How does the new 2020 BMW M340i stack up to the BMW 330i? We took both cars to the drag strip to find out.
Transcript
So the big buzz with a BMW 3 series for 2020 is this new M340 model. Now this is new.
The six cylinder previously didn't have this M performance package, but that's the only way you can get a 2020 3 series with the six cylinder, and it's $13,000 more than a base four cylinder. Now, it has a lot more power, a lot more torque, acceleration is claimed to be a lot faster, but to see just how much, and how far that $13,000 go, we have both cars here at the drag strip. We're going to test 0 to 60 and quarter mile to see is that acceleration worth it. The M340's turbo charged six order has 127 more horsepower, according to the ratings, but it feels like a lot more than that. I feel pretty confident that BMW might be conservative in its advertised power ratings, considering just how much faster the M340 was than the 330. The M340 was nearly two seconds faster than the 330 in 0 to 60 mile per hour and quarter mile acceleration, which is a staggering amount faster for the M340 not being a full blown M 3 car. In fact, the last M4 that we tested, that car barely ran faster in the quarter mile than this M340. The current M3 and M4 of the F30 generation are rear wheel drive only. So this M340 with it's available all wheel drive give you all of that power, all of that usability right out of the gate. So the 0 to 60 time was actually a little bit faster. All right. So we've really gotten away from talking about the 330 in this comparisons, because the M340 surprised us so much. We didn't expect to see those kinds of times out of this car, and it's really in the company of an M car. And that's where this car should be discussed, versus the 330. You know, $13,000 is a lot more to swallow for two extra cylinders, but for M levels of acceleration, it's not as offensive of a figure as I thought it would be when we line them up. We may not be the only ones who will be surprised by the M340. Owners will likely be able to surprise a lot of full blooded M cars in a drag race. (upbeat music)
