2020 BMW M340i debuts with 382 hp and M Sport upgrades

This is the 2020 BMW M340i sedan, the most powerful 3 Series ever offered (so long as you consider its long line of M3 models as separate from the rest of the line). Available with rear- and all-wheel drive, the M340i takes after other mild M Sport variants by featuring specific features and tuning from BMW's M Performance division without being a full-fledged M car such as the M3.

Under the M340i's hood sits a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six cylinder engine producing 382 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. BMW estimates the M340i xDrive sedan can do 0–60 in 4.2 seconds, which is 0.4 seconds quicker than the current 320-hp non-M 340i xDrive sedan. An eight-speed automatic transmission with wheel-mounted shift paddles features Launch Control and Intelligent programming that will alter shift points using data gleaned from the standard navigation system. As we already knew (boo!), no manual transmission will be offered.

M Sport bits and pieces include an electronically locking rear differential that comes standard on both rear- and all-wheel-drive M340i models, and upgraded brakes with four-piston calipers at the front and single-piston at the rear. New optional suspension bits feature continuously variable damping all around and a compression limiting system at the rear that BMW says will improve ride and handling. And, like all new 3 Series models, they boast perfect 50:50 weight distribution, wider tracks front and rear, a chassis that is 25-percent stiffer than the last generation, and a body that's up to 121 pounds lighter.

We'll see the 2020 M340i sedan at the upcoming LA Auto Show, and it will hit dealerships in July 2019.