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The 2022 BMW M340i is a rear-wheel drive sedan with excellent power and overall agility.
Every automaker has its signature halo car. For Lexus, it’s the LC 500. Mercedes’ is the AMG GT Black Series. Depending on who you ask, Land Rover’s is either the Defender 90 or the Range Rover. But for BMW, it’s something that’s a bit more modest, both in price and everyday commonality: the 3 Series.
The current G20 generation 3er is the latest iteration of what the Bavarian brand has always done best: modest-yet-capable performance sedans, and the current best example is the M340i. This tester isn’t as fast and capable as its single-number M car siblings the M3 and M4, but considering how much performance, tech, and all-rounder joy it offers, it sure is a heck of a value at $67,370, which includes $6,400 in options, the brand’s gorgeous, $4,500 Barbera Red Metallic paint, a $995 destination charge, and $54,700 base price.
Here’s why this 2022 sports sedan is peak BMW 3 Series, and follows in its performance sedan forefathers’ shoes quite well as an understated, muscular sedan.
All the classic visual cues are immediately noticeable to anyone who walks up to the 2022 G20 M340i and knows the history of understated German performance sedans. The larger, M Sport brakes with blue calipers sitting behind its 19-inch 792M wheels, various darkened exterior accents, and even its twin-kidney, determined-looking face and bumper make it a very athletic-looking sedan. Then, combined with this tester’s gorgeous Barbera Red Metallic coat of paint and smoked rear tail lights, it’s a very handsome one at that.
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If you look back on some of BMW’s best inline-six-powered four-doors, namely the E28 and E34 M5 and E36 M3, it follows in their understated brute force footsteps better than the current G80 M3—it still has that “if you know, you know” vibe going on. The G20 might not be a full-fledged M car, but that’s quite OK, as it’s still raucous, under-the-radar, and very capable. Especially for under $70,000 fully loaded.
On the M340i’s inside, it’s all very much the same, meaning there’s a lot of standard, modern BMW fare, though with just the right amount of badges, accents, and bolstering to put it a cut above a base 330i. The seats are immensely comfortable and feature excellent bolstering, which combined with a telescoping steering wheel that comes in quite close to anyone over six feet tall, makes for a very comfortable driving position.
Speaking of tall-guy-fitment, it was nice to have my cake and eat it—being able to sit in a spacious, comfortable interior yet also have plenty of clearance between my big head and the sunroof was a real treat, and a rarity in this day and age. Plus, I had plenty of room in the back behind the driver’s seat, which is frankly a miracle. But this latest 3er isn’t just for tall folks: the range of adjustability in the seat and steering wheel would accommodate a very wide range of heights and body types. No matter how I had the seat arranged, or where I sat inside, the interior was spacious and airy and visibility was all-around excellent, which would make the M340i a top road trip vehicle.
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The M340i’s infotainment system is BMW’s current iDrive 7.0, it’s among the best available in modern luxury cars. It really is nice to use the toggle in the middle of the center console and not have to rely on tapping the screen for every single feature. The 12.3-inch instrument cluster is sadly fully digital, though that’s been the case for a few years now with the BMW brand. At least it’s crisp and easy to page through a couple of key variables, like water and oil temperature, tire pressures, and fuel economy, as well as the ability to almost fully operate the stereo. Which, by the way, is a HiFi system that thoroughly bumps.
And yet, despite being so spacious and a generally large modern four-door (it’s 62 inches at its widest and 185.7 inches long), the M340i handles itself incredibly well when you turn up the heat in the corners.
Beneath the M340i’s hood is BMW’s venerable and versatile 3.0-liter B58 inline-six. I’ve written about this turbocharged, direct-injected monster in the past, as it's found under the hood of the current Toyota GR Supra 3.0. I'm still infatuated with its fun tendencies, too: 382 horsepower, 368 lb ft of torque, the latter of which is fully available from just 1,600 RPM. This is thanks to a decent-sized twin-scroll turbocharger bolted-up to the business side, BMW’s Valvetronic technology, and dual-VANOS, which is BMW’s version of variable valve timing. The 340 will reach 60 mph from a stop in just four seconds, and rage forth to the quarter mile in 12.5 seconds. It’ll even achieve 23 MPG city and 32 MPG highway if you take it easy, which actually isn’t hard to achieve, though it is if you summon a little enthusiasm with your right foot.
