The BMW M340i xDrive Touring gives reasons to keep loving sporty family cars

The new BMW M340i xDrive Touring offers almost the same performance as the saloon version but with greater load capacity

Following the presentation and launch of the BMW M340i xDrive saloon, enthusiasts of BMW with estate bodywork were eager for the arrival of the variant closest to what we would understand as the estate version of the BMW M3.

It is true that, with 370 CV, the BMW M340i xDrive Touring even surpasses benchmarks such as the earlier BMW M3 models predating the E90 generation and its E92 and E93 variants, and that, while still retaining the 6-cylinder TwinPower Turbo engine, it can be considered the most powerful 3 Series Touring ever produced by M, with the exception of the BMW M3 E46 prototype and, allowing for the differences, the Alpina B3 Touring.

Be that as it may, this BMW M340i xDrive Touring comes with a family body whose dimensions are 4713 millimetres long, 1827 wide and 1440 mm high, which gives it a wheelbase of 2,851 mm and an extended load capacity with 500 litres of boot volume, compared with the saloon’s 480, and up to 1,510 when the rear seats are folded, without giving up the high performance that a model passing through the M department’s hands must offer.

A very racing estate

Thus, returning to the mechanical section, the aforementioned 2,998 cubic centimetre block, 6 in-line cylinders, relies on a TwinPower Turbo system that produces 374 CV at 5,500 rpm and 500 Nm of torque from just 1,850 rpm to move a car that weighs 1,845 kg unladen.

This means 75 more than the saloon and, even so, it sets a sprint from standstill to 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds, just one tenth more than the BMW M340i xDrive saloon.

This motive power is paired with an 8-speed Steptronic automatic gearbox that sends its output to all four wheels via xDrive traction and which, thanks to M’s contribution, is fitted with an M Sport differential that completely transforms the car’s dynamics.

Likewise, in this section, the suspension setup is also different from the rest of the BMW 3 Series Touring and it fits an M Sport damper and spring set, and as an option it can be equipped with Adaptive M adaptive suspension control.

Like everything that moves and accelerates quickly, it has an M Sport braking system suited to the situation, where the front calipers feature brand-new four-piston callipers clamping generous ventilated brake discs.

Even so, the mechanical layout of this powerful car does not qualify it for the group of family cars with an ECO or ZERO label, nor do its more modest homologated consumption figures (9.7-9.2 in urban cycle; 6.3-5.9 on extra-urban roads and 7.6-7.2 combined), but it undoubtedly establishes it as one of the best estates for driving fun.