BMW M340i xdrive Touring
A rare longer journey allows the M340i to show its many strengths
‘The B58 straight-six harks back to BMW’S past sixes in its smoothness across its rev range’
WHAT WAS ONCE SO SECOND NATURE that it didn’t raise an eyebrow or register a flicker of concern on one’s mind has now become an adventure laced with trepidation. Leaving the house at dawn for a 450-mile round (essential) trip now feels like a sortie behind enemy lines, and never have I been more grateful for the M340i’s HMS battleship grey paintwork and black wheels to sneak under the radar.
Pre-dawn winter mornings also make you grateful for a few of the luxuries that have crept into modern cars over the last decade. In the Touring this means the heated seat and steering wheel activating once the temperature drops below a pre-set level, which is one less thing to fiddle with when trying to make a quick and quiet exit while the neighbours snooze. And yes, I know electric cars can do all kinds of pre-heating and silent running but it took less than 10 minutes to refuel the 340i after 330 miles into this trip…
Anyway, this was one of those days behind the wheel that the Touring was made for and excels at. It wasn’t going to be a thrilling thrash through Kielder Forest or a jaunt around Snowdonia, rather it took in every kind of British road, from bylane to motorway, and not once was I distracted by what the car was doing. Not because it’s anodyne and plain, but because its design and purpose are perfectly suited to such a role. Agile enough to not feel ponderous and a liability on small, tighter roads; responsive when required to make progress on flowing, open routes; relaxed and refined on monotonous motorways.
Key to this is the 340i’s powertrain. The B58 straight-six harks back to BMW’S sixes of the past in its smoothness across its rev range and how it builds its performance without the need to scream and shout about it. In today’s turbocharged world it’s one of the best you’ll find in a volume car. It lacks the raucous nature of the Alfa Giulia’s V6 and the reach of Porsche’s flat-six, yet for a motor that’s designed to operate in everything from a small saloon to a behemoth of an SUV it’s an impressive result. And so well suited to its eight-speed auto for 90 per cent of everything you need the car to do that I’m almost glad BMW doesn’t offer a manual option, because the deliberation over which to choose would finish me off – something the M340i doesn’t do to you after 450 miles and nearly nine hours in its driver’s seat.
Stuart Gallagher (@stuartg917)
Date acquired October 2020 Total mileage 7068 Mileage this month 350 Costs this month £0 mpg this month 34.8