The magic is actually made by a 3.0 liter turbocharged I6 that is enhanced by an eBoost 48-volt mild-hybrid system, producing 382 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque.
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Update for 30,000 Miles
Our Portimao Blue BMW M340i had just come out of a protracted sleep and was back to logging kilometers when we last checked in on it. And what a pleasure it has been to take the wheel once more. Our car’s secure Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 winter tires have confirmed our choice not to pay for the $1860 all-wheel-drive option, despite Michigan’s recent frigid months being quite mild compared to past years. The M340i xDrive is a lot of fun, but its 382-hp 3.0-liter inline-six turbocharged engine feels more engaged when it is only driving the rear wheels.
The M340i has traveled south to Birmingham, Alabama, after our last visit in order to check out Barber Motorsports Park and its magnificent museum. Then it was off to the sunny Daytona Beach, where regrettably no efforts at top speed on the legendary sand between there and Ormond Beach were made. BMW’s junior M 3-series made the journey down to Spartanburg, South Carolina, where it met up with the eagerly awaited new M3. Although there are many differences in staff perspectives regarding the comfort of the M340i’s front seats, staff photographer Michael Simari had no complaints during the course of 2000 miles. Our average fuel efficiency, which includes the countless miles we’ve traveled to the south as well as a journey east to Connecticut, is still a respectable 26 mpg.
The trip to Virginia International Raceway (VIR) for our Lightning Lap event, when we lapped a similar-spec M340i, was possibly the most significant one for our Bimmer. With a wide powerband and a desire to spin to redline that propels the car from turn to corner, the turbocharged six we drove for three days on the track confirmed our beliefs. During routine street driving, we’ve had no problems with how our example’s brake pedal feels. However, after several abusive laps, pressing the left pedal of the Lightning Lap car felt like putting our foot into a vat of mashed potatoes. The brakes remained effective throughout its outstanding 3:03.2 lap time despite the pedal’s sponginess.
By pushing the M340i to its absolute limits on VIR’s 4.1-mile Grand Course, we were able to demonstrate both our admiration for the car’s superb handling and our displeasure with the company’s sluggish steering. Former editor-in-chief Eddie Alterman remarked, “It’s impossible to refute the integrity of this car’s chassis or body control. Despite the feel-free steering, “the car is astonishingly easy to place on the road.” Some employees have become accustomed to the less-than-tactile tiller on the 3-series, with deputy testing director K.C. Colwell opining, “It’s not that horrible.” He probably changed his mind after driving the new M440i xDrive, which had an even less enjoyable variable-ratio steering system.
The M340i’s maintenance schedule has been simple; according to the car’s oil-life monitor, oil changes should be performed every 10,000 miles or so. The onboard computer warned us that the inline-six was once more running a quart low on oil just before our 30,000-mile service—the final of BMW’s three-year/36,000-mile complimentary planned maintenance. Over the length of our car’s stay, we have already added four quarts, which BMW maintains is a typical rate of use. Except for the delaminating chrome trim on the center of the fat-rimmed steering wheel, we haven’t heard any rattles or seen any other evident evidence of wear on the severely used interior components. It’s just 5000 miles to the next service station, where we’ll deal with the problem before the car’s 40,000-mile term expires.
The 3-Series is a rocket of a BMW M340i.
The major three German luxury brands have been experiencing an odd type of identity crisis. The newest example of Audi, BMW, and Mercedes appropriating aspects of each other’s identities is BMW stealing “absurd horsepower” from Mercedes-personality AMG’s profile. A 617-horsepower M5 Competition is available. Even in the modest 3-series, the not quite full-M treatment 3.0-liter inline-six produces 382 horsepower in the M340i under test. You can have a 503-hp inline-six in the X3 M and X4 M.
The six-cylinder 3-series can no longer be adequately described by softer adjectives like “peppy.” It has become frantic and even cruel. The rear-drive version (all-wheel drive is an option) can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds, and its 2.4-second passing time from 30 to 50 mph is competitive with many more potent vehicles. It seems like you should start pulling back to the right as soon as you are completely in the passing lane. The B58 straight-six, with its vibration-free power delivery, continues to be the epitome of smoothness.
The 2020 M340i is still very much a 3-series, as the species is known, despite the unanticipated drag-strip bend. It skillfully balances comfort on bumpy roads with composure at the limit since it is longer than the outgoing car overall and between the axles, and it has wider tracks up front and in the back. That lateral limit is 0.96 g with optional 225/40R-19 up front and 255/35R-19 rear Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires.
In this class, interior quality is being redefined by brands like Audi, Mercedes, and even Genesis, but BMW is steadfastly persisting with material that is clearly synthetic and rubberized on the dash and doors. It’s unfortunate that the firm isn’t trying to keep these stuff like it’s evidently fighting to keep the manual. Until the next M3 is released, no stick is available with any 3-series engine. The automobile does, however, feel familiar thanks to that rubbery material, and when you pitch the car down a curving road, you realize this is the complete opposite of an identity problem. On fast forward, this is precisely how a 3-series should feel.
How authentic is the BMW M340i?
This vehicle would be the M3 if it had been released ten years earlier. It first creates irrational power. The 2021 BMW M340i produces 382 horsepower and 368 lb-ft of torque despite internet uhh, nethers-measuring. It’s a lot, that. The M340i’s AWD variant can go from 0 to 60 mph in 4.1 seconds. Therefore, in my opinion, this is a true M vehicle. At the very least, it was ten years ago.
