BMW’s new (G20) 3-series promises a return to the goodness that made the 3-series the segment benchmark for years. But my sample of the base 2019 330i suggested that BMW has under-delivered on sporting credentials in the baby 3er; the 330i angered all parties by riding too firmly in town while being too soft for canyon hooliganism. Enter the big brother M340i. With its multi-mode M Sport suspension and blistering I6 turbo engine, BMW may be back in the game!
Right off the bat, the 2020 BMW M340i makes a striking impression. Actually, this is true of all G20 3ers, but the M340i is especially tasty. The M340i sits tight and squat, with a minimal gap between wheels and fenders. The M340i’s hood, windscreen and front doors have the archetypal proportions of a FR (front-engine rear-drive) sports coupe. From the B-pillars back, the remainder of the car is a clean and classic BMW sedan. Taken as a whole, the G20’s profile is classically proportioned, purposefully aggressive and unmistakenly BMW.
Open the front doors, and the G20’s new and pleasing interior is revealed. The bright, crisp digital displays used for the instrument panel and touchscreen navigation remind you that the G20 packs the latest tech. A large color HUD projected on the windscreen puts the most important information in the line of sight of the driver.
The design of the dash, seats and steering wheel is intuitive and upscale. The little M tricolors stitched into the seat piping are a fun touch. The driving ergonomics are excellent, and the steering wheel can telescope more than any other I’ve encountered. BMW has chosen good materials for the G20’s interior and screwed/glued/fastened them together solidly. You feel the quality and attention to detail and know your money is well spent.
The goodness is more than skin deep: The greasy and oily bits of the M340i are first-rate too. My test M340i is equipped with BMW’s multi-mode suspension that adds a breadth of capability to the 3er. In Comfort mode, the M340i dispatches deteriorating city roads with mild firmness and—um—comfort. (You don’t ride on a cloud, but the mildly-firm ride is in alignment with the M340i’s sports sedan mission.) In Sport Plus mode, the M340i’s body control is improved, the roll is limited, and mid-corner impacts are shrugged off by the chassis.
Power is provided by BMW’s updated 3.0L I6 turbo engine, now known as the B58. The B58 punches out a very credible 382 hp/369 lb-ft yet delivers 22 mpg city and 30 mpg highway. There is added mystique, too, as the B58 is the new Toyota Supra’s powerplant. With this mill, neither the M340i nor Supra can be called underpowered.
Do as I did and floor the throttle from a stop and the M340i bolts. The rear tires spin through the middle of first gear, and when they regain traction, you are taken on an unabated rocket ride as the 8-speed automatic runs up the gears. BMW’s marketing material says the M340i can do 0-60 mph in 4.4s: I find the claim is wholly credible. My 2011 BMW M3’s 414 hp bests the M340i’s 382 hp on paper, but in the real world the M340i’s 369 lb-ft wins every race.
When it comes to steering feel, the M340i is…fine. Its EPAS steering has the right weight and resistance, but the wheel is low on road vibrations. You can still feel the difference between smooth and coarse pavement, but the BMW still hasn’t figured out how to make EPAS steering talk like their old hydraulic steering. (At this point, I think they may not be trying!) The steering rack’s ratio is calm enough on-center for autobahn stability yet quick enough when cranked to navigate tight autocross hairpins.
More on that autocross. BMW let me whip the M340i through a coned-in course at San Francisco’s Cow Palace event center. Autocrossing the M340i was exciting but ultimately frustrating. The Cow Palace parking lot is hemmed with walls and curbs, and supervising instructors fretted that fearless patrons might clip a wall or plow into a fire hydrant. (The M340i is much more potent than last year’s X2s and 530es.) To neuter the car, all laps were done in Comfort mode with ESP and TC on. Neuter the M340i they did.
In Comfort mode, the M340i’s suspension allowed substantial body roll and let its Michelin PS4S tires shudder with understeer. The Comfort mode transmission programming too frequently shifted between second and third gears. (Staying in second gear would have been most prudent for the short course.) And the suffers-no-fools stability control kept the rear tires firmly behind the fronts and prevented me from using the throttle to erase understeer. As has long been the case, BMW’s ESP continued to chide me for over-eager use of the gas at the corner apex.
Sadly, in Comfort mode, the M340i felt a bit too big and (a bit) too heavy for autocross hijinks. Some of the perception is reality; the M340i weighs a substantial 3,849 lbs. Still, my unsupervised street shenanigans prove that Sport Plus mode can rectify most of these complaints. In Sport Plus mode, the RWD M340i offers an eager nose and a wag-happy tail: Power oversteer is just a lead foot away.
The final thing I learned in the autocross is that the G20 has oodles of rear-seat legroom! I sat in the backseat while the instructor drove and I had two or three inches of airspace between my knees and the front seats.
Comparing the M340i to my current car, a 2011 BMW M3, I’d say that the M340i is more hoonishly fun for day-to-day use. The M340i shreds its rear tires in stoplight launches and indulges power-oversteer skids through intersections. My torque-anemic V8 M3 has to work much harder to provide the same thrills. Thank you, BMW, for making the M340i a brute! The M340i has a more spacious rear seat yet doesn’t feel any wider or harder to thread down a road.
Hardcore enthusiast drivers are waiting for BMW to sprinkle the G20 with full-strength M fairy dust—Then we’ll have a primo super sedan!—but most enthusiasts should be delighted to own an M340i. Its B58 engine pleases with power and sound, its well-honed adaptive suspension can coddle or slice, and the M340i has enough first-rate build quality and flashy technology to satisfy when driving slowly. Owners everywhere will climb out of their M340is with smiles on their faces and find it irresistible to glance back at their handsome rides as they walk off into the sunset. BMW may very well reclaim the sports sedan podium with the M340i.
Mike's Steering Column 