As you probably know, in all major markets around the world, BMW offers a something-in-between model for those who want a bit more than a regular 3 Series petrol but don’t wanna push their desires as far as getting an M3. It’s called the M340i, and it sits right in the middle of a 3 Series petrol and an M3. As for the Indian market, the M340i was first launched in early 2021 as a limited-production model, followed by the M340i 50 Jahre M Edition in June this year. Now the model has been updated for 2023, and as before, it is available only in a single M340i xDrive variant, priced at INR 69,20,000, ex-showroom, Pan India. The new model costs INR 630,000 more.
Visually, the 2023 M340i xDrive doesn’t look all that different compared with the one you saw last year, which is nice because you don’t want your M340i to look like a pig, do you? But this time around, you get slightly different front & rear bumper designs; the Kidney grille in high gloss black; the decorative elements on the bumpers in high gloss black; mirror caps in high gloss black, and redesigned adaptive LED headlights (replaces BMW Laserlight). The 19-inch M light alloy wheel design is the same but this time it is in a two-tone finish. The exterior paint choices include Tanzanite Blue metallic and Dravit Grey metallic. The M Aerodynamics Package and BMW Individual High-Gloss Shadow Line extended contents are included as standard.
M Sport Suspension (can lower the ride height by 10 mm), M Sport Brakes, M Sport Differential (rear axle), M Sport Exhaust, and Variable Sport steering, are all included as standard.
On the inside, the updated dashboard features a rather large 14.9-inch central touchscreen (up from 10.25-inch) while the driver display remains to be 12.3-inches—which is, of course, more than sufficient. I don’t understand why the displays need to get bigger and bigger every single time; I mean, don’t we already keep our eyes glued to displays all day, every day at home and office? Shouldn’t we take a break from effin displays at least while driving? Give me an effin break for some time for eff’s sake!
But anyway, a Head-up Display, 3-zone climate control, 16-speaker Harman Kardon audio system, electrically-adjustable front seats with memory, and safety systems such as airbags, Dynamic Stability Control, Traction Control and Cornering Brake Control are some of the other key highlights of the M340i xDrive. Download the updated brochure here.
Moving on, the M340i continues to be powered by a 3.0-litre (2,998 cc) straight-six turbocharged petrol engine that develops 275 kW (374 metric hp) between 5,500 rpm and 6,500 rpm and 500 Nm (369 lb-ft) of torque between 1,900 and 5,000 rpm. For some strange reason, BMW decided to cut 10 kW or 13 metric hp in the updated model. Apparently, this has not affected the 0-100 km/h (62 mph) sprint time of 4.4 seconds. The transmission remains to be an 8-speed automatic gearbox driving all four wheels via the xDrive AWD system.
Recommended for you
Leave a Reply
Note: Comments that are unrelated to the post above get automatically filtered into the trash bin.
