The Best Luxury Sedan Is Still a BMW

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Every test group needs a control. That way any divergence from the standard can be detected and examined. For luxury sport sedans, that’s the BMW 3-Series. Ask virtually any car critic at a reputable publication, and they’ll agree. There’s a reason one of every four BMWs sold is a 3-Series—94,527 in North America alone last year.

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BMW’s 2016 340i is a good example of why. The $45,800 sedan has a confident and surefooted suspension balanced by a light-on-its-feet steering and six-speed transmission. (That “i” used to stand for fuel-injected. Now it differentiates between engine and power variants.) Its 3.0-liter turbocharged engine has such a healthy appetite for the road that it resembles a young pup in the middle of a growth spurt—the blooming beast eats everything in sight. And it’s wrapped in a body that looks balanced across its shoulders, masculine across the front kidney grille, and as appropriate for showing up to a business meeting as it is for retrieving a first date. Audi, Cadillac, Mercedes-Benz and, in its own way, Porsche, have been gunning for this top spot for years.
And they’ve produced very good things, including the capable Mercedes C Class—a jewel of a car—the fresh, progressive Audi A4 sedan, and a four-door version of the Cadillac ATS-V that has made massive strides forward for the Detroit brand.

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If and when you do buy the 340i, the six-speed manual is the way to go. (The eight-speed sport automatic comes standard; all-wheel-drive and manual gearbox cost extra.) You’ll find its precise gearbox gets a full 30 mpg on the highway; it’ll hit 60mph in 5.4 seconds. Those figures beat the $38,950 Mercedes C300 (34 mpg; 6.2 seconds) and $45,900 Audi A4 2.0 TFSI (33 mpg; 6.1 seconds) for speed but not efficiency. Pick your poison.

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