M340d Wagon Heading to Geneva with 516 lb/ft of Torque
New range of 3 Series includes impressive turbo-diesel M340d sedan and wagon, though the hot 3s are sadly not for U.S. buyers.
It’s a situation that occurs with frustrating regularity for U.S. enthusiasts. A European automaker designs and manufactures a cool, fast station wagon… and then decides not to offer it to U.S. buyers. Chalk it up to a lack of interest in station wagons by American consumers. It’s really too bad. Performance station wagons look cool and are usually a blast to drive. Add those qualities to their inherent usability and performance wagons are a winning formula. Apparently just not in the U.S. Whether it’s a BMW, an Audi or a Porsche station wagon the small sales numbers just don’t justify these niche models being sold over here. Of course, that hasn’t stopped some enthusiasts from taking the matter into their own hands and importing classic station wagons.
Such is the case once again with the new BMW M340d. Motor Trend is reporting that BMW is bringing several new 3 Series models to the annual Geneva International Motor Show in Switzerland being held from March 5 to March 15. One of them is the impressive new M340d station wagon. That’s right. It’s a diesel-powered 3 Series that’s been fitted for more performance by the crafty minds over at BMW’s Motorsport division. Which makes it all that much more of a bummer that we’ll never see one of these beasts over here.
“That’s not to say they’re not worth knowing about, though, and arguably the most lustworthy of the pack is the M340d,” says Motor Trend. The lucky buyers that will be able to get behind the wheel of the M340d will definitely not be disappointed in the performance department. The M340d’s all-wheel-drive chassis is powered by a 3.0-liter inline-six turbo-diesel engine that pumps out 340 horsepower. But of far more importance is the 516 lb/ft of stump-pulling torque that the turbo-diesel pumps out. That’s enough oomph to propel the M340d sedan to 62-mph in a sizzling 4.6 seconds. The wagon takes a smidge longer at 4.8 seconds. But that’s still an impressive number. The turbo-diesel M-models also get an occasional power boost from a 48-volt, 11 horsepower starter-generator.
BMW will also be showing off the new 330e plug-in gasoline-electric hybrid (PHEV) model at the Geneva show. The 330e sedan and wagon are powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that works in concert with an electric motor for a grand total of 252 horsepower. “However, an XtraBoost function within the vehicles’ Sport mode allows the powertrain to add 40 hp to the mix for up to 10 seconds, resulting in a temporary total of 292 peak ponies,” reports Motor Trend. The transmission is an eight-speed automatic, which helps the 330e get to 62 mph in 6.1 seconds. Like the M340d wagon, the 330e wagon won’t be sold in America. However, we will be getting the 330e sedan. That PHEV model is mechanically identical to its station wagon counterpart.
Photos: BMW