BMW reveals M140i and M240i

Yesterday's rumours were true: BMW will bless the M135i hot hatch and M235i Coupe and Convertible with more power and new names.

What's more, BMW Australia advises that BMW M Performance Automobiles' upgraded 1 Series and 2 Series models will enter production for our market in July, before they arrive in a BMW showroom near you in the fourth quarter of this year.

Taking BMW's smallest sports cars one step closer to the bahnstorming new M2 coupe, which has just won motoring.com.au's second Australia's Best Driver's Car award for 2016, all three models score an extra 10kW of power and 50Nm of torque.

That brings the maximum outputs of the newly-named M240i Coupe and Convertible, and the M140i five-door hatch (the three-door isn't sold here), to 250kW at 5500rpm and no less than 500Nm between 1500 and 4500rpm -- the same as the BMW 1 Series M Coupe built between 2011 and 2012.

For reference, the same twin-scroll turbocharged 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder N55 engine in the M2 produces 272kW – just 22kW more – and 465Nm, which is actually 35Nm less. The architecturally-similar twin-turbo S55 engine in the M3 and M4, meantime, offers 317kW/550Nm.

Despite the extra power, which BMW says results in 0-100km/h acceleration that's 0.3 seconds quicker than before, all three models are claimed to use up to seven per cent less fuel on Europe's NEDC combined cycle.

In Europe, all four rear-wheel drive models are available with both six-speed manual and eight-speed automatic transmissions, and even the option of BMW xDrive intelligent all-wheel drive. Currently the M135i five-door and the two-door M235i are available here only in auto form.

The M140i hatch and M240i coupe now hit 100km/h in a claimed 4.6 seconds (auto) and 4.8 seconds (manual), with xDrive versions even quicker at 4.4 seconds. At the same time, fuel consumption falls to 7.8L/100km (manual), 7.4L/100km (AWD) and 7.1L/100km (auto).

The M240i Convertible is one-tenth slower in all guises, and consumes 8.3L/100km (manual), 7.8L/100km (AWD) and 7.4L/100km (auto).

BMW says improvements to the all-aluminium N55 3.0-litre turbo six, in which the M Performance TwinPower Turbo is integrated into the cast-steel exhaust manifold, include new near-source acoustic shielding, combined with electric wastegate control, latest-generation VALVETRONIC variable valve control and Double-VANOS variable camshaft timing on both the intake and exhaust sides.

There's also an on-demand coolant pump, map-controlled oil pump, electric power steering, Auto Start Stop idle-stop function, brake energy regeneration and other BMW EfficientDynamics measures, plus a throttle-blipping function for the manual and launch control for the auto.

Once again, the smallest M models ride on 10mm-lower M Sport suspension and 18-inch double-spoke M light-alloy wheels, and also offer an M Sport braking system, Variable Sports Steering with Servotronic function, a model-specific M aerodynamic package and exterior mirror caps in Ferric Grey metallic.

Inside, there are cloth/Alcantara sports seats with blue contrast stitching, an M leather steering wheel and M driver’s footrest.