Test Drive: 2016 BMW 340i

Published 12:00 am Friday, June 17, 2016

BMW practically invented the concept of the sport sedan, the family car that’s seriously fun to drive. Today, many manufacturers offer upscale four door cars with powerful engines, available manual transmissions, sport tuned suspensions and other performance goodies. But those made by BMW are stilll among the best.

A good example is the 2016 BMW 340i, which is classified as a compact but has as much interior room as some midsize cars. The standard engine is an all-new turbocharged 3.0-liter inline straight six that produces 320 horsepower and 330 pound-feet of torque.

Our test car was equipped with a smooth shifting six-speed manual transmission and the M Sport package, which added18-inch wheels, an aero body kit, unique trim elements, an M steering wheel and a sport-tuned suspension. The combination made the 340i as fun as easy to drive as a smaller sport coupe. Whether pulling quickly away from a red light or weaving along twisting roads, it’s easy to forget friends and family members can easily access the roomy back seats, especially when set in Sport mode.

The 340i performed flawlessly on a weekend trip from Portland to Southern Oregon, with plenty of power for steep mountain freeway climbs just a downshift or two away. And set in Comfort mode, the ride was so supple that four-plus hours on the road was not overly taxing.

The exterior style includes a fastback roofline that gives it a “four door coupe” look. The corporate double oval grill on our test car was aggressive looking, aided by small spoilers under each one. The overall appearance said anything but “family car,” although that is what it is.

The interior was pure BMW, which means function prevails over form to create a very business-like design set off by high quality materials. An easy to use console-mounted dial controls the iDrive electronic interface on the 6.5-inch display screen, allowing drivers to quickly switch from navigation to entertainment and other other functions without having to find and operate buttons on opposite sides of the dash.

BMW fans know the 340i is part of the 3-series that includes both sedans and wagons that can be ordered with a range of engines and xDrive all-wheel-drive (standard on the wagon, and not included on our test car). All received styling and suspension tweaks for 2016 to keep them competitive. Option package allow all of them to be loaded up with the most advanced automotive technologies on the planet, including side- and top-view cameras, blind-spot monitoring, a lane departure warning system, and a frontal collision warning system with automatic braking.

The luxury compact sport sedan market has heated up in recent years, with viable offerings from Audi, Cadillac, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz and others all worth considering. But its hard to beat the variations from the company that popularized the idea in the first place.

2016 BMW 340i

Base price: $45,600

Price as tested: $60,220

Type: Compact sport sedan

Engine: Turbocharged 3.0-liter inline 6 (320 hp, 330 lbs-ft)

Transmissions: 6-speed manual (as tested); 8-speed automatic

EPA estimated mileage: 23/30

Overall length: 182.4 to 182.5 inches

Curb weight: 3,555 pounds

Final assembly: Munich, Germany