The searing M340i sports sedan is one of the best cars you’ll find in BMW’s entire stable
- How much does the BMW M340i cost?
- What equipment comes with the BMW M340i?
- How safe is the BMW M340i?
- What technology does the BMW M340i feature?
- What powers the BMW M340i?
- What is the BMW M340i like to drive?
- What is the BMW M340i like inside?
- Should I buy a BMW M340i?
The latest BMW M340i is an outlier in the updated G20 Series range. It’s the only one with a six-cylinder engine, the only one with all-wheel drive and it’s the only one that’s gone down in price! The hefty price cut only makes an incredibly talented premium mid-size sedan even more appealing, resulting in one of the best cars BMW currently offers.
How much does the BMW M340i cost?
The rest of the updated BMW 3 Series range has increased in price substantially, but for reasons known only to its maker the 2023 BMW M340i has actually had a significant price cut of $8700, now offered at $104,900 plus on-road costs.
It’s a novel and welcome approach in 2023 and gives the M340i a slender price advantage over the Audi S4 (from $106,200 plus ORCs) and a whopping great one over the new Mercedes-AMG C 43 (from $134,900).
BMW’s warranty now offers a competitive five years/unlimited kilometres of coverage and its Service Inclusive Basic plan means your first five years/80,000km of servicing will costs $2150, with condition-based care allowing the car to prompt the driver when it needs attention depending on how it’s been used.
What equipment comes with the BMW M340i?
Happily, the truly good news is that the price cut doesn’t mean any equipment has been deleted from the 2023 BMW M340i. Quite the opposite, in fact.
Compared to its lesser 3 Series siblings, the M340i is stuffed to the gills with kit and most options on the 330i etc are standard here.
These include a sunroof, adaptive LED headlights, heated seats, a Harman Kardon stereo and Driving Assistant Professional that includes a number of advanced active safety features.
This is in addition to keyless entry and start, triple-zone climate control, leather upholstery, sports seats, 19-inch wheels and an electrically-operated boot.
The only options are the $2000 Executive Package (heated steering wheel, drive recorder, acoustic glazing, remote engine start and tyre pressure monitoring), the $2800 M Sport Pro Package (extended black exterior trim, rear spoiler and M seat belts) or the $800 M Technology Package (upgraded powertrain cooling and bigger front brakes).
Plain white is the only standard colour, though, with the six metallics (black, red, white, blue and a pair of greys) an extra $2000 and the two individual colours (grey and blue) $3850.
The test car you see here has metallic paint and the Executive and M Sport Pro Packages so you’re looking at $111,700 plus on-road costs. Quite a lot of money, but an identically-specced 330i would cost $105,600 plus ORCs, a point which I’ll return to later.
How safe is the BMW M340i?
A five-star ANCAP rating was applied to the current-generation BMW 3 Series upon its release in 2019, however this rating only applies to the 320i, 330i and 330e.
As such, the 2023 BMW M340i is technically unrated, though it seems safe to assume that this all-wheel drive six-cylinder variant shares much of the same goodness.
Airbags galore and all the active safety equipment under the sun, including high- and low-speed autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane keep assist and departure warning, active cruise control including traffic assist, a 360-degree camera, blind spot monitoring and more, ensure the M340i will do its best to keep you safe and sound.
BMW’s safety systems, specifically its lane assist, isn’t as well calibrated as the best. It’s over-insistent should you stray too near a white line, leading to a wrestling match with the steering wheel.
What’s more, there is no longer the one button that could turn off the system with a long press.
What technology does the BMW M340i feature?
The most obvious new feature of the facelifted 2023 BMW M340i is the enormous curved display that now dominates the interior.
It’s rolling out across most of BMW’s range and incorporates a 14.9-inch infotainment screen and 12.3-inch digital instruments into the one panoramic widescreen unit.
The infotainment is slightly intimidating in its depth and complexity. A look at the apps screen, with its dozens and dozens of icons, will instil fear into any technophobes, but with a little familiarity it’s fairly easily navigated and there are a number of different ways to do so.
BMW would like you to use its ‘Hey BMW’ voice activation, which in most instances works quite well, though can be an exercise in frustration when it doesn’t.
There’s the backup of touch activation to tap and swipe through myriad menus or, should that not appeal, an old-school rotary controller which works just fine.
