HOCKEY DAD SMITTEN WITH BMW M340I XDRIVE
As some automakers focus on SUV production to leave the world of the sedan behind them, others are more committed to the four-door vehicle than ever. Case in point: BMW.
The automaker has just launched its seventh-generation 3 Series with the 2020 M340i sedan, and the car brings a great deal more to the driving experience. BMW accomplished this by increasing overall chassis rigidity, and the company focused on reducing weight while lowering the centre of gravity. BMW claims the 3 Series now has a 50/50 front to rear weight distribution.
The M340i is fitted with a new 3.0-litre in-line six-cylinder engine with an aluminum crankcase and cylinder head, topped off with a twin-scroll turbocharger. Power is transferred through an eight-speed Steptronic automatic transmission equipped with paddle shifters.
In Canada, the only version available is the all-wheel-drive
M340i xdrive.
Calgarian Dan Stoffman, who test drove the new BMW for a week, enjoys driving. His first car was a 1985 Chevy Celebrity, given to him by his grandfather. That was followed by a 1988 Toyota Camry, given to him by his father. The first vehicle he bought for himself was a 2005 Mazda3, equipped with a standard transmission and a dynamic suspension package. While he could fit his growing family — wife, two kids and three dogs — in the Mazda, in 2015 he opted for a “more grown-up car” and bought a BMW 435i Gran Coupe.
“My top three purchasing considerations are performance — I like vehicle dynamics and horsepower,” Stoffman says. “Also, it has to be big enough for family, and it needs to be all-wheel-drive equipped. I do have a fourth consideration: I’ve always preferred sedans over SUVS.”
When he was planning to replace the Mazda, he says, he didn’t want a BMW.
“I was concerned about reliability,” he says. “But I’d heard they’d dramatically improved their reliability and went to look at the BMWS. I’d driven a number of different test vehicles, and the BMW had much more of an exhilarating drive, and it hit all my checkpoints.”
How did he feel about the M340i xdrive, equipped with the $8,300 Premium Excellence Package, $600 adaptive M suspension and the $1,450 Tanzanite Blue II metallic paint? All in, the car cost $72,200, not including freight, PDI or other taxes.
“I think the exterior lines are phenomenally striking,” Stoffman says. “It’s a sexy car; with the overall rake, it’s a classic BMW shape. I like the rear-wheel fender flares and the way they tie in. It’s a muscular-looking car.
“I was, however, a little disappointed in the kidney grille and the shape of the headlights. It’s not as classic and it’s gone a little Japanese in the front end for me, but you do get used to it.”
When he got inside the car, Stoffman says, everything fell into place and it didn’t take him long to get comfortable in the power-adjustable and heated driver’s seat. The interior was finished in BMW’S Cognac Vernasca leather, and the Premium Excellence Package adds oak grain open-pore wood trim.
“It was a fully digital dash, and the dials are well laid out and are easy to use,” he says.
“The cockpit is ergonomically made for the driver, and it’s really nice.”
Stoffman says he was thrilled to hear the exhaust note.
“This car is tuned,” he says. “After getting it on the road, I was grinning from ear to ear.
“With the eight-speed transmission, this is a tight machine. The suspension holds the car nicely, the brakes are firm, and it handles like it’s on rails.”
Even when placed in Sport or Sport Plus mode — a setting that stiffens the suspension — the M340i xdrive still felt smooth and luxurious, Stoffman says.
“And the customization of the driving experience is seemingly infinite,” he adds. “The Sport mode now allows for an individualized and customized setting for each dynamic driving input (steering, engine, transmission and suspension). The instrument cluster has multiple digital gauges and panels to enjoy, like a G-force meter, horsepower and torque gauge, or simply the media, which shows images of album covers on your instrument cluster.”
Although the trunk opening was narrow, Stoffman fit his son’s large rolling hockey bag, a youth’s hockey stick, two backpacks and a briefcase into the space. He says the car offers plenty of room for the driver and passengers, front and rear.
“It’s like a high-powered Swiss Army knife,” Stoffman says. “It’s just very capable of doing many different tasks. You could commute daily, you could take it to the track, or you could take it on a night on the town.
“I priced it out, and BMW has added more horsepower and more technology, and it’s the same price as what I paid four years ago for my 435i. I’d definitely recommend the car.”