With the release of the new seventh-generation 3
Series, performance enthusiasts the world over have been eagerly awaiting the
arrival of a new M3. And we’ll have to wait a little longer. But this ought to
fill the void in the meantime.
It’s the new M340i, and it’s the most powerful non-M
3 Series that BMW has ever made. It’s set to debut at the LA Auto Show later
this month, but the Bavarian automaker has spilled the beans ahead of time to
give us more than just a faint idea of what to expect.
At its heart sits a 3.0-liter straight six with a
single twin-scroll turbocharger that helps it kick out 382 hp and 500 Nm of torque. That’s more power than all but the two most
recent iterations of the M3, and more torque than all but the outgoing model.
Full performance specs are still to be released, but
BMW says the new M340i xDrive will be capable of rocketing from a standstill to 96 km/h in just 4.2 seconds. Top speed remains electronically limited to 249 km/h.
The power is transmitted to the rear wheels (or all
four in the xDrive version) through an eight-speed automatic transmission. And
the M340i also features an M Sport suspension or available active setup with
new-fangled lift-related dampers, electronically controlled differential, a
variable steering rack, and upgraded brakes measuring 13.7 inches (348 mm) at
the front (gripped by four-piston calipers) and 13.6 inches (345 mm) at the
back (with a single-piston caliper).
The M340i has also been visually
upgraded both inside and out. All this on top of the features that set the
latest 3 Series on which it’s based apart from previous iterations of the
benchmark sports sedan. Pricing has yet to be announced, but the new top performance version
of the BMW 3 is set to launch next summer.
