The Everyday M3

BMW M340i LCI

WHAT IS THE M3401?

The BMW M340i is a performance car meant to bridge the gap between the luxurious 3 Series and the bonkers M3 while trying to offer you a package that's the best of both worlds. Like every BMW, now and then, a mid cycle update is due to freshen things up. Like its more luxury-focused variants, the M340i also gets a few touch-ups here and there to spice things up. The M340i aims to be one of if not the best performance machines you can buy under 1 Crore with little to no competition available in the market.

EXTERIOR

The exterior now features a brand-new bumper and headlamp design, making the M340i appear much more aggressive than before, especially in this stealthy shade of grey. The new DRL design is similar to the one that came before, just turned upside down, which is the new BMW theme. I'm glad BMW stuck to the traditional kidney grille, be it slightly more beefed up and didn't give the M340i the bucktooth treatment it gave the M3 and M4. The additional gloss black bits have made this design seem more menacing, but I see they do somewhat resemble that on their electric models like the i4.

INTERIOR

The most significant change on the inside is a big new curved display and a slightly new centre console layout that removes the programmable physical buttons and even the climate control switches. Even the gearknob is now replaced with an on/ off switch for a vacuum cleaner, which is a tad bit disappointing. I prefer the physical buttons and the ease of use that they came with, but to BMW's credit, the climate control options are always available at the bottom of the screen. However, given the driving nature of this vehicle, I would have preferred buttons that are easier to use and don't have me take my eyes off the road.