It’s that time of year again, when car makers are trying to make the most of the time they have left until the Nurburgring gets closed because of the weather. Winter is rapidly approaching and manufacturers are squeezing as much as they can from the famous track before moving to other countries and/or continents. BMW is now testing its upcoming BMW M340i on the Green Hell, seen in this new spy footage.
The action takes place around the 6-minute mark and shows a heavily camouflaged prototype doing the usual rounds. The car seems rather planted, to be honest, and it shows off that it has all-wheel drive, considering how fast and composed it leaves the corners. Either that or the driver is extra careful not to make the tail step out of line while accelerating out of the corner.
We’re not sure why BMW is still testing BMW M340i test mules on the ‘Ring, especially camouflaged ones, as the car has already been revealed. Maybe the Bavarians are still doing some last-minute testing, to iron out any last wrinkles that it might have. Or maybe this specific car has a specific performance option of some kind that BMW is testing out. It’s also possible that this video is a bit old and has just recently been posted.
The BMW M340i will be the most powerful non-M 3 Series available. Using its 3.o liter turbocharged I6 engine, the M340i will make 382 hp (in North America, 335 hp in Europe) and will have xDrive all-wheel drive as an option. Sadly, only an eight-speed automatic will be available on the BMW M340i, with no manual option being sold anywhere in the world. Most customers honestly won’t even notice, as the take rate on manuals is so low but it’s still sad to see it go.
