[wgb113]

After 20 years and six Subies between the wife and I, I’m looking to move to a BMW. Currently considering:

• M340i xDrive
• M440i Grand Coupe xDrive
• i4 xDrive 40

I love the grip AWD gives you and it comes in handy during icy/snowy winters here in PA.

One dilemma is my dealer doesn’t have any of the above available to test drive so I’ll be testing a 330i and i4 eDrive to get a sense for cabin size and handling dynamics. Unfortunately the M440i GC xD is currently at the top of my list so other than getting a sense for how the cabin compares to a 330 I’d kind of be ordering blind.

Considering Tanzanite Blue (wife got it on her ‘22 X3) but also like San Remo Green and Sunset Orange though those latter two would like have lower trade-in values down the road. From an interior standpoint I’m considering either the Mocha or Oyster leather, though I’d like to see the latter in person first. Regardless, any of them will be a nice change from the 50 shades of Gray that make up my ‘18 WRX.

A couple of questions when it comes to options (pertaining to the M440i) as I’m hoping building at a dealer is a little more flexible than the online configuration tool.

1. It seems the only way to get Red brake calipers is with the shadow line package - I remember being able to option Blue or Red on the wife’s X3.
2. The Cooling and High Performance Tire package seems to lock you into the 861M style wheels - is it possible to get those tires on any other wheel style?
3. Is the drive recorder a substitute for a dashcam in the event of a fender bender?
4. Is it worth it to get both the ventilated and F&R heated seats packages?
5. Are the laser lights that big of an improvement over the standard LEDs? I’ve read mixed reviews here from US owners based on our NHTSA laws.
6. Depending on the answer to #2 - is anyone running winter tires part of the year?

These forums have been a wealth of knowledge so I decided to register before going for some test drives next Saturday.

Bill

[EnlightenedOne]

I just picked up my M340i xDrive... I can't speak to many of your questions, but for the drive recorder, as far as I can tell it is a very basic substitute for a dash cam. It uses the car's cameras to save footage from immediately before and after an accident is detected. You can set the number of seconds before and after, with a maximum of 20 each, so 40 seconds total with the accident in the middle. You can also trigger the recording manually by pressing a button in the car and it will use the same before/after times for your manually triggered event.

So... seems like it is at least better than nothing, but it won't provide any camera footage from when the car is parked or from any other time unless you manually trigger the 40 second recording.

I'm currently researching the best way to add a true dash cam to the car for parking mode recording. I wish there was a way to utilize the car's built-in cameras for that as I've had a few Teslas and the multiple cameras while parked comes in handy since you get the side views as well.

[Cammy440iGC]

If you order the shadowline you MUST get red calipers. Cant get the blue. That is why I did NOT get the shadowline. I ordered Portimao blue and wanted matching calipers...not red.

Same thing with the high performance tire package...that's the wheel you get. Can't change. So less customization.