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2019+ BMW 3 AND 4-SERIES FORUMS (G2x Generation) General G20 Sedan / G22 Coupe / G26 Gran Coupe Discussions Drove an M340i at BMW M Town Tour last night

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      06-30-2019, 02:34 AM   #45
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Originally Posted by SBM1206 View Post
I've driven a red M340 today on the M-Town event today.
Got mixed feelings.
I owned 2018 340 xDrive M Sport with adaptive suspension for 6 months last year which I mostly liked except for the steering which I hated.
Currently I drive 2016 535 xDrive base model which I hate except for the steering which is kind of OK.

Yes M340 feels a little bit bigger than 2018 340, but coming from F10 it did not feel large to me, rather small instead.

I liked the engine power but not the sound. It was too noisy to my taste in all modes, including the comfort mode.

Normally I do not want to hear a car's engine unless I do want to hear it and I only want to hear the engine when playing with something like a Mustang on a highway.
In this M340 you hear the engine all the time even when just following a 4 cylinder Camry.

There also was too much wind noise coming from the drivers window. It actually was so bad that I suspect that something was wrong with the car.

The car was a fully loaded M340 with a track pack.

I did not like the suspension much either. Very firm wheels/tires and somewhat soft suspension in comfort mode. In sport/sport+ mode the suspension was nicely firm but 19 wheels made the ride choppy and too firm to my taste.

The steering was firm, heavy and weird just like 2017 340 with M Performance pack I once drove.

Overall the car reminded me that 2017 340 with M performance pack. That car I somewhat liked but disqualified it as a family car.

My lease ends before the end of this year and I am still not decided between M340 and 540 MSport. If BMW would put 382hp engine into 540, I probably would get a 540. Now I do not know but leaning towards 540

Maybe I am just too old for this car. I am over 40 with a wife and a 7 year old kid. My family does not object speed (I routinely get to 120mph in the big kahuna 535) but they not going to accept much noise of any kind.
Thanks for your review. It seems like you want the bit of extra refinement that the 540i offers. If you want that, I wouldn't allow the few hp difference persuade me. In reality most of us only use a fraction of the available power during daily driving. I do enjoy the extra oomph that the a powerful 6 cylinder (or larger) gives on acceleration, but the 540i will give you that too. Even the modern bmw turbo 4 pots, mated to the ZF8, are fairly brisk in daily driving.

You could also consider a lightly used 550i or m550i. Then you get the 450+ hp v8. The only thing to watch for is the reliability of the turbo v8. I've heard some mixed reviews on the reliability of those motors, but they might have sorted it out better in more recent models. It's worth looking into, though, if you want the power to weight ratio of the m340i (or better) in the body of a 5 series.
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      07-01-2019, 06:15 PM   #46
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Originally Posted by F30ZHP View Post
I'm surprised no one has mentioned the jackass who wrecked the M2 Competition that I wanted to drive. I was upset!!
I attended a M town tour event today in the Los Angeles area. There was an M2 there. I mentioned that I had read one was crashed earlier in the month. I was told that one did not crash, and that it had to be taken out of service for a few hours one day.

I drove both the M2 and the 340i. For local streets/freeway driving, I preferred the 340i.
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      07-01-2019, 06:28 PM   #47
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Originally Posted by F30ZHP View Post
I'm surprised no one has mentioned the jackass who wrecked the M2 Competition that I wanted to drive. I was upset!!
I attended a M town tour event today in the Los Angeles area. There was an M2 there. I mentioned that I had read one was crashed earlier in the month. I was told that one did not crash, and that it had to be taken out of service for a few hours one day.

