The upcoming BMW M340i G20 headed to the Nürburgring Nordschleife for some hot laps with just a few months to go before its world premiere. A recent video by Automotive Mike shows one of the two M Performance models based on the next generation 3 Series during dynamic test drives in the Green Hell and gives us another good impression of the car, which will sit at the top of the 3er family. With the M340i, BMW aims to combine high driving dynamics with unrestricted everyday usability while managing to bring sport and driving pleasure into everyday life.
The BMW M340i will use a variant of the new B58 3.0 liter turbocharged I6 engine that should make around 360 hp and 370 lb-ft of torque, give or take a bit of either. It will certainly be offered with an eight-speed automatic gearbox and be rear-wheel drive as-standard, with xDrive likely as an option. There’s no official word on a manual transmission option but we don’t see why it wouldn’t be offered. That car should be sort of a middle-man in between the standard 3 Series and BMW M3.
Based on BMW’s new CLAR architecture, the 3 Series will be longer, lighter and stiffer than the car it replaces. It will also be more dynamic and sportier, as are all new BMW’s built on the CLAR platform.
The BMW M340i G20 seen in the spy video from the Nürburgring Nordschleife bears the already minimal camouflage of the Final Evaluation Phase (FEP) and therefore reveals more details than previous prototypes. The design of the taillights, which appear to be very flat and have a clear L-shape, is relatively easy to recognize. The design of the directly interconnected kidneys (mono-kidneys) and headlights was already clearly visible on the BMW 3 Series Touring G21 spy photos from the beginning of the week.
