport. Its exceeded my expectations and its the best car i've owned.

[q96169we]

12k miles after about 20 months, below are what I've done with the car (m40i version):
1. Everyday use
2. 6 track days
3. 3 camping trips with my son
4. Many long trips between Sheffield and Cambridge and York

Pros:
1. the car does extremely well for each individual thing from the list above

Cons:
We don't have the ~380hp output engine as in US market. We can only have 340hp version in UK.
I may hope the exhaust is louder when roof is down (I coded out engine sound via speaker)
Steering does not have enough feedback on the track but a bit too many unnecessary feedback on the bad road
It's not thundernight purple after seeing the LCI colour options

Bottom line:
There have been hundreds of times when I sat in front of screen thinking about swaping the Z4 for a new M2. However, as soon as I get into the car and start driving it, I don't bother to spend the extra money to get the M2 at all

[Obs-Com]

Four years old in June and first BM I’ve wanted to keep long term as usually change after a couple of years. Fabulous all round car that’s ticks all the boxes for me. Engine and gearbox is a perfect match. Great GT car for long distance drives and edges my old M2 when driven more quickly. I’d definitely have another M40 but in no rush to change. The Metallic Frozen Orange First Edition continues to look stunning and so easy to look after compared to the standard shiny colours.

[Argyll Andy]

Hi Boyo, As requested from the other thread

As mentioned I had the 35iS before the M40i. I liked it, liked the power, acceleration, speed, etc and was perfectly happy. Until I got the M40i itch and started making enquiries.

I genuinely mean from the minute we pulled out of the dealership, too quickly and not in a straight line, I knew that it was a different car, and in a good way. It just seemed so much quicker though on paper very similar to the 35iS.

It’s much more spacious inside, which was really important for us. I’m 6’2 and built for comfort rather than speed and at times felt the E89 a bit snug.I never really seemed to get my seating position just right. Did this within 60 seconds of getting into the G29. Boot space was also important to us as we use this solely for our fun/weekend car. I think it’s just clicked 16k and every one of those miles have been on trips, runs, or our European trip last year. We had more than enough space for 18 day’s luggage.

I’m going to do a pros and cons list to see if that helps at all, and no doubt others will have differing opinions on some, or even all, of these but that’s what you’re looking for, others opinions to help you make your decision.

This definitely isn’t “I’m in the driving gods” criteria but this car has been driven VERY hard at times and I’ve absolutely NO doubt it flatters my driving abilities by being so good an all round package. We drive as part of a group very regularly with very good drivers and varying cars including ///M’s and heavily modded E89’s not once have I been left feeling I needed either more power or better handling.

Pros

The engine is fantastic, and imo perfectly matched to the gearbox. I don’t miss the manual at all. Always had manual fun cars before the Z4’s. If I want the full hooligan experience, which this will provide, it’s into sports + and paddles then hold on. The car thinks quicker than me so why interfere. The acceleration in this thing for overtaking is just madness.

The handling is fantastic, it doesn’t have the roll, weight displacement etc of the E89. It just sits so flat and keeps traction in all but the stupidness that is me that may provoke it. My E89 had new suspension on it just before I got it so this wasn’t down to tired or worn units on the E89

The brakes are very good and capable, only once have they started to fade slightly and that was totally down to how hard it was being driven over a sustained period. (I’ll mention brakes below too)

The cabin is a fantastic place to be, seats are great, space is great seating position just all what I want. I tried a new Boxster GTS 4.0 and nice as it was it felt dated and cramped inside compared to the G29 and that made me appreciate the G29 even more.

The tech is great, best thing for me is HUD, hardly ever look at the dashboard especially not when shifting on. The active cruise is my next favourite thing. The car does many many things that I don’t even know about and find it quite funny when you see people waxing lyrical about all the fancy stuff that theirs does and I didn’t even know mine had that capability. That reflects on me not them btw.

I like the look and style of the car even the front that so many people don’t like.

The roof speed and being able to go up or down while moving. Road noise is better than the E89 too when the roof is down.

