BMW M340i Touring Review: In The Alps & Autobahn With BMW’s Forbidden Fruit

The Austrian Alps and a powerful BMW 3 Series touring – these are the ingredients to an incredible experience and one that you can’t easily get in North America. Ok sure we have similar mountains and great roads. But what we don’t have (beside the schnitzel) is the BMW 3 Series touring. And the BMW M340i Touring isn’t just any wagon. It may just be the ultimate daily driver sold by BMW today.
With winding roads framed by some of the most picturesque scenery Europe has to offer, western Austria is an ideal setting to test a car’s handling, power, and overall experience behind the wheel. And if there’s one car designed to balance dynamic performance and everyday practicality, it’s the BMW M340i Touring.
BMW stopped importing all wagons (or Touring as they’re known in Europe) with the previous F31 generation. And even that car was imported only as a four cylinder model, bypassing the performance oriented versions that the rest of the world got. And we wonder why BMW couldn’t get Americans to look at wagons differently. We digress.
BMW’s 3 Series Touring is a masterclass in delivering both driving experience as well as versatility. The M340i variant packs a 3.0-litre inline-six, boasting 369bhp and 370 ft lbs of torque. While its exterior might suggest a family-friendly wagon, the engine under the bonnet and the chassis dynamics make it far more than a mere utility focused vehicle. Driving it through the switchbacks and inclines of the Austrian Alps is where the M340i’s dual personality came to life.
With the M340i Touring, BMW has managed to merge estate car practicality with just the right amount of aggressive M styling. While our test car was shod with a rather small looking winter wheel and tire package and finished in an understated black on black spec, it still had a sophisticated and sleek look we quickly fell in love with. The long, low roof and slanted rear hatch design does wonders for the 3 Series shape. In our eyes this has been and still is the best looking 3 Series sold.
The front end of the current 3 Series sports the classic kidney grilles, thankfully scaled appropriately, framed by adaptive LED headlights that proved excellent on dark Alpine roads. Unique to the M340i is the M Sport body kit, M brakes, lower ride height and dual exhaust. But all told this is a relatively modest looking car – especially finished in black.
The M340i’s low-slung stance gives it a purposeful look. It’s not ostentatious, but there’s an undeniable presence to this car that the sedan can’t quite capture in our eyes. It’s also what makes the M340i Touring particularly appealing: it’s understated but exudes an aura of capability.
Now, let’s get into the heart of the M340i Touring: that glorious 3.0-litre turbocharged inline-six. With 369bhp at 5,500rpm and 370 ft lbs of torque available from just 1,850rpm, the power delivery feel never-ending. Yes there are plenty of cars in the BMW line-up with more power and higher redlines. But the way the B58B30O1 delivers its power harkens back to some of the best inline six engines in BMW’s history. BMW claims a 0-60 time of 4.4 seconds but that feels quite conservative to us. And we’ve seen that born out with times ranging from 3.9 to 4.2 second in independent reviewed.
But what makes the M340i such delightful to drive isn’t the raw numbers but the way it goes about its business. Throttle response is perfectly judged with great responsiveness and feels elastic like the best BMWs. The steering was well weighted with quick turn-in and enough information conveyed through the wheel that I never felt nervous on the narrow Alpine switchbacks.
Flip the car into Sport mode and you’re greeted with a sharper throttle response, stiffer suspension, weightier steering and those off throttle pops and burbles that grow addicting. I found that dialing in comfort steering and less aggressive transmission settings and saving it as Sport Individual was my sweet-spot.
It may not be a manual or even a dual-clutch but the venerable ZF eight-speed automatic transmission is seamless, shifting quickly when needed but smooth enough to never feel intrusive. Even in manual mode, the paddle shifters respond instantly, making you feel directly connected to the car.
On a few unrestricted sections of the Autobahn the M340i cruised effortlessly at an indicated 250 kph or 155 mph. But make no mistake, this is not a full M car. The difference between the way an M3 pulled from 60-120 mph is noticeable.
In the mountains, the M340i’s adaptive M suspension comes into its own. Equipped with electronically controlled dampers, the Touring’s suspension adjusts constantly to road conditions, providing agility without sacrificing ride quality. Despite the car’s weight of 3,951 lbs, the M340i feels agile and eager for any inputs.
