[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by buckybadger

Too much electronics in modern cars...
We need more mechanical feel. That's what the kids mean these days.

Years ago (2013), I hopped into my exes '11 135i M-Sport (..that we acquired while still together) after having moved from my third E92 ///M3 to a '14 F30 335i M-Sport. The first thing I noticed was how much I disliked the steering feel/weight relative to the 335i I was driving at the time. Those were the early days of the EPS complaints from the E9X and F3X cars, but a back-to-back comparison favored the newer cars in my eyes.

[Db750]

Some.

(LOL)

[Cortexiphan]

Originally Posted by Germanauto

But I doubt many enthusiasts would pick an M340 over the F82 M4.

Why? If you don’t like jerky city driving, overly stiff damping and bad engine noise you’re not an enthusiast? This is funny coming from people who lose their mind over a grill.

[EXE46]

As an current M340i owner, I don't share the opinion that it's a better car than the M3. Better is too ambiguous a term, M340i has some good traits as does the current M3. However, M3 wins in performance. I for one thinks my RWD M340i should be more hardcore. They gave us the M2's Diff but the car still doesn't drive as hard edge as I would have liked.

M3 is on another level in terms of driving dynamics. M340i is currently one of the best NON M sedans ever made aside from the good ol E46 ZHP and probably the last of a dying era since next gen will most likely be 4 cylinder/electric. Anyhow, it's still no real substitute for an actual M car, more of a compromise.

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by Cortexiphan

Why? If you don’t like jerky city driving, overly stiff damping and bad engine noise you’re not an enthusiast? This is funny coming from people who lose their mind over a grill.

Bad engine noise?! Hmmm, that's an interesting criticism. I can understand the jerky comment for DCT owners, but not us 6MT owners. Lastly, I would have thought the, "too stuff for daily driving," comments started and ended with the E46 M3 (...a wildly held criticism back in 2003-2004). I guess not.

[///M TOWN]

Originally Posted by Io

Are you serious? A BMW without its chrome kidney grill is not a BMW. Only rednecks take the black grill option

Chrome is dead

Get with the program

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by EXE46

As an current M340i owner, I don't share the opinion that it's a better car than the M3. Better is too ambiguous a term, M340i has some good traits as does the current M3. However, M3 wins in performance. I for one thinks my RWD M340i should be more hardcore. They gave us the M2's Diff but the car still doesn't drive as hard edge as I would have liked.

M3 is on another level in terms of driving dynamics. M340i is currently one of the best NON M sedans ever made aside from the good ol E46 ZHP and probably the last of a dying era since next gen will most likely be 4 cylinder/electric. Anyhow, it's still no substitute for an M car.

That E46 ZHP was a hoot back in 2004.

[Cortexiphan]

Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan

Bad engine noise?! Hmmm, that's an interesting criticism. I can understand the jerky comment for DCT owners, but not us 6MT owners. Lastly, I would have thought the, "too stuff for daily driving," comments started and ended with the E46 M3 (...a wildly held criticism back in 2003-2004). I guess not.

Bad engine noise relative to B58 and S58 I must say.
And I don’t think it’s too stiff for daily(unlike X3M which was AWFUL), but M340i is better balanced if you drive in town too. If I was in Texas or something, I wouldn’t mind. In Boston, M340i damping is better.

[Cortexiphan]

Originally Posted by 2011ninja

If you don't understand or feel the difference between an M340 and an M3 you should definitely get the M340.

I have a biddy who says his Hyundai Sonata 2.0 Limited is as appealing as his prior V8 twin turbo X5.

I believe him...

He's the same person that says Fridays makes a steak as good as Peter Luger.

No, I’m pretty sure there are people who understand the difference and still would get M340i, like me. It’s amazing how you guys deem yourselves as enthusiasm experts, and trying to insult others with weird unintelligent jokes and analogies.

Joe Achilles is an enthusiast in my view, and he says m340i is the best BMW, he likes it better than his M5 competition. I guess he doesn’t understand driving as well as you do.

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by Cortexiphan

No, I'm pretty sure there are people who understand the difference and still would get M340i, like me. It's amazing how you guys deem yourselves as enthusiasm experts, and trying to insult others with weird unintelligent jokes and analogies.

Joe Achilles is an enthusiast in my view, and he says he likes M340 better than his M5 competition.

I get your overall point, and I agree, but it's no different than grille haters lambasting those who don't mind the grille and purporting to speak for the buying public at large. Everybody stands on a soapbox of criticism, self-importance and/or self-righteousness at some point.

[440xiGCMSport2]

Front grille still ugly. Rear while nice looking, doesn't say BMW. Good thing it drives like one. now only if they can put it all together.

[m34m]

Why doesn't anybody have the balls to say this thing is huge? It's 8 inches longer than an E90 sedan and 4000lbs!!! I test drove it and couldn't stand it before leaving the parking lot. Add to that the car is soft and it's a big NO. ZF tranny stinks unless it's in auto mode but shifting it is pointless and downshifts are slow and slushy. This car felt like a big old Buick from the past except a really fast one. BMW seems to have the following formula these days: make them big and heavy then engineer the shit out of them to defy physics and do things that vehicles of that proportion and mass shouldn't be able to do. Some people get stuck marvelling at the engineering while I think that formula is flawed and doesn't make for a fun car. I also drove the X3M and had a very similar opinion.

