[Moonbags]

Originally Posted by GD1981

Wow, did they even polish it?

There are so many spots that definitely didn't get hit with the stage 2 polish.

And they didn't even make an attempt at this rock chip in the hood before they PPF'd right over it. I brought it up twice before they operated. I mean if you can't fix a paint chip, let a guy know so he can bring it to someone who can.

Trying not to get worked up over here...

[bavarianride]

Originally Posted by Moonbags

There are so many spots that definitely didn't get hit with the stage 2 polish.

And they didn't even make an attempt at this rock chip in the hood before they PPF'd right over it. I brought it up twice before they operated. I mean if you can't fix a paint chip, let a guy know so he can bring it to someone who can.

Trying not to get worked up over here...

Yeah if the shop promises paint correction then they should get the job done.

Hopefully the shop stands by its work and gets this fixed.

[GD1981]

Originally Posted by Moonbags

There are so many spots that definitely didn't get hit with the stage 2 polish.

And they didn't even make an attempt at this rock chip in the hood before they PPF'd right over it. I brought it up twice before they operated. I mean if you can't fix a paint chip, let a guy know so he can bring it to someone who can.

Trying not to get worked up over here...

Really sucks to see man. Part of the reason why I ended up just doing it myself - wanted to avoid this scenario.

Hopefully they correct it and give you some kind of credit for your troubles.

[Moonbags]

Photos were promised.

[SteveinArizona]

Originally Posted by Moonbags

I'll just come out and admit I've never owned a BMW before. I've had two A4s, which I loved. My first was a 6-speed 2010, the year after Audi made cool LED headlights a thing (that all the automakers would soon copy). But recently I had some room in my garage and thought to myself, "am I really going to let myself get old without ever owning a 3 series?"

So I got a nice 3 series.

I debated a 2018 F80 M3. Even looked into a few low-milage ones on the undecided-pre-owned market of guys who're still coming to terms with that new grill.

But at the end of the day, thinking objectively, the M340i just seemed like about the perfect car for a petrol-head dad to pretend is a "family sedan."

I've been getting to know her for a few days now and wanted to share some first impressions.

Overall, I would say this is a truly excellent piece of machinery. It's not without its quirks and I wouldn't call it perfect by any stretch. But I am thoroughly in love.

The good

Handling. Power. Looks. The M340 has these in droves. People may complain about the "lack of steering feel" or the nannies controlling the M Sport diff and electronic steering - but coming from Audi's legendary Quattro all-wheel drive (which you pretty much need snow to drift), I had no idea BMWs were capable of this.

I can turn the traction to Sport and huck her into a corner, throw a downshift through the left paddle, bring down the hammer, and leave just enough rubber behind to make you think I actually know how to drive - before Xdrive catches me and sends me on my way. I should probably go easier during break-in...

Also, everything just feels so solid about this vehicle. The leather seats are laminated enough to last years (I hope this turns out to be a plus). The M Sport Suspension begs for G force and then just digs in. The painted bits under the hood that could have been bare metal, the solid thunk of anything that latches. And that B58 engine! And that transmission!

I'll admit that when I got married and had to buy my next A4 in automatic with the tiptronic paddles, I just never had enough of a reason to bother trying to drive the car in manual mode. The M340's manual mode, however, feels properly sorted (for a non DCT).

Analog climate buttons are also a win. I never want to have a car without those.

The Bad

I have no idea how fast I'm going. This thing doesn't even have a tune but it's just so quick, that I'm pretty much guaranteed to get speeding tickets.

The interior is good, not great. The leather seems really heavily treated, seats are stiff, and materials are just a bit low-rent for a car that cost close to $70k. Probably a lot of that is BMW erring on the side of durability, which I can get behind. I do love the color of the cognac leather and the glossy gray wood trim. It's "executive" enough, but something is missing...

Head up display sucks with polarized sunglasses.

And the HK sound system really needs to come with more low end. Maybe a custom sub enclosure in my spare tire area would sort it out. I'm already pricing out Focal drivers and this was an $875 option!

That feature that unlocks the car when you approach it is totally useless if you have a garage attached to your house. Just walking around with my key in my pocket in the garage and the thing is constantly chirping and buzzing at me. Turned that back off.

Overall thoughts

Notice I didn't list steering feel under "the bad." Too many reviews are done by dudes who want to be driving a track car on the road. Yeah you'll get more steering feel out of a hydraulic assist, but at the expense of a car that demands more engagement. I really appreciate the level of engineering that must have gone into a steering system that seems able to read my intentions and change the weighting on the fly. Maybe I'm just lazy, but when I have to put less work in to get a car to do what I want, that means longer drives and more smiles.

Suspension is great for a guy likes me who likes a stiffer ride. But if I could have had the adaptive dampeners and not had to wait months for a pandemic-restricted build, I would have. Considering I own the car though, the standard M Sport sus will be probably more economical to maintain long term.

I think the exhaust is a perfect starting point for this car. It opens the model up to a more respectable sort of driver who can always get the M Sport exhaust if desired.

So yeah, I liked it so much I bought one. Going to do the XPel, ceramic, MPE, and maybe a JB4 if I can be convinced BMW won't find out and void my warranty. Probably will end up with an amp and a 10" sub in back. I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship.

