The BMW Group organized a major test drive event in the United States with members of the press and has now decided to publish new images of the cars that were on location. Finished in Melbourne Red Metallic, this M340i was part of the fleet and was arguably the prettiest of the lot that also included the X1 M Sport, M4 CSL, and i7, along with the MINI JCW and Cooper Multitone. The most valuable car of the pack was undoubtedly the Rolls-Royce Phantom Series II.
This M Performance 3 Series is an xDrive model with the Shadowline upgrade as denoted by the black kidney grille and the heavily tinted headlights. It’s shown here with optional 19-inch M wheels with a two-tone finish and anniversary emblems. Available for all M Sport and M cars produced in 2022, these 50 years of M roundels are also noticeable at the front and rear.
For the interior, BMW USA went with the black Vernasca leather featuring blue contrast stitching, representing a $1,500 option. The dashboard and center console got Aluminum Rhombicle Anthracite trim we’d have over the typical glossy black since the shiny surface is a fingerprint nightmare and prone to scratches.
Equipped with optional adaptive LED headlights, this M340i xDrive illustrates what is believed to be one of the two Life Cycle Impulses that BMW has planned for the current-generation 3 Series. The second LCI is rumored to arrive around 2025 with styling tweaks bringing the sports sedan in line with the i3 arriving in three years’ time on the Neue Klasse platform. If reports are to be believed, the G20 will remain on sale until later in 2027 when it’ll be replaced by another CLAR-based model with combustion engines allegedly carrying the G50 codename.
Meanwhile, the current 3 Series is sticking with four- and six-cylinder engines, and in some parts of the world, you can still have an M340d with an inline-six diesel and a choice between a sedan or a wagon.
Source: BMW USA
