Second-from-top 3 Series saloon variant targets Audi S4 and Mercedes-AMG C43; plug-in hybrid sees new power-boosting function.
Is this exclusively for the Chinese market?
For the first time, BMW has given the 3 Series saloon a warmed-up performance version called M340i. It premieres at the Los Angeles auto show later this month.
Aimed at the Audi S4 and Mercedes-AMG C43, the M340i comes with an exclusive face to differentiate it from the lower 3 Series models (due on Thai forecourts in the first quarter of 2019).
And no, it isn’t a look for the Chinese market. Apart from the large air vents up front and twin rectangular tail pipes, the global M340i gets distinctive contours running up to the head lights.
Whether it looks cool is for you to decide. It would be interesting to see how the future full-fat M3 will look like when it is unleashed next year.
Tch! Is it faster than its rivals?
The M340i uses the latest version of BMW’s B58-coded 3.0-litre inline-six petrol-turbo producing 374hp (previous iterations developed peaks of 326hp and 340hp) and 500Nm.
BMW claims that the M340i will do 0-100kph in 4.4sec. That’s 0.3sec quicker than the S4 and C43, both also using 3.0-litre six-cylinder blocks with 354hp and 390hp respectively.
The M340i is equipped with eight-speed automatic and all-wheel-drive, as well as M-specific exhaust, brakes and rear differential.
Will BMW build it in Thailand?
At the moment, the only second-from-top car in this special playground to be assembled in Thailand is the C43 albeit in two-door Coupe form. The S4 isn’t sold officially in the country yet.
Whether the Thai BMW office will contest Mercedes remains to be seen because they have only started to sell M Performance models. The only official import so far is the M760Li.
Should BMW find it more suitable to shoehorn the M340i’s engine into a coupe body to directly rival the C43 Coupe in Thailand, it might have to wait for the 4 Series replacement due before 2020.
The 4 Series has never received an M Performance model globally. The best one there is underneath the M4 is the 440i, equipped with the older 326hp six-potter.
But the 330e plug-in hybrid will surely come…
That’s a dead cert because today’s 330e (in previous generation form called F30) is being built in the country taking advantage of low excise taxation given to electrified vehicles.
The new G20-based 330e mixes a 2.0-litre petrol-turbo with plug-in hybrid to produce a combined 252hp. There’s a new power-boosting function called XtraBoost to temporarily give an extra 41hp of oomph. The 0-100kph time is rated at six seconds scant.
Another improvement is the all-electric driving range. Thanks to improved lithium-ion batteries, the distance has nearly doubled to 60km.
Expect the new 330e to hit Thai showrooms after mid-2019 with prices ranging between 2.3-2.8 million baht, the approximate range for the diesel-powered 320d, as well.
Oh, and the 330e doesn't get that unique nosework employed in the M340i and settles for the regular look instead (as pictured below).
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