Fast Facts: CKD BMW M340i Launched – First M Performance Model in Malaysia

BMW is never averse to criticism when it comes to the styling of their cars. The E60 5-Series and the pre-facelift E68 7-Series have sharply divided opinions at their time of launching. The only BMW 3-Series is the only core series that played it safe, until now. 

In September 2020, the 6th generation BMW M3 made headlines with its controversial oversized kidney grille. If you can’t stomach the looks, you might want to check out BMW Malaysia’s latest offering, the BMW M340i xDrive. 

While it’s not the top dog, it's only 0.2 seconds slower to 100km/h, which is not that significant in the real world - and it comes with better-proportioned looks and price tag. 

What’s Outside?

To set it apart from its siblings, the M340i xDrive comes with a distinctive Shadowline kidney grille flanked by a pair of Laser Lights, which has a more ‘complete’ design for its DRL compared to the single bar DRL seen in the 320i, 330i and 330e. Other exterior highlights include: 

• BMW Laser Light with high beam assist

• 19-inch style 792 M Light alloy wheels with run flat tyres

• 4-pot front and single pot rear M Sport brakes

• Adaptive M Sport suspension lowered by 10mm

• M rear spoiler

• hands-free powered tailgate

What’s Inside? Like the 330i M Sport, the interior of the M340i comes with Vernasca leather upholstery, 12.3-inch BMW Live Cockpit instrument cluster display, 10.25-inch touchscreen display, M leather steering, M pedals and M floor mats. Exclusive interior fitments to the variant are:

• 16-speaker Harman Kardon sound system

• Sunroof

• Head up display

How Fast? A turbocharged straight-six engine propels this 1,745kg sedan to 100km/h from standstill in just 4.4 seconds. Which means it’s only 0.2 seconds slower to the century than the new buck-teethed M3. While beauty is definitely in the eyes of the beholder, the writer of this article is entirely happy to trade a bit of horsepower for more palatable looks.

• Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged straight-six

• Transmission: 8-speed Steptronic automatic

• Drivetrain: All-wheel Drive with M Sport differential

• Horsepower: 387 hp

• Torque: 500 Nm

• 0 to 100 km/h: 4.4 seconds

• Top Speed: 250 km/h

How Safe? In terms of safety, the M340i xDrive has an identical list of safety equipment as the 330i, though having blind spot monitoring system wouldn’t go amiss for a car of such asking price. The M340i comes standard with: 

• Forward collision warning with brake intervention

• Rear collision warning

• Rear cross traffic alert

• Lane change warning

• Lane departure warning with steering intervention

• Parking assistant

How Much? To drive home the M340i xDrive, BMW Malaysia is asking for RM402,354.12 exclusive of insurance but inclusive of sales tax exemption which is effective till 31 December 2020. As with all new BMW vehicles sold in Malaysia it comes with a 5-year unlimited mileage warranty with free scheduled service. Buyers may also opt for the Balloon Financing Plan which starts from RM4,468/month based on a 20% downpayment on a 5-year tenure.