I drove both the M2 and the 340i. For local streets/freeway driving, I preferred the 340i.
Yes the M2c crashed. They replaced it with a non competition so looks like that's what you drove. No S55 older model.
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      07-02-2019, 03:21 PM   #48
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Yes the M2c crashed. They replaced it with a non competition so looks like that's what you drove. No S55 older model.
The M2 I drove was a bronze color. I am not sure if it was a M2c, but the worker said she has been at all the Southern California events, and no M2 crashed. Did you actually see the crashed vehicle?
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      07-02-2019, 04:33 PM   #49
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cruiserchuck View Post
The M2 I drove was a bronze color. I am not sure if it was a M2c, but the worker said she has been at all the Southern California events, and no M2 crashed. Did you actually see the crashed vehicle?
I saw the crashed one...It was blue.
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      08-08-2019, 05:34 PM   #50
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Yes the M2c crashed. They replaced it with a non competition so looks like that's what you drove. No S55 older model.
I went to the event today and they have a sunset orange M2 Competition with New Jersey (BMW NA) plates. So if the old M2C crashed they definitely got a new one out, and not a plain M2.
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      08-08-2019, 05:46 PM   #51
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Quote:
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bimmer456 View Post
Yes the M2c crashed. They replaced it with a non competition so looks like that's what you drove. No S55 older model.
I went to the event today and they have a sunset orange M2 Competition with New Jersey (BMW NA) plates. So if the old M2C crashed they definitely got a new one out, and not a plain M2.
Yes they replaced it at the one I attended as well same car as you had. I posted about it in the CA local forum.

M Tour today at New Century BMW https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1637809

There was food at ours as well!
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      08-08-2019, 05:56 PM   #52
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Quote:
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bimmer456 View Post
Yes the M2c crashed. They replaced it with a non competition so looks like that's what you drove. No S55 older model.
I went to the event today and they have a sunset orange M2 Competition with New Jersey (BMW NA) plates. So if the old M2C crashed they definitely got a new one out, and not a plain M2.
In Baltimore yesterday we had a Long Beach Blue Metallic M2 Competition fitted with M Performance parts and accessories.

Definitely the best BMW on sale today!
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      08-09-2019, 11:59 AM   #53
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I drove the bronze M2C or whatever the color that was called. I asked the guy with white shirt about someone crashed M2C he denied it and said never heard of it.
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      08-09-2019, 03:24 PM   #54
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I went to the M-Town Tour on Tuesday, drove every car. The staff were awesome and even though I only had a reservation for 2 cars (waitlisted for the rest), they got me into every single car.

I've never driven a real M car before this. I can definitely tell the difference though! My favorite was definitely the M2 Competition. Its too bad they don't have a 4-door version of the car. I would have considered leasing an M3 this go-around but of course there isn't one available right now!

The M5 competition was awesome as well - if I could afford one, I'd definitely lease one, but it is way out of my price range The engine/exhaust on that car sounds amazing and I hit some red lights and got to launch the car up to 60 -- (no launch control since you need to be in RWD mode to do that and it disables DSC) - holy crap it is fast!

M850i sounded great but I didn't really push it since someone was in the car with me. I didn't really like the X3M like I thought I would. The power delivery is really smooth - but it meant the car didn't feel fast. The engine / exhaust didn't sound that great either, I actually think the M340i sounded better.

This M340i that I drove was different than the M340i I test drove back in May. Not sure if the recall that lowered the power has anything to do with it? The torque delivery felt more like my 2017 340i, which pushes you back into the seat more than the M340i I test drove in May. The exhaust also had more pops and crackles and overall was louder than the M340i I test drove in May (maybe the exhaust needs some time to break in?).
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      08-09-2019, 10:08 PM   #55
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I drove a M340i recently and I concur with the OP that it felt huge; I was afraid to whip it because of its boat-like feel around turns.

Cornering steering response was quick but it had a significant amount of body roll. Certainly not M-like handling but it was comfortable and extremely fast, around town.

A absolutely perfect daily driver but it ain't no sports car.

My favorite feature was the remote start and fact that they brought back a lot of options they had previously eliminated like the SYNC button for the HVAC, auto-folding mirrors on locking, remote-control windows up, Euro parking lights and proximity locking/unlocking key fob, wiper-blade installed windshield spray, ect.

I appreciated it for what it is but it certainly isn't worth 60k IMO.

Side note; BMW added a lot of features standard but cost-cutting still reared it's ugly head, as only the driver's side mirror has electrochromic dimming.

Real sneaky BMW..
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