BMW M340i

Quicker, more hard-edged BMW M340i hits all the right notes. What’s more, it’s BMW’s first locally assembled M Performance car!

- BERTRAND D’SOUZA

Type 2,998cc, inline sixcylinder turbo-petrol

Max power 387PS@5,800rpm

Max torque 500Nm@1,850-5,000rpm

LxWxH (mm) 4,713x2,068x1,440

Price ₹75.2 lakh (on-road Mumbai)

OD Rating

Explosive powertrain, handling

Stiff ride quality

Taking the middle ground usually results in being neither here nor there. But that isn’t entirely a bad thing, not if you’re the BMW M340i xDrive. It’s acar that is aimed to deliver substantially more than what the average 3 Seriesseeker wants, but is not ready to shell out either the money required or isn’t prepared for the hardcore performance of a full-blown M3. So, yes, the M340i is a fence-sitter, but it’s a broad fence, one that straddles a big divide, and in the bargain brings some old-school BMW magic back into the limelight.

This particular M340i also wears the distinction of being BMW India’s first made in India M car. Like their compatriots from Stuttgart, BMW has now started building M Performance cars in India.

Design