The digital instruments offer a couple of different displays for the tacho and speedo in place of traditional dials, while in the centre you can choose to show sat-nav or media or vehicle information.
In addition, a nice clear head-up display with four different modes is also present.
Navigating through all these options is done via the buttons on the right-hand spoke of the steering wheel.
Apple CarPlay users can go cord-free thanks to wireless connection and wireless charging, though CarPlay did have to be selected again every time the car was started. Android Auto is now also supported and the full screen smartphone mirroring display is both impressive and easy to use.
What powers the BMW M340i?
It’s excellent in all applications and the M340i is no exception, especially as it’s in its highest state of tune.
Outputs of 285kW and 500Nm are nothing to sneeze at, and when combined with the eight-speed automatic gearbox and all-wheel drive, the engine shifts the M340i from 0-100km/h in just 4.4sec.
It’s not a particularly heavy drinker, though, with a claimed combined consumption of 8.0L/100km. Obviously this will increase dramatically with a heavy right foot, but equally it should be achievable if you exercise a bit of restraint.
What is the BMW M340i like to drive?
If you had to distil BMW down to a single model it would probably be a mid-size sedan with an inline six-cylinder engine powering the rear wheels.
It’s been the company’s bread and butter for well over half a century and the latest 2023 BMW M340i proves it hasn’t lost its touch.
It’s difficult to think of a scenario in which the M340i doesn’t excel. It’s undemanding in everyday traffic, a fine long-distance cruiser and an absolutely barn-storming back-road warrior.
There’s definitely a sporting edge to its set-up with some weight to the steering and a firmer than average ride, but it feels entirely appropriate, especially given the car’s dynamic talents.
The engine is fantastic. At no point in the rev range is it anything other than responsive and powerful. There’s a mega amount of grunt, ably harnessed by the all-wheel drive system.
This isn’t your traditional all-wheel drive system, though, concerned only with total traction.
In a straight line you’ll never have an issue with wheelspin, but in the corners BMW’s engineers clearly decided that sending too much power to the front wheels would increase traction but decrease fun, so the xDrive system is VERY rear-biased.
This allows you to get on the power early in a turn and use the accelerator to help turn the car as well as the steering. It’s both very entertaining and very effective. On a twisting road the M340i would leave any BMW M3 up to the previous-generation F80 in its dust and even that would need a talented pilot.
There’s great balance, adjustability and communication in the chassis and strong brakes, though they can feel a little wooden under heavy applications.
Speaking of heavy, the one downside of the M340i is its weight. At 1735kg, it’s a whopping 230kg more than a 330i yet wears the same wheel and tyre package, relatively meagre 225mm-wide rubber at the front and 255mm at the rear.
As a result it can feel a bit ponderous on changes of direction and the suspension is clearly working harder trying to control the extra kilograms compared to the 330i.
That’s the price you pay for POWER!
What is the BMW M340i like inside?
Despite only being a mid-sizer, there’s an impressive amount of room in the rear of the 2023 BMW M340i.
A pair of adult passengers should be very comfortable, particularly with separate fan and temperature controls for the rear, and there’s also a sizeable 480-litre boot, the lid now electrically-operated which is handy.
Up front it’s a high-quality environment with an excellent driving position, but the cleaner design aesthetic comes at a cost.
BMW, like many manufacturers, has decided to move the HVAC controls into the infotainment screen, and while they are easier to access than most, simple functions like adjusting the fan speed now are harder than they need to be.
Though I guess you could always use the voice assistant.
Should I buy a BMW M340i?
Obviously, $100,000-plus is a lot of money, but in the grand scheme of things the 2023 BMW M340i represents very good value, especially when a similarly-specced 330i is only around five per cent cheaper.
Just why BMW decided to give the car a price haircut when the rest of the range went up substantially remains a mystery; the company will only say it saw an opportunity with the model.
Regardless of the whys and wherefores, customers are the winner here and it gives the M340i a decisive advantage in its segment.
The similarly-priced Audi S4 is a great car but ageing compared to the box-fresh BMW, while the new Mercedes-AMG C 43 has lost two cylinders and now sits $30,000 upstream.
Put simply, if you want a premium car that’s fast, practical, comfortable, easy and yet entertaining to drive, then the BMW M340i should be on your shopping list.
2023 BMW M340i xDrive at a glance:
Price: $104,900 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 285kW/500Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 8.0L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 182g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested
Keyword: BMW M340i 2023 Review