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Germany’s Big Three Barnstormers vs Others
Fresh from its unveiling at the Paris Show, BMW’s latest G20-generation M340i looks to reassert Munich’s position as the driver’s choice in its class. In recent years that dominance has waned a little, but with a wider track, a lower centre of gravity, a chassis that’s 50 percent stiffer than before and a trick e-diff, the latest Three looks to be back and firing.
We’ve yet to get behind the wheel of the M340i xDrive range topper, but we’ve seen a few numbers and, well, we’ll leave it to you to decide if the car can punch its weight when faced with the Audi S4, the Mercedes-AMG C43 and a welter of other tasty rivals. So, without wishing to prejudice your decision in any way, here are the facts.
| Power (kW) | Torque (Nm) | 0-100km/h | Drive | Trans | Price | |
| Alfa Romeo Giulia Veloce | 206 | 400 | 5.7 | RWD | A8 | $71,985 |
| Audi S4 | 260 | 500 | 4.7 | AWD | A8 | $99,611 |
| BMW M340i xDrive | 275 | 500 | 4.4 | AWD | A8 | $tba |
| Infiniti Q50 Red Sport | 298 | 475 | 4.9 | RWD | A7 | $74,990 |
| Jaguar XE S | 280 | 450 | 5.0 | RWD | A8 | $92,700 |
| Kia Stinger GT | 272 | 510 | 4.9 | RWD | A8 | $59,990 |
| Mercedes-AMG C43 | 270 | 520 | 4.7 | AWD | A9 | $106,211 |
| VW Arteon 206 TSI | 206 | 350 | 5.4 | AWD | S6 | $65,490 |
By Andy Enright, 27 Nov 2018 Features