BMW 340i is a real stealth bomber

ROAD TEST: BMW 340i auto

By: Denis Droppa

Johannesburg - BMW recently updated its three-year-old 3 Series range with a facelift and engine upgrades. The cosmetic tweaks are kept to a minimum and you have to be a Beemer aficionado to notice them, but the more important stuff has occurred under the bonnet.

At the bottom end of the line up, the 318i is now powered by the same 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo unit that does duty in the Mini Cooper. It’s the smallest engine used in a 3 Series to date but certainly not the least powerful, and delivers impressively punchy and smooth performance for its size.

But more well-heeled petrolheads will be more interested in the 340i that now slots in as the flagship of the range (with the exception of the uber-sporty M3 which is a different breed of growling guard dog altogether).

Like the 335i it replaces, the new 340i uses a 3-litre turbocharged straight-six petrol motor as firepower, but outputs are boosted to 240kW and 450Nm (respectively 15kW and 50Nm higher than the discontinued 335i), while BMW claims the new engine’s also 10 percent more fuel efficient.

GEM OF AN ENGINE

We spent a week behind the 340i’s wheel and it’s truly a gem of an engine, as smooth and strong as well-aged Scotch. It’s a model of effortlessness and there’s no work involved to keep it in the power band. The torque’s spread on like a good thick layer of peanut butter, with all 450Nm available from 1 380rpm to 5 000rpm. It makes for lag-free pace all the way through the rev range, ably assisted by a slick-shifting eight-speed Steptronic auto which is very punctual at serving up the right gear.

It’s a properly quick car, and in our high-altitude Pretoria test the 340i bolted from 0-100km/h in a sportscar-like 5 seconds dead, which is surprisingly even quicker than the factory claim of 5.1 seconds. It’s a carefree kind of pace that takes no notice of hills and allows swift, easy overtaking of long trucks.

It’s a subtle sledgehammer, without the rage and fury of its rebel cousin, the M3. Missing from the 340i’s repertoire is a rorty sound, and for its Metallica performance this engine sounds quite Barry Manilow. But this isn’t a sportscar; it’s a slick and civilised family sports sedan that happens to be very fast.

The 340i is a stealth bomber in every sense of the expression, and together with the engine’s soft-spokenness the body design gives little away in terms of the pace lurking beneath.

The range-wide facelift included some subtle redesigning of the bumpers, air intakes and grille, while the headlights get reworked daytime-running corona rings and now come with full LED lights as an option. At the back, re-shaped tail-lights also now work with LED illumination as standard, and new model-specific tailpipes are fitted across the range.

CHASSIS IS JUST SPOT-ON

As good as that drivetrain is, the suspension deserves equal billing on this car’s list of talents. This is just about a spot-on perfect mix of handling prowess and ride quality.

The revamped suspension, despite being slightly stiffened, whisks over bumps with impressive finesse and very competently insulates passengers from the vagaries of poorly-maintained roads. It achieves this feat without feeling soft when you crank up the adrenaline dial. The car grooves through fast corners with a taut, athletic nature that quickly builds driver confidence. With its 50/50 weight distribution and well-controlled body roll, coupled to stability control, there isn’t much that flusters the 3 Series in hard-turning, hard-braking attack mode.

Optionally, the car can be ordered with adaptive suspension that stiffens or softens at the touch of a button, or you can opt for M sport suspension with a firmer and lower ride.

The electric power steering has also been honed for a more precise feel in the updated 3 Series. The steering, when the Driving Experience Control switch is set to the sportiest of its four settings, delivers the typically sharp and meaty BMW feel, but lightens up in the more economy-oriented modes.

The different modes also affect the responses of the throttle, automatic gearshift and dynamic stability control accordingly.

Fuel consumption in our test-car averaged 11 litres per 100km, which is pretty good for the performance on offer but way above BMW’s claimed 6.5 litres. Fuel-saving measures include an idle-stop function and a coasting mode which decouples the engine from the transmission when the driver lifts off the throttle at higher speeds, saving unnecessary engine braking.

CABIN LAGS BEHIND

Inside the revamped 3 Series cabin, Munich’s designers have upped the classy feel with new materials and additional chrome highlights. It’s all very plush and business-like but I feel the cabin lags slightly behind the Mercedes C-Class and the new Audi A4 which goes on sale here next year; their metal-finish buttons outdo the Beemer’s plastic ones for tactile richness.

Improvements to the BMW’s updated Navigation system (an extra-cost option) now makes quicker route calculations and features more realistic 3D graphics. Another tech update is a Parking Assistant that now enables automatic parallel parking (the car steers itself and the driver merely has to control the accelerator and brake).

Our test-car was equipped with the optional mishap-avoiding Driving Assist package which includes Collision Warning with City Braking function, Pedestrian Warning with City Braking function, Attentiveness Assistant, and Lane Departure Warning.

The 340i auto is priced at R659 283 standard including a five-year/100 000km Motorplan, but expect to pay extra for the Sport, Luxury or M Sport lines.

VERDICT

An executive sports sedan of finesse and sophistication, the BMW 340i reminds me of a suave James Bond getting through adventures with not a hair out of place.

It’s a brilliant package, and utterly competent in all regards without being bland in character.

I do wish it had a more charismatic six-cylinder soundtrack though.

FACTS

BMW 340i auto

Engine: 3-litre, 6-cylinder turbopetrol

Gearbox: 8-speed automatic

Power: 240kW @ 5500-6500rpm

Torque: 450Nm @ 1380-5000rpm

0-100km/h (tested, Gauteng): 5.0 seconds

Top speed (claimed): 250km/h

Fuel use (tested, Gauteng) 11.0 l/100km

Price: R659 283