There is saying that there is no replacement for displacement. And as a car enthusiast, I wholly nod my head in agreement. Unfortunately due to the stricter emission norms, downsizing has become a thing. Now talking about the BMW 3-Series. The last time we saw a six cylinder engine in the car in India was in the E90 which had the 325i and the 330i. The F30 never had a six pot motor even in 330i guise. But now petrolheads rejoice!!! This is the BMW M340i xDrive and the six cylinder engine is back in a 3 Series in India. And the M badging doesn’t just stand for a body kit or accessories. It is a true blue sports sedan that bridges the gap between the regular 3 Series sedan and the full blown M3. Its been a while since I have been so excited to drive a new car, so here goes.
BMW M340i xDrive Engine & Performance
Just open the hood and you know this car is special. The M Performance inscription on the engine cover really means business and how? A 3.0 litre straight six turbo petrol putting out 387 horsepower and 500 Nm of torque. BMW claims a 0 to 100 kph time of just 4.4 seconds and says that it is the fastest car to be produced in India. Yes, the M 340i is assembled at the Chennai plant. Reading those figures got me thinking that around 16-17 years ago, these were supercar performance numbers. Ok, now back to the M 340i. The gearbox is a modified version of the 8 speed ZF torque converter automatic gearbox that sends power to all four wheels via the xDrive all wheel drive system. Power delivery is simply mind blowing. It’s a very rev happy engine going all the way to 7,000 rpm and the sound the M sports exhaust makes will just make you want to go faster. You can tell that BMW’s M division has worked well on this car. The gearbox is another delight. It is ferocious in its shifts and will more than match all the dual clutch units of the world out there. No lag whatsoever, not even in downshifts. It will also hold onto a gear at the redline in the manual mode till you decide to upshift.
BMW M340i xDrive Ride & Handling
The suspension of the M340i sits 10 mm lower than that of the regular series. And because of sporty characteristics that BMW M has given the setup, it is on the firmer side. While 18 inch alloy wheels are standard, you do get the option of 19 inch wheels from BMW itself. But considering our roads, the 18 inchers are more than sufficient. It feels very planted at high speeds as well.
The xDrive all wheel drive system gives the M340i excellent grip and the rear sport differential makes going into corners a lot of fun. The xDrive is also rear biased so with a bit of effort you can manage to get the tail out if you so desire.
