The Austrian Alps and a mighty BMW 3 series tour -These are the ingredients for an incredible experience that you cannot easily get in North America. Ok sure, we have similar mountains and great streets. But what we don’t have (next to the schnitzel) is the BMW 3 Series Touring. And the BMW M340i touring is not just a car. It is perhaps the ultimate daily driver who is sold by BMW today.
With winding streets, which some of the most picturesque landscapes have to offer, western roaster is an ideal environment to test the handling, the strength and the overall experience of a car behind the steering wheel. And if there is a car that brings dynamic performance and everyday practicality in harmony, it is the BMW M340i tour.
With the previous F31 generation, BMW has stopped to stop all cars (or as they are known in Europe). And even this car was only imported as a four cylinder model, whereby the performance -oriented versions that the rest of the world got. And we ask ourselves why BMW couldn’t get the Americans to look at cars differently. We wander off.
BMW’s 3 Series touring is a master class to deliver both driving experience and versatility. The M340I variant grabs a 3.0-liter inline-six with 369 hp and 370 feet torque. While his appearance suggests a family-friendly car, the engine under the bonnet and the chassis dynamics do much more than a mere supply company. If you drive it through the switches and slopes of the Austrian Alps, the double personality of the M340i was brought to life.
First impressions of the M340i tour
With the M340i tour, BMW has managed to bring together the practicality of the estatepfus with exactly the right amount of aggressive M styling. While our test car falsifies with a fairly small winter wheel and tire package and completed in a reserved black specification, it still had a refined and elegant look in which we quickly fell in love. The long, low roof and the weird rear luk design make miracles for the 3 standard form. In our eyes, this was and is the best -looking 3 Series sold.
The front of the current 3 series series bears the classic kidney grilles, fortunately appropriate, which were framed by adaptive LED headlights that have proven to be excellent on dark Alpine roads. The M Sport Body Kit, M -Bremen, lower driving height and two exhaust are unique for the M340i. But everything said that this is a relatively modest looking car – especially in black.
The low attitude of the M340i gives it a targeted look. It is not splendid, but there is an undeniable presence for this car that the limousine cannot completely capture in our eyes. It is also what makes the M340i tour particularly appealing: it is understated, but exudes an aura of the ability.
Motor and power
Now let’s get into the heart of the M340i tours: this glorious 3.0-liter turbo inline-Six. With 369 hp at 5,500 rpm and 370 foot LBS torque of only 1,850 rpm, the power supply never feels ending. Yes, there are many cars in the BMW series with more power and higher red lines. But the way the B58B30O1 delivers its power supply returns to some of the best inline -Sech engines in the history of BMW. BMW claims a time of 0-60 of 4.4 seconds, but that feels quite conservative for us. And we saw that the times from 3.9 to 4.2 seconds were born in independent reviews.
But what makes the M340i so delightful is not the raw numbers, but the way its business is doing. The throttle flap reaction is perfectly assessed with great responsiveness and feels elastic like the best BMWs. The steering was well weighted with a quick degree and enough information that was conveyed by the wheel that I never felt nervous when changing the alpine.
If you turn the car into sports mode, you will be welcomed with a sharper throttle flap reaction, a stiffer suspension, a more important steering and off -gas pops and sites that are addictive. I found that choosing in comfort steering and less aggressive transmission settings and saving was my sweet spot as a sports individual.
It may not be a manual or even a dual coupling, but the venerable ZF-Echt-Automen automatic transmission is seamless and shifts quickly, but smooth enough if necessary to never feel intrusive. Even in manual mode, the paddle sliders react immediately so that they feel directly connected to the car.
In some unrestricted sections of the highway, the M340i drove effortlessly with a specified 250 km / h or 155 miles per hour. But don’t make a mistake, this is not a full M car. The difference between the way an M3 was drawn from 60 to 120 miles per hour is noticeable.
Handling and driving quality
The adaptive M -suspension of the M340i comes for itself in the mountains. Equipped with electronically controlled damper, the chassis suspension continues to fit in terms of road conditions and ensures mobility without affecting driving quality. Despite the weight of the car of 3,951 LBs, the M340i feels agile and strives for all entries.
