2023 BMW M340i Quick Review

“The sedan is dead!” they chant, “the CUV has taken over wholly and completely!” That might be reflected in sales figures, but there’s still plenty cars (real cars!) out there worth our attention. Even while BMW is seemingly striving to fill every possible niche in the CUV/SUV field, a week with the 2023 M340i showed me that the company still has it where it counts.

(While I did subject this vehicle to my regular routine, I didn’t drive it enough to do a full deep dive. As such, what follows is a quick-hit, bullet point rundown of the car’s Quick Positives, Quick Negatives, and Quick Bottom Line.)

Quick Info, Stats, and Price

  • Model Year: 2023
  • Make: BMW
  • Model: M340i
  • Engine: 3.0-liter turbocharged inline six-cylinder — 382 horsepower / 369 lb-ft. of torque
  • Drivetrain: 8-speed automatic; rear-wheel-drive
  • Base MSRP: $54,850
  • Options on test vehicle: Skyscraper Grey Metallic paint ($650), Tacora Red Vernasca Leather ($1,500), Driver Assistance Package, Shadowline Package ($850), Parking Assistance Package ($700), Premium Package ($1,350), Cooling & High Performance Tire Package ($2,400 and irrelevant as the test vehicle was on winter tires), Remote Engine Start ($300), Adaptive M Suspension ($550), BMW M 50 Years Emblem ($200), Wireless Device Charging ($200), Harman Kardon surround sound ($875), 
  • Total MSRP of test vehicle: $66,120 (Including $995 Destination Charge)

Quick Pros

  • Exceptionally fast in daily use (though nowhere near the pace of the glorious M5 Competition)
  • Fun to drive even when not driving it hard
  • Inline six-cylinder engine is super smooth, super responsive
  • Rowdy enough to be a good time and not cause you to crave an M3
  • Seamless hybrid integration
  • Steering is decent (for a modern BMW that isn’t a full-M car)
  • Actual usable space in the second row
  • Easy to spend time in, and you actually want to
  • The right size for a daily driver

Quick Negatives

  • iDrive 8 is worse than the system it replaced (See: There’s no actual buttons so everything is done via touchscreen)
  • Overkill on the exhaust burbles on downshifts when in more aggressive modes
  • Does a non-M3 need to be this fast? At nearly 3,900 pounds, less weight would be better than big power
  • 8-speed automatic transmission can be a little clunky
  • The price is astronomical for a 3-Series platform car, and can be optioned higher (I was able to build a $70k M340i xDrive on BMW’s configurator)

Quick Bottom Line

  • The 2023 BMW M340i is a fast, fun, comfortable, usable car that would serve as a near-perfect daily driver if you can deal with iDrive 8’s lack of buttons and palate the price.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

The maximum upload file size: 64 MB. You can upload: image, audio, video. Links to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other services inserted in the comment text will be automatically embedded. Drop files here

4 responses to “2023 BMW M340i Quick Review”

  1. hydrogen executor Avatar

    Hydrogen executor technology is an intriguing prospect for the automotive industry. While the 2023 BMW M340i impresses with its performance, exploring sustainable alternatives like hydrogen executor engines could be the future of eco-friendly driving. BMW’s commitment to innovation is commendable!

  2. shell shockers Avatar

    The 2023 M340i from BMW is one such example, demonstrating that the company retains its strengths in this category.

  3. mapquest driving directions Avatar

    As I’m a fan of BMW, I definitely choose this car but the only thing that is annoying for me is the new design of the monitors which I don’t like them.

  4. mapquest driving directions Avatar

    Be a smart consumer when using smart directions