2022 BMW M340i xDrive (3 Series G20 LCI) road test and review - Still the sports sedan benchmark?

BMW does two things amazingly well: it makes wonderful straight-six engines and excellently judged sports sedans. Combining these two elements has resulted in some of the best three-box cars the world has ever seen and even though the competition has been edging closer and closer in recent years, the latest G20 3 Series still has what it takes to stay ahead of the pack. In M340i guise, the only variant that still comes with a six-pot, it is a truly glorious machine that's not only good to drive on a winding road, but it's also a surprisingly accomplished cruiser and quite efficient for something that has 374 horsepower...
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Presented, shot and edited by Andrei Nedelea.
Special thanks to Mihai Neagu for his help during the shoot and for providing the lovely drone footage.
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[@OneTireFire]

Check out my Toyota GR Supra Review kzbin.info/www/bejne/mn3ZY2embaytbs0

[@s.t3141]

I've watched almost every video on yt about this car and this one was by far the best. So much detailed information that you don't get in other videos. Great job! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@OneTireFire]

Thanks for watching! Happy you liked it and found it useful!

[@fayyadtahir1010]

this level of production quality for a channel that has 2k subscribers is crazy, you’ve earned a new follower!

[@OneTireFire]

A lot of work goes into these videos and I do pretty much everything myself, but I enjoy the entire process (and I hope it shows in the finished product). Thanks for watching and subscribing!

[@GGO89]

nu pot sa cred ca cel mai bun review pentru masina asta de pe tot youtube-ul vine de la compatrioti. Felicitari!

[@OneTireFire]

Mulțumesc, George!

[@SagarRT]

Hey. I am from India; I wish to buy this car soon. I have scalped almost entire KZbin, this is the best detailed M340i review. Keep those long videos and details on point.

[@OneTireFire]

Thank you for watching and for your support!

[@grzegorzwicher]

Wow, I,'m excited, probably the best review ever seen abut this vehicle, so still waitin for your test about new m2 2023,MY. 😊

[@OneTireFire]

Thank you for watching! I'll definitely do my best to get my hands on the M2. You can also check out my Toyota GR Supra review that I just uploaded.

[@thelostdigit]

Awesome review. The M3 is my dream car and I can safely say that the M340i is the obvious choice for an all arounder in terms of BMW choices. It's got the comfort of the base 3 series, with the sportiness of the M3. Yes, you don't get the full blown M3 experience, but unless you're going to the track, the M340i will be the best choice. The slight upgrades from the MY22 to the MY23 are noticeable and welcome. Even though the MY20 sounds the best out the M340i, these newer ones are surprisingly fuel efficient given the power they put out. Hopefully they continue to produce this for years to come, even after the next refresh.

[@OneTireFire]

Thanks for watching! The only thing missing for me in the M340i is the manual gearbox. That's what would make lean more towards an M3 if I were buying one of these cars new today.

[@GodKing804]

Nah 540i

[@maxhill9254]

excellent review

[@OneTireFire]

Thank you!

[@Dr.Ijaz_ab]

Subd, good quality video and an amazing caaar

[@OneTireFire]

It really is a nice car. Thanks for watching!

[@vladsta3833]

nice content, greetings from BG

[@OneTireFire]

Thanks for watching, neighbor!

[@vladdutz20]

Did you use an external mounted microphone for the engine sound? Because this car has a petrol particle filter and it is very quiet inside. Anyway the sound of the b58 is very nice, and i like the way you drive them hard like i do when i film them, i had this exact car for 3 recently

[@OneTireFire]

Hey Vlad, thanks for your comment! Yes, I used my lav mic clipped to the underside of the bumper near the exhaust. It’s a fantastic sounding engine the B58, even with the OPF. I got to drive an F30 M340i a few years back and that did sound better since it did not filter its particles. The best driver’s car with this engine right now I think is the GR Supra - I just posted my video with that car. Maybe check it out, the algorithm doesn't seem to like it too much :)

[@arush2345]

Audi S5 ❤ I hope bmw improves it’s design language by firing its current design head

[@OneTireFire]

I hope BMW improves its design too, but I doubt it will ever return to the shapes that made it legendary. It’s trying a completely new design direction going forward.

[@Kaiju007]

The model you are driving has M Performance brakes which have bigger calipers and 374mm front rotors.

[@OneTireFire]

You're right - they come part of the M Technology pack that didn't list them separately. Thanks for your comment! I still don't like the way they feel, though. But I was not especially happy with the brake feel in actual M cars, so it might just be a BMW thing that I don't really get along with...