When I climbed into the narrow switch, I became confident enough to switch off DSC and see how composed the M340i was at the border. Unfortunately, the days of the BMWs are like this, which achieve a weight distribution of 50/50. The M340i tour of 54% in the front and 46% in the back, which is gently difficult. Thanks to the trick electronics from BMW and an electronically controlled, completely variable locking differential (known as M -Sport -Differential), it is definitely feasible and quite feasible.
The serenity of the car is remarkable in fast corners. The steering is precise, with enough feedback, so that you feel connected to the street surface, without being excessively heavy. It is not razor-sharp like a full car, but it is balanced-and offers exactly the right amount of violence and accuracy with which you can urge confidence.
Unfortunately, the BMW M340i -Touring Standard XDrive. We say that because it is really not necessary to annoy winter tires unless they live in the toughest and snow -covered climate zones. Without them, we would probably see a weight advantage of 100 LBS front – the car is getting closer to this weight distribution of 50/50. However, the XDrive is exceptional how it works. Only in the most extreme scenarios for them always feel that it is even there. And the M340i touring always feels critical before the rear wheel drive.
Quality interior quality and comfort
Inside you have a mixture of tech-forward design and quality materials from BMW. The sports seats are well padded and yet comfortable and have all the trademarks of the classic seat design from BMW. As you would expect, the M340i has all M touch: Contrasts, a chunky M sports steering wheel and many M logos
The live cockpit-professional cockpit setup from BMW is equipped as standard, with important information on a 12.3-inch screen behind the bike and another 10.25-inch touchscreen for infotainment. The reactionability of the screen and the iDrive system do not make the navigation menus – that they have to play a lot around, since voice commands are surprisingly good enough to edit most of the inquiries. The inclusion of wireless Apple CarPlay is a welcome grade, especially if you travel to unknown areas.
Practicality and everyday user -friendliness
A high -performance car or a real estate car seems to be like an oxymoron, but BMW has nailed the practical aspect. In addition to the impressive trunk capacity, the rear seats offer sufficient legroom, which means that passengers can travel comfortably – a point that is not lost over longer distances when driving. While most of the trip was only two, we sprinted from Munich to Innsbruck with four adults and luggage without any problems (the trunk is 500 liters, which extends to 1,510, the rear seats). The spaciousness of the touring makes it a fantastic choice for a family or anyone who wants the versatility of a estate without affecting the excitement behind the steering wheel. Did you mention that touring is our favorite model?
In the mountains, the massive panoramic view floods the interior with natural light. While our car was spent in a rather black look, it was a perfectly pleasant place for 8 days and 700 miles. .
Fuel efficiency is another surprise. Thanks to BMW’s mild hybrid technology, the M340i switches off the engine when running, and the 48-volt system treats air conditioning and other electronics in stop-and-go traffic. On our alpine journey we had an average of around 30 mpg – given the spirited driving and the mountainous area.
Technology and driver aid
We have to give the BMW suite of driver aid functions that are well integrated and unobtrusive. In view of the fact that I drove on streets, I hardly knew that it was helpful to actively bring the car to the speed limit because it changed. The ability to set this speed so that it is a certain MPH above the border was also nice!
The Bimmerfile judgment
The BMW M340i touring makes cars like X3 and even X5 ridiculous. Over the course of seven days and hundreds of miles on incredible Alpine roads, the M340i let me fall in love with the car again. The duality in its character contradicts the traditional concept of practicality and usefulness Also provide an appealing driving experience.
As the previous owner of an E61 535i and E46 325IT car, the brilliance of the layout is something that I have known for many years. Experience in a modern BMW with dramatically more power on the TAP is reinforced how perfectly a combination of performance and use can be.
If you spend so much time in a car, you get an insight into how property feels. I can confidently say that the M340i touring is the best daily driver (for my needs) in the current list of BMW. It is compact enough to feel nimble, but almost as spacious as my old E61 5 series car, which comfortably corresponds to four adults. To do this, add the strength and the changes derived from M to the chassis and the brakes, and you have an exceptionally simple car for life-one that brings a smile on your face every day.
Of course, none of this is important if you live in North America. But if you don’t do it and look for the ultimate daily driving machine, you have just found it.
BMW M340i Touring Gallery
