BMW M340d Touring doesn't deliver as expected in the moose test

The 3 Series family remains one of BMW’s core product lines, which continues to generate huge profits for the Bavarian company. The compact premium model was refreshed in May last year, when the LCI (Life Cycle Impulse) brought a new LED light signature, redesigned bumpers, a completely reshaped dashboard inside the cabin, and a standard eight-speed automatic transmission. Not much changed underneath the skin, though the 3er was already a very solid all-rounder even before the refresh.

The team over at km77.com decided to see how fast the facelifted 3 Series Touring can perform in the moose test. The M340d has a 3.0-litre diesel engine under the bonnet. This isn’t a slow car with its 335 bhp (250 kilowatts) and 516 pound-feet (700 Newton-metres) of torque, which are enough for a 0 to 62 miles per hour (0-100 kilometres per hour) sprint in just 4.6 seconds. Not bad for a diesel family hauler, right?

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But how good this vehicle is in the famous moose test? Honestly, we were expecting a little more from the compact Bavarian estate. We are not saying that 44 miles per hour (71 kilometres per hour) is a bad result, but after driving so many new BMWs, we know these cars can be very nimble. Even in Sport mode, the fast estate doesn't deliver a higher speed, despite its subtle acting electronic stability system, large tyres, and direct steering.

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If the M340d isn’t your cup of tea, there’s always the more powerful Alpina-branded version available with a stiffer suspension. It was also facelifted last year and received a more powerful 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline-six compression ignition engine. After the update, the mill generates 488 bhp (364 kW) and 538 lb-ft (730 Nm), or 32 bhp (24 kW) and 22 lb-ft (30 Nm) more than the pre-facelift version. No changes to the transmission were introduced. In estate form, the Alpina D3 S sprints to 62 mph (100 kph) in 3.7 seconds and reaches a top speed of 188 mph (302 kph), making it notably quicker than the factory BMW model.