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by m34m

Why doesn't anybody have the balls to say this thing is huge? It's 8 inches longer than an E90 sedan and 4000lbs!!! I test drove it and couldn't stand it before leaving the parking lot. Add to that the car is soft and it's a big NO. ZF tranny stinks unless it's in auto mode but shifting it is pointless and downshifts are slow and slushy. This car felt like a big old Buick from the past except a really fast one. BMW seems to have the following formula these days: make them big and heavy then engineer the shit out of them to defy physics and do things that vehicles of that proportion and mass shouldn't be able to do. Some people get stuck marvelling at the engineering while I think that formula is flawed and doesn't make for a fun car. I also drove the X3M and had a very similar opinion.

The competition is still heavier.

[stein_325i]

Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan

The competition is still heavier.

Surprisingly, according to each manufacturers' websites, the Audi S4 and Merc C43 are both lighter than the M340i x-drive (and even the RWD model too!) by 100+lbs, the G70 3.3T HTRAC I beleive is around the same weight (couldn't find clear specs on that) and the equivalent Model 3 LR/Performance is only 60lbs heavier despite large batteries, although the standard Model 3 is lighter than the RWD 330.

Either way, all the cars are heavy of course this is the cost of modern safety standards, tech equipment, as well as the customers ever growing desire for each generation of a vehicle to become larger and larger.

[bmwmotorrad46]

Those sentences summarize how things are still bad in BMW headquarter :

Too bad the steering doesn’t do the same. At least the M340i ditched the F30’s old steering rack, an electric unit that was slammed as lifeless and dreary. While the new rack feels improved, it’s still not up to BMW’s old standard.


But there’s still little chatter or feedback through the wheel concerning the road’s surface. Old BMW sedans involve you in a conversation between car and road. Here there’s barely a whisper. Most of the information about the road surface bubbles up from the car’s rear end to your backside, not through the wheel.





We, people here - don't buy BMW because it is a luxury vehicle. We buy because it puts a smile on our face every time we drive.

I keep buying BMW but it is no longer "Ultimate Driving Machine" in automotive department, luckily it has the same spirit in BMW Motorrad/Motorcycles!

[bmwmotorrad46]

I hate to say that but Chris Bangle, can you please come back ?

I email him again to see what he thinks.

[Drj161]

Originally Posted by Germanauto

Well you're entitled to your opinion, but you and three others are the only individuals who feel this way.

maybes that's newm3driver's burner? Trying to get people on the m340 bandwagon?

[stein_325i]

Originally Posted by bmwmotorrad46

Those sentences summarize how things are still bad in BMW headquarter :

Too bad the steering doesn’t do the same. At least the M340i ditched the F30’s old steering rack, an electric unit that was slammed as lifeless and dreary. While the new rack feels improved, it’s still not up to BMW’s old standard.


But there’s still little chatter or feedback through the wheel concerning the road’s surface. Old BMW sedans involve you in a conversation between car and road. Here there’s barely a whisper. Most of the information about the road surface bubbles up from the car’s rear end to your backside, not through the wheel.





We, people here - don't buy BMW because it is a luxury vehicle. We buy because it puts a smile on our face every time we drive.

I keep buying BMW but it is no longer "Ultimate Driving Machine" in automotive department, luckily it has the same spirit in BMW Motorrad/Motorcycles!

The new M340 does use the same steering rack as the F30, only the 330 received a new steering rack

[EXE46]

I would say all cars are heavy these days even M cars. We can't live in the past and as great at my E46's were I have no desire to choose that over the M340i today. M340i is great for what it is and competes well in its category. None of the cars it competes against is great in everything.

Drive the X3 M40i and you'll appreciate the M340i. M340i is not that heavy considering it's a 4 door sedan with a huge trunk. The M2C which is a small car still weigh a hefty 3600 pounds. The RWD M340i weighs 3849 lbs, you can't expect it to have M2C weight.

All these cars are a compromise even the actual M cars so one must wager what's best satisfies his or her needs. At least, those of us who can only afford one car to handle multiple functions. If money is no object, get a new C8 and a non M sedan and call it day.

[///M TOWN]

Originally Posted by bmwmotorrad46

I hate to say that but Chris Bangle, can you please come back ?

I email him again to see what he thinks.

Chris would never return to BMW

He is having to much fun being free

BMW couldn't afford him regardless

[clee1982]

Originally Posted by xcusem3

Because the 3 series is now a massive, heavy car and people that owned previous generation 5er's will be able to relate to the size and weight?

Just more about size, when I bought 540 I was less concerned with back seat than trunk space (all the kid junk). Looks like G20 trunk space is pretty close to G30 then all else equal I would definitely prefer a smaller car (and front seat is basically the same)

[4everkidd]

Originally Posted by Cortexiphan

M340i is the best driving BMW I've ever driven. And I had E92 M3 and F82.
This is also why I don't agree with "BMW was better in old days".

M340i is the perfect mix of engine, transmission, performance, comfort, practicality, luxury, tech...
And it will definitely be way more reliable than older models, as BMWs have been getting more and more reliable in the last decade.

My only gripe with it, is the slightly boring design. Although it looks way better than F30, G22 and G11 now made all other BMWs look old and bland. That's why I wish M440i GC was available by December, when my lease ends, since I need 4 doors...

I just spent the weekend within a 340 and although I was impressed it didn't handle or drive nearly as well as my F80.
Power delivery was smoother (and very impressive) but it felt like it was supposed to be that way. At no point did I want to take it to the mountains and push it; I was happy moseying around town running errands. Two very different cars.