BMW 3-Series fighter. It's the one phrase that every automaker's marketing department can't wait to use when they release a new sport sedan. Anytime a new Audi, Mercedes, Lexus, Infiniti, Cadillac, and more are released, the target is the BMW without fail.

And until 2012, that was a valid target. But the latest generation of 3-Series, the F30, missed the mark. It was nearly the size of the previous 5-Series, the steering—a calling card of 3-Series' past—went from benchmark to also ran. It got heavier, went turbocharged, and wasn't the car that everyone remembered as the sport sedan benchmark.

Of course, this brings up a tangential argument that BMW purists always shout about how the BMW that came before was better than the one now. And in five years BMW fans will shout about how the F30 was leagues better than its replacement and the newest car isn't "a real BMW."

But that's an argument for another time.

And even though BMW sells the 3-Series by the boat full and didn't need to make any changes, the new car has a number of detail tweaks that are meant to address the concerns people had about BMW's "small" sedan.

The 3er didn't get smaller with this refresh, and you'd be hard pressed to notice what's actually different about the design. The headlights and taillights are lightly reprofiled, but it'd take a real 3-Series anorak to tell you all the changes.

BMW

One that is more noticeable is the badge on the back, which now says 340i instead of 335i. No, this isn't a BMW powered by Jeep's 4.0 liter straight-six, it's a new 3.0 liter turbo with more power, which means it needs a new number. The engine now has 320 horsepower and 330 lb-ft of torque, but that torque is available for basically the entire rev range.

Power delivery is eerily smooth. If there's one thing BMW does well with the new generation of turbo engines, it's mitigate turbo lag. It's barely noticeable here. Combine that with the nearly telepathic ZF eight speed auto, and the BMW is perfect for a long haul trip on the highway.

BMW

But that's not what you care about. The pre-refresh F30 was perfect on the highway too. The real question is how it handles back roads.

Thankfully, it's bounds better than the last car. Revised suspension geometry and the electric power steering make the 340i come alive where the last model was numb and removed. No, it's not perfect, but it's accurate and precise, like the dosage of novocaine has been reduced to a level that'll let you feel some pain, but not all of it.

BMW

Combine the handling improvements with this new engine, and the 340i is distinctly more fun on a back road than its predecessor. It's tossable and has great power at every point in the rev range. And this is without the track handling pack, which we've heard is a must check option.

There was only one issue with the 340i xDrive that we tested, and that was the price. What used to be BMW's bread and butter sedan was as close as makes no difference to $60,000.

$60,000! That's a sizable chunk of change. It used to be the price for a well equipped 5-Series. Even optioned more the way we'd want it with rear-wheel drive, the M Sport package, manual gearbox, and track handling pack, the 340i is nearly $57,000. A 328i with the same options is $10,000 less and probably no less fun to drive. That might be a better option for those that want a 3-Series but don't want to spend all their money on one.

BMW

But the 340i is once again a BMW that feels like we want a BMW to feel. It's more fun than the car it replaces and is better than every other car in the class. And, once again, it's the car that every other automaker has to fight.

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