BMW 3 Series M340i xDrive 2022 first drive

Overall, the interior is the biggest upgrade. The frameless, curved screen really does also add a very classy touch to a set-up that remains one of the best in the class, thanks to excellent layout, ergonomics, perceived quality and materials. Nothing has changed in terms of packaging and space for this facelift, so you can get two adults in the back comfortably and the 480-litre boot will be fine for family use if you’re not fussed about a hatch opening.

The 3 Series remains much the same mechanically, too. The diesel options are now down to the 320d (with rear or four-wheel-drive) and the M340d with its lovely 3.0-litre straight six. The 330d is no longer, which is a great shame in our books.

The petrols run from the four-cylinder 320i and 330i up to the plug-in hybrid BMW 330e, which uses the same 2.0-litre four-pot plus an electric motor and a 12kWh battery to deliver an electriconly range of up to 39 miles. All variants get ZF’s Steptronic eight-speed torque-converter automatic gearbox. There’s no manual option.

Prices start at just under £38,000 for the 320i and up to more than £54,000 for the range-topping M340i xDrive that we’re testing. That means 369bhp and 369lb ft from the peachy turbo six delivering a 0-62mph sprint of 4.4sec. For a bit of yardstickery, that’s compared with 336bhp and 4.6sec for the (diesel) Audi S4 or 444bhp and 3.2sec in the (electric) Tesla Model 3 Performance.

More important than the numbers game is that the M340i, while clearly a way short of the full frothing lunatic that is the M3, looks to be a proper M car in the ways that matter. Over and above standard 3 Series variants, it gets M-specific tuning for all of the important bits, including the suspension and its adaptive dampers, the rear-mounted electronic differential lock, the gearbox software and the launch control. The xDrive four-wheel drive system also gets more of a rearward bias, so on paper there’s some proper M magic to look forward to.

And of course it doesn’t disappoint. Our test route around Regensburg took in a variety of rapid autobahn sections through to small villages and flowing rural roads, which did a brilliant job of showing the breadth of talents that this car has.

This is really where the 3 Series has always excelled, almost regardless of which variant you pick. The 320d Tourer estate that we also spent time in was also as ruthlessly brilliant as ever. Yet arguably the M340i saloon is the best of them at balancing superb touring sophistication with proper enthusiast’s handling.

Even in standard Personal mode (‘Normal’ was clearly deemed far too self-explanatory), the car feels taut and responsive. The steering is light but tactile enough to feel reasonably engaging and communicative, even on faster bits, and it’s only in properly spirited driving that the heavier response in Sport mode becomes a little more confidence-inspiring.

There’s a delightful cheekiness to the set-up of the xDrive system. It gives you a safe yet fun little squirm of oversteer if you accelerate hard out of a tight corner, but it generally does an excellent job of delivering unflappable security without compromising the fluid, alert cornering style that has always set the 3 Series apart.