Reply With QuoteI have no experience with the 340i but if you don't need 4 doors, have you considered the 240i? It is quite hard to get at the moment, not sure if that also applies to the 340i.
Evening all, I’m considering changing my daily from a 2015 BMW 530D msport to an 2022 BMW M340i xdrive.
Does anyone have any real world experience of using the M340i as a daily, mixture of motorway and A road driving. Family have grown up and flown the nest so just me and the better half and I’m looking for something with a little bit of petrol oomph before it’s too late.
I’m really interested to hear views from fellow TZers both good and bad to help me make my decision.
Alternatively any thoughts going from the 530D to the M340i again good or bad.
Over to you guys.
Edited to add I need 4/5 doors for work
Last edited by Cat7; 3rd September 2022 at 20:26.
I have no experience with the 340i but if you don't need 4 doors, have you considered the 240i? It is quite hard to get at the moment, not sure if that also applies to the 340i.
Thanks Mondie I’ve literally just edited to say I need the 4 or 5 doors for work
Hey mate, I’ve had the lower powered 5 series of that generation and was one of the most capable long distance cars I’ve had. If you can get the 340ix than I’d be biting that hand off without hesitation.
Only driven on a test drive, but it’s a great engine, the tech is great and as you say, limited opportunities in the future to drive these sorts of cars.
Yes diesel is more economical usually, but when I’ve sold / moved from a diesel to a petrol car with decent power, I’ve never once wished for the vibration at idle, lacking revs, noise or fun feeling.
Petrol all the way & just do it my friend.
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Not the 340 but I have a 320 (G21) the car is lovely, well appointed and great to drive (my wife doesn’t like it, says it’s too smooth). I did toy with the new 5 series, just a little large for me but has better interior finish.
I can regularly get over 40mpg on general use, 340 a little more thirsty but what an engine (the one I wanted).
Hi Matt thanks for reply. I can relate to everything you’ve said. I’ve had the 5 series for 5 years now and it’s been faultless in 50k miles but I just find myself wanting a little excitement and tech, which was my original reason for looking and the 340ix provides the extra that I’m looking for.
The new 3 series is also a similar size to the older 5 series although the boot is considerably smaller in the 3 but that’s not a problem for me.
Like you I’ve only had several test drives which really impressed me and as you say, the engine and tech is impressive and I’m really keen to hear from anyone who has lived with one of these as an every day car to get their views, and thoughts on costs etc
Hope you’re well Matt, the UX is still going strong.
Cheers Monkeyboy, yes the new 3 series is a nice place to be. I’ve never driven a car with head up display before, that was impressive.
Slightly off but I was torn between the 435 XD diesel and the 440 XD petrol.
I was only eventually sold by the slightly better MPG and the mid range acceleration of th3 diesel variant.
Both engines are amazing .
Chattin* with the salesmen (I know ) was interesting as they were also split with preferences.
I have the 5 door M140i with the same drivetrain & it's a superb set up - even with RWD only.
My mileage is >90% motorway to & from London - so ~220 miles a week from Glos & on that run I get ~37mpg.
...which I find incredible for 340bhp & 0-60 sub 5s ( the 8 speed auto has a long 8th ratio for cruising around 70 mph at ~1700rpm )
I've toyed with the idea of getting something more sensible* - but I cannot think of anything that would bring more smiles.
...for the 10% of the time I get a chance to use its abilities.
z
*I was looking at the 540i XDrive - which seems to be cheaper / more readily available than the equivalent 340i.
Last edited by zelig; 3rd September 2022 at 22:13.
Thanks, I’ve driven diesel BMW and Audi diesels for 15 years now and have always been impressed with the blend of performance and economy. I just fancy a change and a last flutter with a decent petrol engined saloon or estate.Originally Posted by thegoat
In that case , you know you need the RS6/RS4 .
