10-01-2020, 04:50 PM | #1 |
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Greetings everyone. Hope you are having a great day...
First of all, I am BACK to BMW after quite some time. Last BMW I had was 2007 335i (That I absolutely LOVED) bought CPO in 2010. So... ten years! I've had accords/corvette/Kia stinger in between and I am finally back. I want to first say that I am a melted liquid to my M340i. I truly love it. Best daily driver, period. Performance of super sedan and the practicality and a comfort of everyday car. Really well calibrated to be the best of both worlds. Can be tracked and do very well at track. I am ecstatic to get the M340i. So this is kind of a introduction / comparison. I was in a wonderful car just until now, which is the Stinger GT2. I had it for about 31 months. If it weren't for the M340i, I would NEVER have gotten out of the Stinger. It was so good. So sweet to drive daily and it was great in so many ways. I was getting looks everywhere. It was unique, , very quick, fast, great handling and wonderful ride quality. True GT car. I bought the Stinger over the F30 340i in early 2018. At the time, I test drove both, back to back and Kia felt quicker, interior better or just as good, more roomy, more cargo, definitely looked better. AND it was about 11K cheaper (50k msrp for the loaded GT2 vs. 61k for a well optioned 340i) So it was no brainer. I truly enjoyed the Stinger even until last week (lol), daily commute was always sweet and i looked forward to weekends when we went out for a longer drives. Went to Vegas few weeks ago and it was even sweeter. Gobs of EASY power, great handling, knowing i am faster than probably 95% of people out there made it only better. I was 100% content with my Stinger. Would have kept it for another 5 years easy... BUT Here was the problem... One of my family member has a 2019 540i. And oh man what a creamy smooth, awesome family sedan. I drove it at least once a month when we got together. On paper, Stinger was a tad (like .2 sec) quicker. But whenever I drove the 540i, the INTANGIBLES got to me. Kia has done a great job, but in reality it still is just a BIT less tout and honed in like the BMW. Isn't a huge difference. But it is there. See, BMW has done it for a long time and there is a reason why they are the king of driving dynamics in their price range. The difference wasn't huge, as like I said the Stinger was an awesome car itself, but that small difference was glaringly getting bigger in my mind each time I drove the 540i. And I longed for that HIGHER driver satisfaction. That 5%. And in 2019, I started to hear about this M340i. How this is wayyyy better than the f30 series. So this made me think: "If a bigger, heavier 540i drives better than the Stinger, how much MORE would that M340i be??" So I test drove it. And that was IT. I shouldn't have lol It was UNBELIEBABLY better in EVERY AREA in terms of driving dynamics. Faster, quicker, more explosive, more planted, higher limit on all performance aspects. If the 540i felt 5% better, the M340i felt like 15-20%(!) better!! And for it to be that much better against a car that is already a high performance car of the year (in some magazines and places) was just simply, amazing. I was blown away. So when I got that call from my fleet manager and he gave me an 58k car / 3 years 12k / 595 a month (tax included) with no down.... I had to take it! I just got it this week and its been a blissful few days. I can't wait to drive it to work / drive back home. I am especially looking forward to this weekend, i am going to have much fun driving around. So those who has the M340i, I am happy to finally join you! You bought the best car for the money, period. I used to say that for the Stinger (50k and less) and it still holds true. But for what BMW is able to lease away these cars, the M340i is the NEXT LEVEL up. Its like a real good college running back (Stinger GT2) against a NFL star (M340i). Difference on paper isn't so big, but that small amount of performance difference is truly difficult to gain and sets them apart. And if there are ones like me who was looking outside in, DO IT! You won't regret it. This much speed and quickness, this much handling should bound to make just about anyone pretty happy with this car. Unless you have a 911 Turbo for a daily. But then you will have to spend an additional 150K to get it. thank you for reading the above rambling. Everyone enjoy that M340i, and be safe out there on the roads. Last edited by M340i Pride; 10-01-2020 at 04:55 PM.. |
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10-01-2020, 05:18 PM | #2 |
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Thanks for the great write up and comparison to the Stinger. Like you, I just returned to BMW after unloading my e92 335i a couple of years ago. In between, I had a Genesis G70. Same basic platform as the Stinger. Unlike you, I had the 2.0T 4 cylinder which was, well, not a great engine and drivetrain. Everything about the car was good -- some things great -- but few of its attributes (if any) exceeded what the G20 offers.
No doubt, Hyundai/Kia/Genesis have made remarkable progress over the last handful of years. A long while back, my mother bought a Hyundai Sonata. It was probably during the "cash for clunkers" program at the outset of the recession. We made fun of her to no end for buying a . . . ahem, Hyundai. Now, no one has any reason to feel ashamed driving those vehicles. (Although, truth be told, it would be a little difficult having a big KIA logo announcing your arrival everywhere.) There are far too many brand snobs who will never give those brands a chance, but my Genesis was a good car. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if it was one of the factors causing BMW to up its game with the 3 series. The F30 -- as you pointed out -- just wasn't a convincing choice for me back when the G70s came out and Audi refreshed the S4/S5 (which I also really like). Cheers, and post some pics if you can! |
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10-01-2020, 05:30 PM | #3 | |
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Agree that people need to give them a chance. I was blown away when I first drove the Stinger. I remember thinking how in the earth is it possible for a Kia to out do a F30 340i..! Well, BMW sure did the right thing and developed the G20 real quick. Or I wouldn't have returned to BMW just yet lol As soon as i take some good pics, ill load it up. Thank you. |
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10-01-2020, 08:26 PM | #4 |
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KIA has come a long way... But they have much further to go before beating the Germans.
