[Fuller]

Originally Posted by mcjohnsonsg

Agreed. Their review is good but confuses me. When you boil it down, they just liked the exhaust note and stiffness of the suspension, which makes it feel aggressive. That is not the same as sporty to me. You don't need a loud exhaust or an really stiff suspension to have a sporty car. And then they state that the M340 would be more fun on a track. Track driving is a lot different to driving on the road, but if a car is fun on a track it is probably a good indication that it is set-up in a "sporty" manner.

As other people have said, we probably shouldn't over-analyze their conclusions, which are entirely personal to the reviewers. We should make our own judgement and buy the car that fits our needs/preferences. In my case, that is the M340 xdrive.

I don't generally have much interest in MB, but I think this review points to one reason why bmw is slipping in the eyes of driving enthusiasts. They're making good and sensible, but generally conservative (read boring) cars. If they're going to go the way of MB, and expand the M line up to fill the niche between the normal daily drivers like the 3 series, and track-ready sports sedans like the m3, why not go all the way.

I'm not saying I agree with expanding, and diluting the M brand, but they've decided to go in that direction, so go with it. Why not imbibe the m340i with a little more "M" instead of making it feel like a powerful 3 series? Why not make the selectable drive modes actually change the character of the car more? Instead they used a conservative approach and designed it to appeal to everyone from recent college grads to grandmothers. What you then end up with is a well rounded, sensible car with performance chops that's still a bit boring. Bmw is making cars that people buy after compiling a list of pros and cons, vs cars that draw you into dealerships out of curiosity and excitement.

As much as I've never really got into MB, the c43 amg (as well as cls53, among a few other models) makes me want to schedule a test drive and if it lived up to expectations, I'd be more likely to make an emotional purchase. I'd leave the dealership excited. The m340i, while a great car, is more like the car your wife talks you into getting due to its comfort and fuel efficiency - and then further talks you down into the 330i (because who needs 382 hp anyway), and then you're stuck with a 4-pot snooze fest for 3 years or whatever.

Thinking back to when I started paying attention to bmw, the e46 m3 was not sensible for the time. Neither was the e60 m5 with its high strung v10 engine. The e90 m3 didn't seem like a left brain decision either with its screaming v8. These days, even the M cars seem sort of like "M-by the numbers". They tick all the right boxes, perform well on the track, and they're plenty exciting, but somehow they don't exactly pull you into the dealership out of sheer curiosity and excitement.

That's the general gist of how I see it. We get a modern bimmer because it's a nice car that checks the right boxes, but it's not necessarily the car that we're day dreaming about. Is that enough to place them at #1 and keep them there? Maybe, but there's still an enthusiast community out there who don't always make left-sided brain purchases when it comes to cars (even daily drivers).