[@sulkowskip]

It’s my personal preference, but it would be great to watch the video with less filters 🙏🏼. Nevertheless, it’s a great review. Pure pleasure to watch

[@OneTireFire]

Thanks for watching, Pawel! What do you mean about the filters, though? I'm not sure I understand 😅

[@sulkowskip]

​@@OneTireFire I was referring to the clip's filters. At certain moments, they make the colors appear unrealistic, but again it's a minor thing

[@OneTireFire]

@@sulkowskip Ah, I see. Good to know. I don't apply any filters, though, and what you're referring to is just my inability to make the footage from my Fujifilm camera look like what I get out of my GoPros. The files they produce have quite different looks and it's sometimes hard to get them to match.

[@jrvegaboston]

Beautiful car.

[@zylixevade2469]

I believe it’s the 2023 bmw m340i my friend but great video with best graphics

[@OneTireFire]

Nope, it was built in 2022 so it is a 2022. Only Americans add one year to the actual year of manufacturing when they state the model year. In Europe we don’t do that. Thanks for watching!

[@zylixevade2469]

@@OneTireFire oh got you but the model and the new face lift started in 2023 didn’t it

[@OneTireFire]

@@zylixevade2469 Well, my tester was built in the second half of 2022 and it is the facelifted model, so I will let you draw the conclusion ;)

[@dakhan]

@@OneTireFire lol the model yr designates when it will be sold not when it was manufactured

[@RobHTech]

I really like the engine. I also like it comes in xDrive, which, despite people being confused about it, is a 4x4 system. It's not AWD. And, as far as I know, though rarely see it talked about, is that the xDrive has different modes in the infotainment system--like regular (50/50 r:f), sport (?) (70:30), and sport (?) that is RWD. xDrive can turn off the power to the front wheels completely. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[@OneTireFire]

It's an amazing engine, one of the best ever. You can choose several xDrive settings in M cars, not M Performance models like this M340i, and they do have an effect on power distribution. I'm pretty sure going into Sport mode alters the power split and the car sends more to the rear, but I don't think a rear-wheel drive-biased BMW with xDrive is ever only driving the rear wheels under normal conditions. Maybe if you throw the car into a bend and the vehicle needs to counteract some understeer that it will send all power to the rear wheels and then adjust which of the wheels gets the most power.

[@davidzvezda]

How comfortable are the M sport seats, are they to stiff? How is the idrive8 in driving , it looks like ipad stuck on dash.

[@OneTireFire]

The seats were pretty good - I drove the car for almost 200 km non-stop and they didn't put any strain on my back. My tester had the optional seats, which actually come as standard on the M3. If you want the utmost comfort in the M340i, just stick with the standard sport seats that strike a great balance between comfort and keeping you in place during vigorous cornering. Regarding the new iDrive, I don't have a problem with the integration - I actually kind of like the curved dual-tablet design - but I don't like some of the design choices they made. For instance, I don't like having to scroll through small app icons since it's just a pain to find what you're looking for on the move. I also don't like the way they handled climate functions either, since you have to press a virtual button to get to the climate panel and even then if you have several functions, you will have to swipe left or right to reach them. All in all, iDrive 8 is okay, but not quite perfect - I preferred iDrive 7.

[@davidzvezda]

@@OneTireFire thanks for the detailed response. Yes alcantara sensatec sport seat is most comfortable , even more then Vernasca leather but i like the look of these optional M sport seats

[@MrE.888]

Also in some places Cognac only comes on M sport seats

[@cgmiller913]

What is the app or widget you are using around 9:50 in the video?

[@OneTireFire]

It's under Live Vehicle > Content > Adaptive Content

[@cgmiller913]

@@OneTireFire awesome thank you!

[@hardykornfeld1733]

I have an i4 e40 and the iDrive 8 screen works well in that car, but I hate the tach/speedo display in the M340i. Why can’t they put a simple round tach with sweeping needle in the middle of the steering axis, with the speed in digits and gear position in the center of the racha”dial”. One place for the driver to look straight down and get all the info. The display they came up with looks like too many designers and programmers wasted their time to make some different for differences’ sake.

[@OneTireFire]

Well, the digital dial design they came up with does a good job of looking futuristic and cool, but it’s nowhere near as easy to read as conventional round dials with a needle. I too would have liked there to be a “classic” theme for the dials, but I don’t think BMW has any intention of adding such a thing. Maybe it will be available as a mod in the future…

[@steve7572]

They actually pull around 420 brake torque rather than the 369 they claim. The horsepower is what they rate it at.

[@OneTireFire]

Totally felt like it. Where did you get the number from?

