The new BMW M340i Touring might not be as near as fun as the old V8-powered M3 E90, but it still managed to match the thoroughbred “M” model during an unofficial timed lap of the Hockenheim GP – actually, it was 10 milliseconds faster, but let’s not split hairs.
With the word ‘unofficial’ in mind, we’ll move on to the actual run of the car, in the hands of SportAuto, which states that they lapped the German track in a stock M340i wagon in 2 minutes and 2.7 seconds.
For reference, we’ll now take it to FastestLaps, which reveals that the top member of the 3-Series Touring family was slightly quicker than the Honda Civic Type R, Audi TT-S Coupe, Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR and Porsche Cayman S. More surprisingly, it was a hair faster than the M3 E90, which is listed with a time of 2:02.71. The Mercedes-AMG C63 W204 was a couple of seconds slower, while the menacing CLK 63 Black Series posted a time of 2:01.93.
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It should be interesting to see such comparisons performed in an official environment, with skilled factory drivers at the helm, in perfect weather conditions. However, since that seems like too much of a stress for automakers, let’s speak about the numbers of the latest M340i Touring, the go-fast premium compact estate developed in Munich that packs a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six.
The gasoline engine is paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission and pumps out 374 PS (369 HP / 275 kW) at 5,500-6,500 rpm and 500 Nm (369 lb-ft) of torque from 1,850 to 5,000 rpm. This enables a 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) acceleration of 4.5 seconds, with a top speed electronically limited to 250 km/h (155 mph).
We will remind you that the M3 E90 came with a 420 PS (414 HP / 309 kW) 4.0-liter V8 and had the ability to hit 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.6 seconds.
