AT FIRST blush, BMW’s M240i two-door, four-seat coupe looks like it’s a bit of an automotive orphan. It has no real natural competitors save for Porsche’s larger and more expensive Cayman S, and it’s a bit more expensive than its identically engined and arguably more practical five-door sibling, the M140i hatchback.

In fact, on paper it’s a little hard to see how the M240i can cost almost $7000 more than the M140i.

But after driving them back-to-back over some of Australia’s toughest roads, the differences become a little more obvious.

Note: Images are of the international version