[@steve7572]

@@OneTireFire Car Wow did a dyno video with the M240 (same engine) and some others on a dyno that measures brake HP and TQ

[@steve7572]

@@OneTireFire kzbin.info/www/bejne/rWmzqYtmhKpnicU 572nm = 421 ftlbs

[@OneTireFire]

@@steve7572 I'll check it out. Thanks!

[@areufkingkiddingme]

How do you get it to the performance setting screen on the middle screen

[@OneTireFire]

Well, you can just access it through the iDrive menu.

[@areufkingkiddingme]

@@OneTireFire do you know under what menu icon it’s under?

[@OneTireFire]

@@areufkingkiddingme It is under “Live Vehicle” then “Content” then “Adaptive Content”

[@areufkingkiddingme]

@@OneTireFire thank you!

[@andikappradana]

I wish I could afford this car with the manufacturer's price The tax for European car in my country is outrageous

[@OneTireFire]

Out of curiosity, how much is one of these where you live?

[@bikkiaakash]

It’s around 95000 usd

[@bikkiaakash]

In India !

[@andikappradana]

BMW doesn't take the M340i here For the base model 320i Sport (CKD) is around $72,000+

[@tx5559]

Is this 2023 instead of 2022?

[@OneTireFire]

It was built in 2022, which is why it has the 50th anniversary M badges.

[@koltonthompson2365]

Yes, this is a '23 LCI

[@mikeymike1854]

In real life its under 4 secs and about 400bhp

[@OneTireFire]

It really felt like it.

[@seanbowker1083]

Iconic Sounds does nothing to the exhaust, it makes fake noise in the cabin.

[@OneTireFire]

Nope, I actually tested this and it does seem to have an effect on the outside too. With Iconic Sounds turned off, the vehicle will rarely crackle and pop on the overrun (inside and out). Enable the option and it actually changes how the car sounds outside too. If by "does nothing to the exhaust" you mean it doesn't open the valve which makes the whole thing noisier then yes, you are right (since that opens in Sport mode). But it does affect how the exhaust sounds on the outside, at least in my experience.

[@seanbowker1083]

@@OneTireFire Not according to every other review I've read and BMW's own literature, plus my personal test drive experience.

[@OneTireFire]

@@seanbowker1083 Does it specifically say it in BMW's own literature that it only affects what you hear inside the vehicle? I know it mostly changes what you hear inside, and the fact that the pops and bangs inside don't necessarily match what it sounds like outside, but I could swear it has an effect on what the exhaust sounds like on the outside. Check out this video that goes into more detail about this and it seems to say my assessment is right. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hX6tfqiHatOIepI

[@seanbowker1083]

@@OneTireFire can't hear any difference outside in that video, and I now own one of these cars and Iconic Sounds definitely only affects sound inside the cabin, I have tested this with a person standing at the back of the car whilst I change various settings.

[@OneTireFire]

@@seanbowker1083 I'll pay extra special close attention to this the next time I test a BMW with this engine and I'll mention it in the video.

[@AMore429]

Not 80k special. Brooklyn grey looks like a prime coat.

[@OneTireFire]

I agree on the price, but the color I kind of fancy actually :)

[@MrE.888]

The colour is great in person. Two best colours I think are Skyscraper and this. But skyscraper looks a bit ordinary. Only question is how well the Brooklyn will date.

[@OneTireFire]

@@MrE.888 I too am a fan of Brooklyn.

[@metalstorm45]

Nice review. I hope BMW will keep this nice engine. I was a fan of AMG cars for the last decade and owned three AMGs over that time. Last one was 2019 C43. Wanted to upgrade to 2023 C43, but the test drive confirmed the car had terrible transmission. I then test drive the 2023 M340i and instantly put an order in for 2024 M340i. Mercedes AMG has lost the plot. Getting rid of V8 and V6, putting in a 4-cylinders hybrid jumping on the EV bandwagon leaving customers like myself who still appreciate the real engine and exhaust sounds of ICE cars with no choice but look for alternatives.

[@OneTireFire]

Thanks for watching! I've yet to drive the C43 AMG, but I did drive a C300 RWD and I can't say I noticed the transmission doing anything particularly bad. It was surprisingly eager to throw its tail out in bends, or just fishtail off the line every single time you set off aggressively. Yeah, the new direction AMG is going in with four-pot PHEVs is putting people off buying its cars and sending most into a BMW dealership. I totally get why you ordered the M340i :D

[@metalstorm45]

@@OneTireFire I look forward to reading your review of the C43 if you get the chance. Cheers. 👍

[@StathisM-jf9hu]

same was looking at c43 amg then ordered this in brooklyn grey, msport pack and technology pack for 40k AUD less