New BMW M240i v Porsche 718 Cayman v Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 S Best 50, 000 performance car?

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Rating: 3.3; Vote: 3

BMW, you may have heard, has launched a new version of the 2-Series and it is, for want of a better term, a proper BMW. That means it's natively rear-driven, has the option of a six-cylinder engine, and possesses the traditional, long-snouted form of every fast Munich-built coupe you'll find in the back-catalogue. We're quite excited about it especially in range-topping, near-400bhp M240i xDrive guise. But if you too like the sound of the BMW, and have around 50, 000 to spend on an everyday sports car that blends practicality with performance and adds more than a splash of handling prowess, is this M240i xDrive really the one to go for? Might you instead opt for a Porsche, specifically the 718 Cayman, which in basic trim costs roughly what the M240i xDrive does? Or should you spend a little more and plump for the animalistic Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 S, whose 2. 0-litre engine is the most powerful of its kind? All three cars have immense pedigree, and plenty of appeal. It's a nice problem to have, and to help with the decision-making process, we've assembled all three cars in Snowdonia. Join James Disdale, Richard Lane and Matt Prior as they set out to find the best way to spend 50, 000 on a new and usable performance car. cb: Porsche the only pure sports car here, but I disagree with the reviewer completely that it does need a manual gearbox for macimum enjoyment and control. PDK is fine for traffic and going quick on tracks, but for fun and control no way as good as manual. The BMW and Mercedes are coupe versions of saloon cars so whilst good meet different needs and should not be compared to the Porsche since they would appeal to different people, especially regarding practicality and luggage space.
Date: 2022-04-22

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Comments and reviews: 7

ARD3N
CLA is overpriced (and sounds horrible imo) not to mention the top speed is rather poor for the horsepower of the car. Only 3 more than my Astra for comparison. Porsche just simply isn't practical enough for me, so the M240i it is. Perfect all rounder. Wish it came with a RWD option though.
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Unicorn
Cayman is nice but compared to the AMG, just too Spartan and underpowered. Need to be looking at a more powerful Porsche as once the novelty wears off, it s just not powerful enough. And as for the AMG gearbox, there s not much wrong with it.
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Jonny
You keep saying the BMW and Mercedes are faster. maybe in a straight line. But them around your average track and the 300hp Cayman will give them a run for their money I'm sure. On tight road, Cayman might just dust the others.
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David
Decent sort of video given by knowledgeable folk. but these really are not comparable.
In fairness though, we were invited to stop there if two seats were not enough. I probably should have.
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Georgi
So a fairly big coupe, a saloon and a mid-engined sports car made by Porsche. It's really difficult to figure out which is going to be the best performance car.
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David
This is what I imagine getting car advice from your local tory MP would be like.
Swap one of them with Grant Shapps and you wouldn't notice.
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Howard
Where are the alpine, supra, z4 and mustang? Surely they're closer to the Porsche in intent, if not in prestige and execution.
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