Since BMW published its press release on the facelifted 3 Series, we’ve been dying to see how the new 340i model performs. It’s the first time this badge was used on a 3 Series and it’s meant to say that the 3-liter inline 6-cylinder turbocharged engine under the bonnet has the performance of an older 4-liter V8.
With 326 HP and 450 Nm (332 lb-ft) of torque at its disposal, it’s hard to say otherwise to BMW. Those numbers are shared with M Performance cars like the new M135i and M235i and they can definitely make driving a back pain inducing experience.
The video below shows some of the character of the B58 engine and suggests that it’s a fast revving unit that pulls well throughout the rev band. Furthermore, reaching the 200 km/h (124 mph) doesn’t seem to be a hassle at all.
Officially, the 340i is the fastest 3 Series ever made. According to BMW, the 340i xDrive fitted with an automatic 8-speed gearbox can do 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 4.9 seconds. Get it without xDrive and that time goes up to 5.1 seconds. Those are incredible figures for a model that doesn’t wear the M badge in any way.
And it needs to be so because its rivals are the Mercedes-Benz C450 AMG Sport and the new Audi S4. While the specs of the S4 haven’t been released yet, the Mercedes is a bit slower, even though it has more power, doing the same run in 5.1 seconds. It seems like it’s all due to the lack of all-wheel drive as the C450 AMG Sport does the 0-100 km/h (62 mph) sprint in 5.1 seconds, just as fast as the RWD 340i.
Rumor has it that the new Audi S4 will still use the 3-liter V6 unit in the old model, taken up to around 360 HP. At the moment, it has 333 HP and 325 lb-ft (441 Nm) of torque at its disposal.
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