Used BMW M140i 2016-2019 review

Category: Hot hatch

Combining big performance with lively handling, the BMW M140i is a great hot hatch.

BMW M140i
  • BMW M140i
  • BMW M140i vs Honda Civic Type R
  • BMW M140i vs Honda Civic Type R
  • BMW M140i
  • BMW M140i
  • BMW M140i
  • BMW M140i vs Honda Civic Type R
  • BMW M140i
  • BMW M140i
  • BMW M140i
  • BMW M140i
  • BMW M140i
  • BMW M140i
  • BMW M140i vs Honda Civic Type R
  • BMW M140i vs Honda Civic Type R
  • BMW M140i
  • BMW M140i
  • BMW M140i
  • BMW M140i vs Honda Civic Type R
  • BMW M140i
  • BMW M140i
  • BMW M140i
  • BMW M140i
  • BMW M140i
Used BMW M140i 2016-2019 review
Star rating
Author Avatar
by
Oliver Young
Published21 September 2023

What's the used BMW M140i hatchback like?

The BMW M140i is essentially a facelifted M135i and, when that car arrived in 2012, it caused quite a sensation. Although it was based on the rather unassuming BMW 1 Series family car, the rear-wheel-drive hot hatch proved that it can go like stink and handle corners with more vigour and liveliness than than many of its rivals.

Messing up that car (during a facelift of all things) was near impossible and, fortunately, the M140i didn't let us down. Both when it arrived back in 2016 and today, it's great fun.

Overview

The M140i is a great hot hatch, albeit one resembling a full-on sports car under its skin. There's lots of performance on offer here, complimented by lively handling. It's plush inside, too, yet used prices are less than you might think.

  • Terrific performance
  • Lively handling
  • Confidence-inspiring reliability
  • Ride can get unsettled over some surfaces
  • Steering could be more communicative
  • Although it's great value, there are cheaper hot hatches out there

Engines & Performance: BMW, not wishing to break a successful formula, made only minor changes to the fastest 1 Series: the turbocharged 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder engine was bumped up to 335bhp, dropping the 0-62mph sprint from 4.9sec to 4.6sec. The power is still fed to the rear wheels and you can get the M140i with a six-speed manual gearbox or a surprisingly suave eight-speed automatic one.

The engine pulls eagerly from low down and makes a delicious sound as the needle spins quickly around the dial towards the 7000rpm redline. It’s very quick, of course, with plenty of torque always on tap.

Ride & Handling: Approach a bend and you'll find the steering is quite light, even in the sportier modes, but super responsive. Turn in to a corner and you’ll find the grip is immense and the handling eager and entertaining. Of course, being rear-wheel drive, there’s good traction off the line and the ability to be a bit playful with the car’s rear end, should you be driving on a track, of course.

We recommend trying to find a car that’s had the optional adaptive dampers fitted, because these give the car a surprisingly forgiving ride on all but the most broken surfaces. It feels comfortable enough around town even in Sport mode, shrugging off smaller imperfections with relative impunity. As a day-to-day proposition, it’s in a different league of comfort and refinement compared with its firmer hot hatch rivals, such as the Renault Mégane RS.

Interior & Practicality: Inside, it’s a rather modest thing considering all that performance. The M140i is available in three or five-door forms, but interior space is acceptable rather than stunningly good in both. Things are fine up front, where the low-slung driving position is excellent, with plenty of electrical adjustment to the steering wheel and seat. However, while there are three rear seats, space will be tight for taller adults, especially leg room.

What is absent inside is any sort of sporting drama; there’s precious little inside to distinguish it from any run-of-the-mill 1 Series. There is, of course, a practical hatchback, and within it an average-sized boot that can be increased in size by folding the rear seats down, which in turn reveals a usefully flat floor.

Trims & Equipment: Standard kit levels are reasonable and include sat-nav, dual-zone climate control and auto lights and auto wipers. Meanwhile, there’s also a Shadow Edition to seek out that adds dark grey wheels, a black framed grille, dark headlight surrounds, tinted rear lights, rear parking sensors and cruise control.

Interested in buying a used BMW M140i? Visit our Used Cars For Sale pages to find lots of cars listed at great prices.

BMW M140i vs Honda Civic Type R

Ownership cost

What used BMW M140i hatchback will I get for my budget?

Around £15,000 gains you entrance to the M140i club, this relating to a 2016 car in good condition with a less than 70,000 miles on the clock.

For a 2019 model that's done less than 40,000 miles, have a budget of at least £21,000.

Check the value of a used BMW M140i with What Car? Valuations

Find used BMW cars for sale

BMW M140i vs Honda Civic Type R

How much does it cost to run a BMW M140i hatchback?

MPG: On paper, the M140i's official average NEDC fuel consumption figure is 36.2mpg for the manual and 39.8 for the automatic. This was were revised down to a more realistic 32.5mpg under WLTP rules, which is still quite respectable considering the performance on offer.

CO2 emissions: Those respectable fuel economy numbers correspond to CO2 emissions of 163g/km for automatic and 179g/km for manual cars.

Road tax: Cars registered before the road tax changes of April 2017 came into force are all taxed according to their CO2 emissions, while later cars will be eligible for the current flat rate fee, but be warned – if your M140i cost over £40,000 new, it’ll attract a supplementary luxury car tax that is charged for years one to six years of the car's life. Current costs are £180 per year and £390 per year for the luxury tax.

Insurance and servicing: Insurance groups of 38 is, again, reasonable considering the car’s speed and desirability, and means you won’t pay a fortune. Expect servicing costs to be high, though, especially if carried out at a main dealer. A trusted specialist could be another way to go if you want to save a little money, but make sure they carry out each service according to the manufacturer's schedule.

BMW M140i

Our recommendations

Which used BMW M140i hatchback should I buy?

Specification: There is only the standard version of the M140i, and the Shadow Edition. We wouldn’t go out of our way to find a Shadow Edition, because it's not especially different.

The only thing we'd advise you on here is to look for a five-door model. It's easy to do and you'll enjoy that little bit of extra practicality.

Engine: Since there's only one engine, we'll focus on the gearbox here. The manual is nice if prefer to swap gears yourself, but the eight-speed automatic is much more common and a very capable gearbox, so we'd stick to that.

Our favourite BMW M140i: M140i Auto (five-door)

BMW M140i

Alternatives

What alternatives should I consider to a used BMW M140i hatchback?

The Ford Focus RS has superb handling, strong performance and is fantastically good fun to drive. Against those virtues, its ride is firm, its driving position is a tad awkward and its steering has a rather limited lock.

The 2017-2022 Honda Civic Type R handles brilliantly, goes like a rocket and, if Batman drove a hot hatch, it'd probably look like this one. It’s also surprisingly easy to live with, and although its infotainment system is as dreadful as the standard Civic’s, that, like with the Focus RS, can be overlooked when you consider how much fun the rest of it is.

For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? Newsletter

Interested in buying a used BMW M140i? Visit our Used Cars For Sale pages to find lots of cars listed at great prices.

BMW M140i