Ever since the BMW M340i was announced, BMW enthusiasts have recognized its potential. It’s easy to see why, too, as it comes with the B58 3-liter straight six engine under the hood, tuned to make more power than ever before.
Thus, while we’re patiently waiting for the new M3 and its S58 mill, customers have been buying the M340i and finding that it exceeds their expectations in more ways than one.
The biggest issue for BMW was the comparison with the outgoing F80 M3. While M Performance cars have been getting better and better with each generation, BMW had to make sure they don’t become ‘too good’ for their own sake and start cannibalizing sales of M products.
That’s probably one of the reasons why the F80 M3 was pulled out of production so early and left such a long hiatus until the new generation comes out.
The video below proves that the new M340i is a monster in a straight line. The biggest advantage it has over the F80 M3 from standstill is the fact that it has all-wheel drive. The M340i might be down on power and torque compared to the M3 but it is a lot more efficient setting off.
The numbers show that the M Performance model is a bit faster to 100 km/h (62 mph) but it starts to lose ground to the M3 over the 100 mph barrier.
That’s where the superior specs of the F80 M3 start to show and that’s where traction is no longer an issue. As you’re about to see, the M3 simply blows the M340i out of the water beyond that speed.
The thing is, who needs to go that fast anyway? It’s pretty obvious that the F80 M3 will still be the better track car but how often do you get to drive on a track or with speeds of over 100 mph?
Wouldn’t this make the M340i a more appealing car for the masses? What do you think?
