2023 BMW M340i Review: The Pretty Good Driving Machine

One of the greatest, most entertaining things that have resulted from the rise of AI-created content has got to be those “Harry Potter by Balenciaga” videos. Garnering millions of views and subsequently replicated with a bunch of other movie and TV subjects, they depict reinterpreted versions of every millennial’s favorite witches and wizards with a subtly hilarious high-fashion parody slant. Stylishly unpleasant, gaunt, completely ridiculous yet insufferably self-serious, these artificially generated characters made me think one thing: These are the sort of people cars like the BMW XM are made for.

Thankfully, however, BMW indeed still makes cars for people with reasonable taste. Let me introduce you to the 2023 BMW M340i, the mid-performance version of BMW's ubiquitous compact sedan that comes with good news: not only is it pleasantly palatable on the eyes, but it's also quite an agreeable thing to drive and live with every day.

2023 BMW M340i Specs

• Base price (xDrive as tested): $57,395 ($67,920)

• Powertrain: 3.0-liter turbocharged straight-six | 8-speed automatic | all-wheel drive

• Horsepower: 382 @ 5,800 to 6,500 rpm

• Torque: 369 lb-ft @ 1,800 to 5,000 rpm

• Curb weight: 3,951 pounds

• Seating capacity: 5

• Cargo volume: 16.9 cubic feet

• 0-60 mph: 4.1 seconds

• EPA fuel economy: 23 mpg city | 32 highway | 26 combined

• Quick take: Staunchly solid sport sedan.

• Score: 8/10

The Basics

Much like how the Porsche 911 and Toyota Camry are archetypical examples of their respective segments, the BMW 3 Series is arguably the main character of the compact luxury sedan class. The M340i is the most powerful version short of the full-on high-performance M3.

The 3er got a facelift this year consisting of a slightly more chiseled front end, a more gaping grille, new headlights, and a new rear bumper. Exterior-wise, the current 3 Series remains one of the more conservatively handsome cars in both the BMW lineup and among its competitive set. Reasonably sized kidney grille? Check. Hofmeister kink? Check. Hockey stick-shaped taillights? Check—it’s a BMW, alright. Overall, it’s a nice, almost innocuous-looking luxury car although the miserably small winter wheels this tester happened to come with really aren’t doing it any favors.

Inside, this car has been updated with the company’s new, curved-screen interior. A 12.3-inch instrument display and a 14.9-inch touchscreen in the center share bezels and make the place look a bit like the office of a professional Counter-Strike player, complete with customizable LED mood lighting. I wrote an entire dedicated review on this, but iDrive 8 remains one of the better infotainment systems out there—nice to look at, reasonably easy to learn, equipped with a handy control knob, but a bit too reliant on touch compared to previous iterations.

Under the hood of the M340i sits BMW’s much-lauded 3.0-liter B58 turbocharged straight-six making 382 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque hooked up to a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission and, as of 2022, a 48-volt mild hybrid system. Per BMW, the rear-drive model gets from zero to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds but opting for xDrive like this tester has cuts that down to 4.1 seconds. For 3 Series buyers who don’t need as much speed, the base 330i is powered by a 255-hp turbo-four while the plug-in 330e makes 288 hp.

Driving the BMW M340i

I feel like the gooey winter tires that came on this particular tester had a bit to do with this, but setting off in the M340i, the steering felt heftier than expected at parking lot speeds even by semi-serious sport sedan standards. Once your forearms acclimate to the added resistance, though, the 3er is nimble and accurate around town while remaining adequately comfortable. This being the M Performance model, it’s not exactly a cushy cruiser. Damper and suspension tuning definitely err on the side of communication even in Comfort mode while the seats are well-sculpted but firm. Sound insulation is quite well done in that outside noises feel distant when driving around town, but highway road noise could stand to be quieter—another suspected byproduct of the cold-weather tires I happened to drive this car on.

Even on winters, though, the M340i does the sport sedan thing more than admirably on a twisting backroad. Direction changes happen with a deliberate, calm fluidness while the steering—even though it may not transmit a whole lot of feel through the rim—is accurate, quick, and well-weighted. Par for the modern BMW course, it’s still a little clinical-feeling but overall very capable even on skinny winter rubber.