BMW 3 Series M G20 (2020-Present) Expert Review

Overall Rating

As a do-it-all type of car, the M340i strikes a perfect balance between daily usability and outright performance. If you're looking for a no-compromise BMW that you can drive just about all the time, this is it.

Performance

BMW is a master of the inline-six, and the M340i is endowed with the venerable B58 3.0 litre inline-six engine, producing 387 PS and 500 Nm. There is just one twin-scroll turbo at work, which does an impeccable job at eliminating lag. Make no mistake, this thing is ridiculously powerful. And creamy, too! Oh, the joy.

Ride & Handling

Steering is beautifully weighted despite being an electric rack, and there is gobs of grip with xDrive. The AWD system is rear-biased so as to not sully the experience of driving a 3 Series, plus you do need the extra claws for check and balance. M Sport differential (electromechanical unit) with fully variable rear-wheel locking is standard, handy for chasing lap times, too.

Comfort

BMW's Adaptive M Suspension is standard on the M340i, providing a distinctly supple ride in Comfort mode, yet can stiffen up considerably for spirited drives.

Safety

BMW Driving Assistant package is standard here, offering AEB, lane keeping assist, lane departure warning, rear cross-traffic alert and rear collision prevention. However, adaptive cruise control remains unavailable.

Space

Overall, the cabin is more spacious than the F30 generation, with good spatial improvements made to the rear legroom and headroom space. Boot space is also pretty sizeable at 480 litres, and fortunately the rear bench can be folded (40:20:40 split) this time around.

Value

All in all, with a starting price of RM389k, the M340i is nearly half the price of the G80 BMW M3, and it is actually just 0.1 seconds slower than the previous generation F80 M3. You're getting a lot of performance for the money, mostly thanks to local assembly.