By Afzal Rawuther
BMW’s sporty luxury sedan, the M340i gets an update
Also launched alongside the XM was the M340i facelift at Rs. 69.20 lakh (exshowroom). The most important addition to the facelift is the 48V mild-hybrid tech that adds an additional 11PS to the power output of the engine. Power on the whole (374PS), however, is down from the 387PS that the prefacelift model produced while torque remains the same at 500Nm. It is still powered by the same 3.0-litre straight-six engine (mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox) but it will now be made in India, making it the first highperformance BMW engine to be produced here. Even with the updates to its drivetrain, the M340i continues to deliver an identical 0-100kmph time of 4.4 seconds.
On the design front, the M340i gets a refreshed look with slimmer headlamps, a reprofiled grille and a new rear bumper. It gets larger 19-inch wheels as opposed to the 18-inch units on the outgoing model and you can opt for a fixed rear wing too. As in the outgoing model, the M340i comes with upgrades over the regular 3-Series like a lowered, M suspension, an M Sport differential, M Sport brakes and a raspier M Sport exhaust as well.
Changes on the inside are restricted to a new curved infotainment panel with a 14.9-inch display and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. As expected, it gets the latest generation of BMW’s iDrive interface.
The BMW M340i directly competes with only the Audi S5 Sportback. At its price, it makes a strong case for itself as a luxury performance sedan without any real compromises.
Reproduced with permission from Mansworldindia.com