As I climbed into the tight switchbacks I grew confident enough to turn off DSC and see just how compose the M340i was at the limit. Sadly gone are the days of BMWs like this one achieving 50/50 weight distribution. The M340i Touring as 54% in the front and 46% in the rear which makes gently power slides a little more difficult. But thanks to BMW’s trick electronics and an electronically controlled, fully variable locking rear differential (known as an M Sport differential) it’s definitely doable and quite controllable.
In fast corners, the car’s composure is remarkable. The steering is precise, with enough feedback to make you feel connected to the road surface without being overly heavy. It’s not razor-sharp like a full M car, but it’s balanced – providing just the right amount of heft and accuracy that lets you push with confidence.
Unfortunately the BMW M340i Touring comes standard xDrive. We say that because shod with winter tires there’s really no need for xDrive unless you live in the harshest and snowiest climates. Without it we’d likely see one a 100 lbs weight advantage mostly in the front – getting the car closer to that 50/50 weight distribution. Yet the xDrive is exceptional in how it performs. Only in the most extreme scenarios to you ever sense it even being there. And critically the M340i Touring always feels rear wheel drive biased.
Inside you’re met with a blend of BMW’s tech-forward design and quality materials. The sport seats are well-bolstered yet comfortable and have all the hallmarks of BMW’s classic seat design. As you’d expect the M340i has all the M touches: contrast stitching, a chunky M Sport steering wheel and plenty of M logos
BMW’s Live Cockpit Professional setup comes standard, displaying key information on a 12.3-inch screen behind the wheel and another 10.25-inch touchscreen for infotainment. The screen’s responsiveness and the iDrive system make navigating menus easy – not that you’ll need to fiddle much, as voice commands are surprisingly good enough to handle most requests. The inclusion of wireless Apple CarPlay is a welcome touch especially when traveling into unknown areas.
A high-performance wagon or estate car might seem like an oxymoron, but BMW has nailed the practicality aspect. Beyond the impressive boot capacity, the rear seats offer ample legroom, which means passengers can travel comfortably – a point not lost when driving over longer distances. While most of the trip was just two, we sprinted from Munich to Innsbruck with four adults and luggage without issues (the boot is 500 litres, which expands to 1,510 with the rear seats down). The Touring’s spaciousness makes it a fantastic choice for a family or anyone who wants the versatility of an estate without sacrificing excitement behind the wheel. Did you mention the Touring is our favorite 3 Series model?
In the mountains, the massive panoramic sunroof floods the interior with natural light. While our car was specced in a rather all black look, it was a perfectly pleasant place to be for 8 days and 700 miles. .
Fuel efficiency is another surprise. Thanks to BMW’s mild-hybrid technology, the M340i shuts off the engine while coasting, and the 48-volt system handles the air conditioning and other electronics in stop-and-go traffic. Over our Alpine journey, we averaged about 30mpg – respectable given the spirited driving and mountainous terrain.
We’ve got to give a shoutout to BMW’s suite of driver assistance features which are well-integrated and unobtrusive. Given the that I was driving on roads I hardly knew, being able to have the car actively set adaptive cruise to the speed limit as it changed was helpful. Also the ability to set that speed to be a specific MPH over the limit was nice as well!
The BMW M340i Touring makes cars like the X3 and even X5 look ridiculous. Over the course of seven days and hundreds of miles on incredible Alpine roads, the M340i made me call in love with the wagons all over again. The duality in its character defies the traditional notion of practicality and utility by also delivering an engaging driving experience.
As a previous owner of an E61 535i and E46 325iT wagons, the brilliance of the layout is something I’ve known for many years. But experiencing it in a modern BMW with dramatically more performance on tap reinforces just how perfect a combination of performance and utility they can be.
Spending this much time in a car really gives you insight into what ownership feels like. I can confidently say that the M340i Touring is the best daily driver (for my needs) in BMW’s current lineup. It’s compact enough to feel nimble but nearly as spacious as my old E61 5 Series wagon, comfortably accommodating four adults. Add to that the power and the M-derived tweaks to the chassis and brakes, and you’ve got an exceptionally easy car to live with—one that brings a smile to your face every day.
Naturally none of this matters if you live in North America. But if you don’t and you’re looking for the ultimate daily driving machine, you’ve just found it.