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      08-15-2019, 09:00 AM   #104
stein_325i
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cammy340i View Post
My 2016 340i X-Drive lease is up in September and test driving: M340i x-Drive, C43, G70 3.3 T AWD, S4 Prestige/ Black Optics:

Love the C43...however--hate the shifter on the steering column!! Its where the windshield wiper should be!! Also, for the refresh they should have at least made the infotainment screen a touch screen! It is in the G70 at 15K less. The refresh--great on the exterior...did not nearly go far enough on the interior given the A220.

G70...I'm sorry but to me the interior...with no digital instrument cluster...seemed already outdated. Also, the materials...leather on the seats...not sure how they will hold up. Seemed less robust than the Germans. Exhaust sound...non existent. Good steering. But the trunk is too small just 10 cubic feet. I lug a college kid back and forth...his laundry alone would not fit.

S4...my car before my 340i X Drive was a B8 S4. A great car!! DSG, supercharged engine that sounded great. Great curb appeal...the car was imposing yet civilized. The new S4 is a Huge step back. I thought I was driving an A4. It also looked like an A4. In fact the A4 now has more badging. The A4 sline at least has an S line badge on the front fenders. The S4 has been stripped of its V6 T badges and is now just blank...no V6 T, no Supercharge, no Turbo badge (like C43).

M340i. This just does it right. Its an improvement over my current 340i...unlike the step back Audi took from B8 to B9. Better engine, exhaust, and cabin materials than the G70 (but the G70 is a bargain...so you should expect that). The real competitor is the C43. That is a great car. If the darn shifter were ot on the steering column and the re-fresh had done more with the cabin tech...C43.That would be the winner...they did not.

So M340i X Drive.
I'm surprised you found the column shifter to be a deal-breaker for you. I honestly find it intuitive to use (same operation as any other shifter), frees up center console space, and overall easy to adapt to, especially since column mounted shifters are nothing new in cars... but to each their own, congrats on your next purchase, have fun!
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