However, with each successive introduction of a M vehicle, BMW has moved the goalposts. The BMW M3 used to produce 333 horsepower and roughly 260 lb-ft of torque. Sincerity be told, even such figures seem excessive. The new M3 Competition, though, is a crazy rocket with 503 horsepower and 479 lb-ft of torque. The M5 produces even more, and so forth. Every year, consumers demand more M, and BMW must deliver if it hopes to sell any.
I dislike
Let’s start with the component that contributes the most to the M340i package: the 3.0-liter inline-six turbocharged engine. This BMW has 383 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque, so it always has some zip. My tester only has rear-wheel drive, however BMW’s xDrive all-wheel drive is an option. With a lovely soundtrack to accompany it all, the low-end torque enables gloriously simple passing on the motorway and fun-filled rips through backroads.
The M340i can really dance when coupled with an eight-speed automatic transmission that shifts quickly. I absolutely enjoy downshifting with the paddle shifters that are placed on the steering wheel, especially to hear the exhaust snaps and crackles of the M340i.
I spent a lot of time driving Roadshow’s long-term BMW 330i, which has a fixed sport suspension, so I anticipated challenging driving conditions with the M340i on my winter-wrecked local roads. However, that never happened. The Adaptive M Suspension, an optional feature on this M340i, transforms the worst aspects of driving into a comfortable experience, demonstrating the system’s genius. The M340i has Pirelli winter tires, and a vehicle with lower-profile summer tires would probably accentuate the rough areas, but I’m still amazed by how well the M340i maintains its composure when navigating these obstacles.
The M340i is a pure joy to drive over long stretches of backroad thanks to stiffer springs, a torque-vectoring rear differential, updated anti-roll bars, and the aforementioned adaptive suspension parts. The automobile nose crashes into the corner after being whipped into it. Additionally, the stock M Sport brakes have a ton of bite. Although a little finicky and difficult to use, these brakes are a big improvement over the 330i’s stock brakes. I was never getting enough stopping power in that vehicle, but the M340i’s improvement is fantastic.
(Spoiler: The outside sound is MUCH better. (Up the volume!)
The 2020 BMW M340i comes with some astounding stats. With the additional traction provided by xDrive all-wheel drive, the turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six generates 382 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque, enabling it to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in an astounding 4.1 seconds.
To put it into context, it is comparable to the beloved V8-powered E90 M3 and only 0.1–0.3 slower than the previous generation M3. It is 0.5 seconds faster than the standard E46 M3.
Of course, the noises created by the E46 and E90 pleased their drivers. shiver-inducing material. Nevertheless, turbocharged engines are simply quieter than naturally aspirated ones, and with the need, desire, and reality of more sound deadening for refining purposes, today’s BMWs will be quieter than their predecessors for better and for worse. In order to combat this, BMW has incorporated Active Sound Design into its vehicles. Simply described, it “plays the sound over the car’s speakers while digitally recreating the exhaust noise.” To put it even more simply, they lie.
You’re allowed to argue for or against the merits of this, but that’s not why I’m here. Instead, I wanted to show how the M340i sounds in the video up top. That involved mounting a microphone both inside and outside the car with Active Sound Design. The sound and volume of ASD actually vary depending on the drive mode, so I chose the sexiest Sport Plus and repeated the 0-60 run thrice.
To be honest, it sounds so much better outside. Spine-tingling material that is gruff, irate, and crackly. Thankfully, ASD’s “re-creation” sounds authentic rather than fake. It’s difficult to distinguish between what is real and what is phony. However, give it a listen for yourself. If you’re wearing headphones, it should sound quite accurate because I tried to adjust the settings to closely match what I was hearing inside the car. Enjoy.
The BMW M340i is swift.
In the end, the M340i sprinted from 0 to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds and plowed through the quarter mile in 12.3 seconds at 115 mph. If you’re curious, those times are comparable to the M3 from the previous generation. Since the launch of the previous F30 generation in 2012, we have complained about the steering in the 3-series.
Is the BMW M340i pricey enough?
This 2022 BMW M340i xDrive is still a captivating car, one that’s plenty engaging but still completely livable, despite its high price. That combination of qualities is more than enough to set this sedan apart from its more affordable siblings and even the M3 despite its middle-of-the-road placement.
How much horsepower would a tuned M340i have?
There’s little doubt that the Tesla would triumph in a drag race if you lined up a Model 3 Performance and an M340i xDrive next to one another. However, this specific M340i has undergone a variety of improvements that have given it the advantage.
BMW’s famous 3.0 liter turbocharged straight-six B58 engine powers the M340i xDrive. Let’s be honest, the vehicle’s 382 horsepower and 369 lb-ft (500 Nm) of torque are more than adequate for daily driving needs. Nevertheless, tuners seeking more power have always found the B58 to be highly appealing.
This M340i’s engine features new downpipes and a “Stage 2” ECU tune from an unidentified aftermarket shop. According to reports, the improvements are sufficient to increase grunt’s horsepower to 520 hp and torque to 490 lb-ft (664 Nm), giving it a little bit more power than a basic Model 3 Performance, which has 450 hp and 471 lb-ft (639 Nm).
The BMW’s all-wheel-drive system is powerful enough to actually accelerate it off the line faster than the Tesla, which you may not expect if you’ve ever experienced just how brutally quick a Model 3 Performance is off the line. This YouTuber discovered this while testing the two vehicles. In spite of increasing speeds, the BMW maintains a comfortable lead and wins.
Towards the end of the film, a rolling drag race is conducted. Surprisingly evenly matched at the start of the race, the BMW was once more able to take the lead as the speeds increased.