I agree...the Dakota leather is cheap feeling and is probably inferior to
Sensatec. The Nappa, on the other hand, is sublime which is why I ordered the Nappa; I had the Dakota on a previous car.

For the HUD, just get a pair of tinted but not polarized sun glasses. I did that and I like them so much that I use them on the golf course as well instead of my polarized sunglasses.

[TiMSport]

AFAIK it's Vernasca leather, not Dakota. I don't think Dakota is offered for the M340i. Compared to Sensatec, Vernasca is better IMO.

[Moonbags]

It's Vernasca. Nappa was $5k more but not $5k better and would cost months of time and lumbar support.

[TiMSport]

Honestly speaking I really like the Vernasca seats in my car, even if the surface is harder than Nappa leather. I've had Nappa in most of my other cars and it feels nice to the touch, but now I prefer the firmness of the Vernasca. I have a feeling these seats will hold up well over time.

No way would I spend an extra 5 grand for Nappa!

[bavarianride]

Originally Posted by TiMSport

AFAIK it's Vernasca leather, not Dakota. I don't think Dakota is offered for the M340i. Compared to Sensatec, Vernasca is better IMO.

Is Vernasca similar to Dakota with a synthetic top coat?

I think Nappa has no top coat, while Vernasca has a clear coat or something, and Dakota has a synthetic top coat.

My previous F30 has Dakota, which does not absorb leather conditioner.

The other(previous) E39 has Montana that does drink leather conditioner(lots of work to clean and maintain), but softer than Dakota.

[Moonbags]

Originally Posted by bavarianride

Is Vernasca similar to Dakota with a synthetic top coat?

I think Nappa has no top coat, while Vernasca has a clear coat or something, and Dakota has a synthetic top coat.

My previous F30 has Dakota, which does not absorb leather conditioner.

The other(previous) E39 has Montana that does drink leather conditioner(lots of work to clean and maintain), but softer than Dakota.

I think vernasca sits between Dakota and Nappa on the coating-vs-suppleness scale. I'm now starting to think it may be a perfect balance, not as stiff as super synthetic stuff, but requiring little care. I'll have to try some Lexol out and see if it absorbs it.

[TiMSport]

Originally Posted by Moonbags

I think vernasca sits between Dakota and Nappa on the coating-vs-suppleness scale. I'm now starting to think it may be a perfect balance, not as stiff as super synthetic stuff, but requiring little care. I'll have to try some Lexol out and see if it absorbs it.

You may be right, though I don't have personal experience with Dakota. Having said that, I really like the looks of the Vernasca in black with blue stitching. I also like the firmness of this leather, it's just right for me. I found that Sensatec is actually quite a bit softer and in my eyes, looks cheaper. It was certainly comfortable but there was something lacking. Seats didn't have the additional stitch work either.

[bavarianride]

Originally Posted by TiMSport

You may be right, though I don't have personal experience with Dakota. Having said that, I really like the looks of the Vernasca in black with blue stitching. I also like the firmness of this leather, it's just right for me. I found that Sensatec is actually quite a bit softer and in my eyes, looks cheaper. It was certainly comfortable but there was something lacking. Seats didn't have the additional stitch work either.

Yes sensatec is softer and looks cheaper than real leather offerings at a cost savings.

The sensatec softness is similar to sitting on foam, and is supposedly not as breathable as real leather.

Nonetheless current 330i with white color + factory tinted side glasses + double pane windshield + sensatec appears to be cooler than previous F30 328i with jet black + clear glass + dakota.

[M340i Pride]

Originally Posted by TruthOne

Man when you catch this car in the right gear it flys. lol. There was a TRD Camry trying to not let me over on the on ramp I dropped it into 2nd and my god man . The car is fast. Not quick but fast.

TRD camry?? lol thats like a freshman in HS trying to run with a College track star! Shouldn't even be in the same sentence

[TiMSport]

Originally Posted by M340i Pride

TRD camry?? lol thats like a freshman in HS trying to run with a College track star! Shouldn't even be in the same sentence

It's like that mosquito you just have to swat every now and then.

[leon360x]

Originally Posted by Moonbags

Photos were promised.

This is superb, so they fixed those imperfections?

[TruthOne]

Originally Posted by M340i Pride

TRD camry?? lol thats like a freshman in HS trying to run with a College track star! Shouldn't even be in the same sentence

Maybe he wanted to see how fast his car is lol. Even half throttle they can't keep up smh

[Moonbags]

Originally Posted by leon360x

This is superb, so they fixed those imperfections?

I heard from the shop manager today that he or the owner will go over every panel with me on Monday and get the work right. So that's a relief.

[Moonbags]

Why bother tuning an M340? Last night my on-ramp lane slowed to a halt 'cause some minivan was creeping into a Chick-fil-a and blocked the Audi in front of me.

So I hit the sport button, drop the hammer and shoot out onto the next lane as the Audi takes off from behind the kid carrier. M-Performance pipes roaring, I turn in hard to the curved ramp, tap the TC button at apex to let the rear tires out a little and bam, the Audi is a dot in the mirror.

Tuning this car is just getting nerdy.

[M340i Pride]

Originally Posted by TiMSport

It's like that mosquito you just have to swat every now and then.

Love that analogy!

[M340i Pride]

Originally Posted by TruthOne

Maybe he wanted to see how fast his car is lol. Even half throttle they can't keep up smh

Some people just can't gauge their own.... abilities lol