In any scenario, the mighty B58 feels like it makes more than just 382 horsepower (haha, just). Whether during mild around-town driving, or shooting out of a fast right-hander on a rural road, the power is ever-present in either Sport or Sport Plus mode, and really adds to this semi-M-car’s overall athleticism. Part of this is due to a 48-volt mild hybrid system to assist with launching off the line, which seems a tad overkill for this brute, but I'm glad it's there nonetheless.
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These same modes make for an excellent soundtrack, too—the 340’s aural experience is chicken soup for the senses. Sadly, there isn’t much for turbo noise, but BMW does a great job at making it sound like you’re enveloped by baritone inline-six enthusiasm by way of piping in some fake engine noise, in addition to some authentic. Out back, the M-lite features a decent exhaust tone for a straight-off-the-assembly-line series of pipes.
For weighing in at 3,849 pounds, the 2022 BMW M340i really punches above its weight. Not only in terms of how powerful it feels in any scenario, and how even the most modest jump up to highway speed takes just a couple of seconds with a quarter throttle. But also, the chassis is so good on a fun stretch of road.
Featuring semi-independent strut-type suspension up front and fully independent multi-link equipment out back, the 340 is already off to a good start. Then, by adding adaptive dampers, stiffer mounts, near-perfect 50:50 weight distribution, and the stiffest 3 Series chassis ever (which is 25 percent stiffer than the previous-gen), this unobtrusive, under-the-radar sedan really comes alive in the twisties.
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For getting the power to the ground, all that turbocharged torque meets the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic gearbox by ZF, which has been tried and true for years now and does a great job banging off blazingly quick shifts with no drama whatsoever. The M340i also features BMW’s M Sport Differential, which is a glorious piece of kit that, with traction control turned off, allows some of the most controllable, wide-smile-inducing slides that you can achieve in a stock, modern luxury sedan. Though, when more poised, non-tail-out action is desired, it’s a very grippy overall package when its 225-front-width and 255-rear-width Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires are put to work.
For arresting eyebrow-raising speeds, the big 3er’s M Sport brakes with 13.7-inch four-piston fixed calipers up front, and 13.6-inch single-piston floating calipers out back. Around town, they’re quite grabby, but they’re totally worth dealing with as once they’re up to temperature they’re incredibly strong and have great modulation. Especially for a non-M brake setup.
Body roll is nonexistent, the car feels confident and planted in all forms of corner, and the chassis transmits a good amount of feel to the driver seat. Steering feel isn’t great, but its weight and ratio are quite good, especially at speed. I prefer its steering over the current-generation G80 M3, which felt too light, over-boosted, and not confident at all at speed when I tested it last year. In fact, the more passes I did through my favorite roads, the more it revealed itself as a solid bargain up against its more focused sibling. Fully loaded with all the luxury additions, driver assistance tech, and added performance options, $67,370 isn’t a bad price at all for a car with a big Bavarian roundel on its hood. The M3 starts at a few grand more and in a very basic spec.
While the M340i isn’t a true M car, the amount of athleticism it possesses would definitely make M cars of yore quite proud. Heck, if someone really wanted to, they could probably pay a visit to their local BMW parts department, spend some money in the aftermarket, and make their very own, smaller-grilled M3. While the G80 M3 doesn’t have the greatest steering, it sure has a sharp, precise-turning front-end, and I’d be willing to bet that what makes it do that could bolt right up to the M340i.
Which is a testament to how much of a value the G20 M340i is—as BMW’s first M Performance 3 Series, they knocked it out of the park. It isn’t quite up there with the single-digit Ms, but it’s damn close, and in my opinion a better overall, all-rounder-ready package. If I were told I could have just one car to do it all, including haul people around in comfort, do local track days with BMWCCA and Bimmer Challenge here in Southern California, commute to work, and reel in the mileage with road trips that span this great continent, the 2022 M340i would be my top choice. It’s many cars all wrapped into one modern, handsome package, and considering the power and potential that its engine possesses, it’d never stop being a riot to sail down a fun mountain road.
Peter Nelson is an automotive journalist based in Southern California. His bylines can be found on TheDrive.com, WindingRoad.com, WhichCar.com.au, and the Donut Media YouTube Channel. His personal ride is a 2011 BMW 128i and when he's not writing, he's trying to figure out how to drive faster on track.