The M3 is – by certain standards – too much for dailying. These peeps don’t need to look at Mercedes-Benz or Audi for something a wee bit softer, though, because BMW offers the M340i with pretty much everything that one could wish for in a performance-oriented compact executive sedan.
Sitting just below the M3 in the 3 Series hierarchy, the M340i is an M Performance car with a non-M engine. The B58 straight-six lump is more than adequate for this application, though, especially if you remember that the 3.0-liter turbo I6 makes a little more power than advertised.
More specifically, the Bavarian automaker promises 382 horsepower between 5,800 and 6,500 revolutions per minute and 369 pound-feet (500 Nm) of torque from 1,800 to 5,000 revolutions per minute. In other words, it pulls like crazy.
Speaking of pulling like nobody’s business, the B58 is connected to a torque-converter automatic that’s widely considered to be the best in the business. We also have to remember that BMW has world-class launch control technology, and that the Bavarian sedan comes with AWD.
Pictured at the Dunnville Autodrome in Canada, the black-painted Bimmer tips the scales at 3,979 pounds (1,805 kilograms) according to Sam CarLegion. It’s the heaviest car of the lineup, which puts it at a slight disadvantage to the Genesis G70 and Cadillac CT5. The South Korean and American challengers both feature AWD and automatics.
The G70 with the 3.3-liter sixer uses an eight-speed unit supplied by Hyundai Transys rather than ZF, whereas the CT5-V uses a tenner developed by the Ford Motor Company in collaboration with General Motors. These cars weigh 3,940 and 3,974 pounds, as in 1,787 and 1,803 kilograms.
With 376 pound-feet (510 Nm) at its disposal, the Genesis is torquier than the BMW, albeit it’s also down on power. The crankshaft rating for the G70 with the force-fed V6 is 365 horsepower, 5 ponies more than the CT5-V. The South Korean challenger produces maximum torque between 1,300 and 4,500 revolutions per minute, whereas the Caddy makes 405 pound-feet (nearly 550 Nm) from 2,350 to 4,000 rpm.
Despite being a mid-size car instead of a compact executive like the Bimmer and Genesis, that CT5-V holds its own remarkably well in the quarter mile, both from a dig and from a roll. But the CT5-V doesn’t hold a candle to the G70. In turn, the G70 is smoked by the M340i like it’s nothing.
The M340i is currently listed for a princely $56,400 with rear-wheel drive. $58,400 sans destination is the starting price of the M340i xDrive like the car in the video below. When equipped with all-wheel drive, the M340i is three-tenths quicker to 60 miles per hour (make that 97 kph).
Over at Genesis, the V6-engined G70 is $44,900 with rear-wheel drive and $47,000 with all-wheel drive. Cadillac is charging $52,390 and $54,390, respectively, for the CT5-V. The only step up from there is the Blackwing, which comes exclusively with rear-wheel drive. The Blackwing can also be optioned with a manual in addition to the automatic.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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