Damien O’Carroll reports that BMW have played the old big motor in a small car trick to perfection.
The BMW 3 Series has long been one of my favourite cars, but even the most fervent 3 Series fan would have to admit that the current version is starting to age a bit now.
That isn’t to say that it’s not still a remarkably satisfying, high quality car to drive, because it very much is. It’s just that, next to striking new models from the likes of Mercedes and Audi, the 3 does seem a little, well, old.
So what to do at the end of your model’s life cycle to pad out the gap until a new one arrives? Well, jamming more power into it would seem like a good idea.
So to that end, what you see before you is the rather wonderful BMW 340i Touring. A BMW wagon packed with a 265kW/500Nm turbo petrol 3.0-litre straight six that instantly makes you forget all of that nonsense about it getting old.
BMW wagons always look good and the 340i is no exception - it is wonderfully sleek and menacing, particularly in our car’s dark gunmetal grey. Although the M Performance stickers on the sills are naff and the wheels DO look like tasteless aftermarket rims…
Some of that vaguely aftermarket tastelessness worms its way inside, but with a far more convincing effect. Depending on you particular tastes, that is.
I am talking about the red leather seats, of course. Personally, I think the red looks fantastic, but others didn’t find it quite so appealing.
Colour preferences aside, the 340i’s interior is still great where it counts – the brilliant fat steering wheel feels great and the seats are fantastically supportive and adjustable, with a great driving position.
Where it’s not so great, however, is that, much like the exterior, the interior is starting to look a bit dated now. The controls and switchgear all feel a generation old compared to the 5 Series, and there is no sign of phone projection.
All of that fades into insignificance, however, when you fire up the thoroughly magnificent 265kW/500Nm turbo six engine. Stupidly powerful and remarkably flexible, it sounds fantastically aggressive, but is also capable of remarkable civility. Even when you push it hard, it still remains frugal (in relative terms, that is) and the eight-speed auto is so brilliantly quick and smooth.
The ride is firm, but impressively compliant and civilised, even over rough, broken surfaces. It is also utterly confident in all conditions, but possesses a wonderfully playful rear end that remains totally planted until you want don’t want it to…
The only real slight chink in the 340i’s armour is the current 3 Series lack of truly inspiring and involving steering. It is better than most, but not quite as satisfyingly talkative as the rest of the car.
The slightly over-assisted feel at low speeds does lessen as speed increases and the feedback does improve, but it never quite gets to the heights of that fantastic chassis.
That said, the BMW 340i is a thoroughly fantastic car that serves as a timely reminder that, yes, BMW IS the ultimate driving machine.
Blatantly powerful, seriously capable and almost ridiculously good to throw around, it is remarkably fitting that the best car in the standard 3 Series line-up is a six-cylinder wagon.
The 3.0-litre inline six is a superb engine that makes a fantastic sound and propels the 340i at a deeply impressive rate in a straight line and out of corners.
And it is coming out of those corners that the 340i is at its best – push the throttle pedal to the floor on the way out and the engine bellows, while ether rear end gives anything from a cheeky twitch to a graceful arc to the outside depending on how much and how angrily you have nailed that pedal.
It is a superbly addictive and utterly confidence inspiring thing to throw around.
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Specifications:
Body type Five-door wagon
Drive All-wheel drive
Engine type Inline 6-cylinder petrol turbo
Engine capacity 3.0-litres
Max power 265kW @ 5000rpm
Max torque 500Nm @ 2400rpm
l/100km (Combined) 7.0
C02 emissions 164g/km
Boot capacity 495 litres
Spare tyre Run flats
ANCAP rating Five star
Price $116,900