This review just cements what longtime BMW drivers already know. Well-done
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10-01-2020, 08:37 PM | #5 |
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Welcome! Yes Kia has gone a long way, and their cars including the Stinger are genuinely very good. Numbers can only go so far though, it truly is driving dynamics that matters.
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10-01-2020, 11:00 PM | #6 |
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Welcome back to BMW, congrats on your M340i, enjoy it in good health. The Kia Stinger is a great car but the M340i is the better car in driving dynamics and with the updated tech. Not to mention the glorious B58 i6 masterpiece!
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10-01-2020, 11:13 PM | #7 |
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Welcome back and thanks for the interesting read. I actually test drove the Genesis G70 3.3T for 4 days and loved every minute of it. I was convinced I was going to buy it until I test drove the M340i. I think it took me a whole umm let's see....5 minutes to realise it was a significantly better car. Genesis had an amazing offer on the table and the M340i was roughly $30K (Australian dollars) more expensive. The fact I bought the M340i says something about it!
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10-02-2020, 02:54 AM | #8 |
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I definitely agree. BMW really did their homework on this new G platform. They came in swinging knowing the other brands are slowly catching up, so they needed to remind them who's on top of the game. Enjoy!
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10-02-2020, 04:49 AM | #9 |
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Great review M340i Pride. Loved reading it. Would be interested in how you compare the 340i with the 5 series you were driving.
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10-02-2020, 06:20 AM | #10 |
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Excellent write-up and comparison. I think the Stinger is a beautiful car and was on my short list of replacements for my 2018 Accord Sport 1.5T. That, along with the Genesis G70 and M340i, of course.
Ended up going with the M340i because I truly love the brand and thought it was the perfect daily driver. Can't wait to take delivery of the car. But, yes, time to provide photos of both cars. Please and thanks!!
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10-02-2020, 08:37 AM | #11 |
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Great write-up, welcome back to the dark side!
A question about your Stinger - did you buy or lease it? If you bought it, what did you end up paying out-the-door and what was trade-in value? The Stinger and G70 have always seemed like a solid value, I'm just curious about the cost to own. Thanks! |
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10-02-2020, 09:24 AM | #12 |
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Welcome back, I just came back to BMW as well after a 1.5 year stint with Jaguar. I also agree that KIA/Genesis has come a long way and the Stinger is a fantastic vehicle but what is really holding the brand back in this price range is the delivery/service experience at Dealerships. They are working on it but if you are selling $50K+ the customer experience is a real thing for buyers. Also, the Telluride SUV an unbelievably good vehicle.
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10-02-2020, 09:47 AM | #13 |
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KIA/Genesis has gotten this good only because their cars have BMW/Audi's DNA. They poached former BMW M boss as well as engineers from Audi. The Former M boss is the man behind the genesis/ stinger and the new hyundai hot hatch. Therefore one should not be surprise that they're finally making good driver's car.
PS. Congrats OP, i too test drove the 3.3T G70 last year and after testing the G20, decision was made to go with the bimmer. Back then I had a Lexus 3IS since I too had left BMW after F30 debuted and bought my very first Toyota.
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10-02-2020, 01:26 PM | #14 |
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Yes... the little things were starting to take its toll on me. I guess my age (over 45)adds to the wanting of that refinement as well. And it wasn't about 0-60 anymore, though it is nice. M340i was better in every measurement. Only thing that kia still was better would be the cargo room with its hatch design. Kia did knock it out of park on total package as well. Best 50k car.
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10-02-2020, 01:27 PM | #15 |
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Truly. And im very happy now, though it was toughto sell it and let go. Stinger is even more attractive outside than the m340i in my opinion
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10-02-2020, 01:37 PM | #17 | |
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10-02-2020, 01:43 PM | #19 |
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Ah good question! 540i is great. Not as sharp nor fast as the m340i, but share the same zoned in feel. Slightly bigger but not by much, as i was pleasantly surprised to see how roomy 3 series got. Easy speed, awesome gt car but still carved slightly better than my stinger. That drove me nuts because then how good would a newer, lighter, faster, m part infused m340i would be?? M340i is exceeding my expectations right now, every day.
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10-02-2020, 01:47 PM | #20 | |
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10-02-2020, 01:59 PM | #21 | |
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I did not go with private sales, and if i did i think I could do 34k easy. But didn't want to go through too much trouble of dealing with unknown. Besides i had to sell it quick. I got little bit over 30k. But i only owed 23.5 because i was slightly overpaying it. No complaints. So yes, if one wants to buy, stinger is king of 50k and under. It also has 10/100000 warranty so it is a car you get to keep for a long time. Bmw, as much i love them, are still better leased. Shorter warranty. Though i think that is changing. Reliability is going up on bmw. |
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10-02-2020, 02:02 PM | #22 | |
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