This one may seem odd since I’ve said how it’s usually driven but there’s an economy mode. This is rarely used but when it is it’s perfect. When going to the Chunnel last year, 750 miles, I stuck it in economy mode and was returning over 40 mpg. Yes it’s gutless and boring but I was just sitting in motorway traffic with cruise on and using about half the fuel I would normally. General fuel consumption is good too. When we’re out on a forum run etc a tank of fuel will get you through the day of 300 hard miles, fuel light normally on by the end but better than expected for the performance. On the Pyrenees trip I averaged 34 ish over 4K

Cons, and there aren’t many and no big ones

The exhaust sound is almost non existent from inside the car, but this is where it’s a bit odd for me. People outside the car say the sound is amazing I was on a forum run and someone was talking about travelling behind me and the exact words used we “when I hear the roar off of that b@stard it gives me the heads up he’s taking off and I need to get ready” To me there’s no indication of that from within the car. As mentioned an exhaust change is an option, and one I’ve looked at but I could never quite justify the £3k as a must have, maybe on the next one.

At times it can be “too quick” the speed it approaches the horizon at times can be very deceiving. I got caught out a few times early doors when I had a few brown trouser moments cornering or trying to slow down to do something. I very quickly realised this wasn’t the cars fault but that I was doing maybe 20mph quicker than I would be in anything else. Once you get used to that all good. The following of course is on my private access roads or my trips abroad but one of the biggest indicators of this is my OH. She drives everywhere at 50 mph but if we’re out hooning and need to slow down when sitting around 80 she’ll regularly ask why we’re going so slow or if there’s something wrong. It’s also a standing joke in our group that she regularly falls asleep when other members OH’s are gripping the door handles as we (well they) bounce around the countryside.

I’ve mentioned how good the brakes are above but there’s also the well known issue with them about bad design and stones getting stuck. This has happened to me at least 3 or 4 times. I accept this as an issue and carry a 9 inch flat blade screwdriver in the car. Each time it happens I get the screwdriver and push the backing plate back all the way round and the stone has fallen out. I’ve never had to remove the wheel or call assistance. PITA, yes major issue for me, no.

There is a much bigger blind spot in the G29 over the rear of the seats but we don’t notice it too much as the roof is almost always down.

These points are neither in the pro or con sections just observations.

It is a wide car, but also very flat, I haven’t noticed it much driving the car but people travelling behind me have said things were tight and I’ve not realised. The car tech beeps furiously at me if it’s too close so it doesn’t bother me as much. I don’t feel it’s too big/heavy but I’ve never been one for a Lotus or MX5 etc. mainly because I wouldn’t fit in the bloody things

The standard Michelins were very grippy ONCE they’d heated up, it’s now on Conti 7’s and they’re a much better tyre all round, especially noise, and give slightly better steering feel.

On the tyres, driven the way I drive mine, the tyre life isn’t great BUT my driving style and the type of car makes this totally acceptable and why this isn’t in the con’s section. I’ll be on set 3 soon enough but hopefully rears only this time

The rear tyres I’m probably getting 9-10k before changing. I’ll need to change the current ones within the next few months but covered why below.

I want to caveat that with a few things.

The tyres are getting pushed and hot and with the power going through the rear wheels it’s inevitable that they’re going to wear reasonably quickly when being used on forum runs and the Pyrenees etc. That’s why I never included it in the negatives because I am the cause of the wear. People like Ori who use the car more as a daily and not firing around the Scottish highlands are getting twice the wear rate that I am.

Also the legal limit and the change depth on this car I found are two different things anything south of 3mm and it starts getting a bit squirrelly!! This is most definitely not helped by the Conti’s starting life new at 6.8mm. Not sure what the Michelin’s start with. But the Conti choice was a lot to do with reviews helped by price point, £650 v £950 for Michelins (full set) at time of change so a few miles less if the Michelin start with greater tread will be offset by the cost difference. The car has never done donuts or launch control, any wear is just through spirited driving.

I suppose to finish it off, the negatives are very minor and this is by far the favourite car I’ve owned. If I replace it it will be with a new M40i in one of the new colours before the end of the production run

HTH