Thanks for reply really useful as it’s almost the same drivetrain. The performance and economy is what drew me to the 340i. I couldn’t justify the extra cost of the M3 / M5 and don’t need that level of performance although it would be nice, maybe one day. It must be quite a handful in the wet if it’s rear wheel drive, lots of fun.
Do you know if the M sport differential is a mechanical limited slip differential, the salesperson didn’t know, so I need to research this.
No idea about the diff - mine doesn't have it, but this link seems to give a decent overview
URL : https://www.bmw-m.com/en/topics/maga...ferential.html
z
Brilliant, thanks for the link, really appreciate it
Not quite the same but I went from a 330d xdrive to a 440i Gran Coupe fitted with the MPPSK (M Performance Power & Sound Kit which gives it the full sports exhaust and bumps the power to around 360bhp).
For me the petrol is so much nicer from a driving and sound point of view. I always found the boot a little awkward on the 3 series, having the full opening lid on the 4 is far more practical.
From a mpg point of view around town is low 20’s, mixed is around 30 and we got 42 on 400+ mile motorway runs this summer.
If you can live with the smaller size of the 3 series I don’t think you’d have any complaints about the B58 engine.
I don't think the M sport diff is a limited slip, I think its more a case of the car using its brakes to control rear wheel slip which isnt an issue on the M Xdrives, the M "Performance" differential is a conventional LSD and available as an option its about £2k iirc for the 140 and 240 and likely the same part on other models
The M Active diff is a different thing AFAIK as its a conventional plated rear diff which electronic control its fitted to the M-Power cars rather than the M lites
Its confusing for a reason :)
The B58/S58 is the best straight 6 cyl engine on the market today and the zf8 is the best gearbox, coupled with xdrive would make a great daily
I had the same engine and XDrive in a 540i. Amazing car, and an amazing engine. In the heavier 5-series and with more urban driving than motorway I averaged 26mpg. I could see mid-30’s without trying if I was on a longer cruise, so I would imagine the lighter and smaller 3-series would be better.
The combination of the engine and XDrive was amazing. Any gear, any weather, any road, just smooth instant acceleration. An absolute joy.
Servicing and maintenance costs were fairly hefty as you’d expect. Insurance was very reasonable. Tax was horrible.
I’d love to try the 340i XDrive Estate. I can’t imagine a better all-rounder.
I test drove the M340i and it’s an absolute weapon. Noticeably quicker than an M140. The only thing that put me off was there were quiet a few creaks and rattles which seem to be common in the modern BMWs
I have had loads of BMWs over the last few years, so has my wife. I currently have a 2019 530d Xdrive with the carbon inlay from the M5, huge spec. It’s an M5 inside but doesn’t go anything like one. Great car but It isn’t like a petrol engine, the B58 from the M40i cars is epic and the M5 V8 gives me eargasms. I am a bit of a geek for specs on BMW engines.
The B57 in the 530d is single turbo and makes 286bhp. They don't sell the twin or quad turbo 540d or 550d in the uk but you can buy them imported. The 550d goes very well! All of them sound like a diesel, all of them make big torque but feel breathless at the top of the rev range. All do good mpg. The current 5 series is the G30 or G31 estate, build quality is poor compared to the older F series and rattles and squeaks are more common, overall material quality is lower with more plastic hidden and less premium surfaces. The most annoying part being the clicks/ticks from the plastics, even if you just sit still. This also stands true in the wife’s G20 330i. Press on any surface and it sounds like they have hidden empty crisp packets behind them. The doors don’t sound as solid when you close them either. Invasion of the bean counter!
The M40i range of cars have the B58 engine. This engine is simply incredible and replaced the N55 of previously il6 ‘domestic’ BMWs. They started with the B58 and updated it with the B58TU in the Toyota supra and later LCI cars, it lost a little low end and seems to be worse on mpg but still sings. The TU gets a one piece head and exhaust manifold for better packaging, heat management and flow, a higher pressure fuel pump and number plus internal changes. It has had a few tweaks as cars and years come and go.
So performance and economy.
My wife has a 9 mile commute in rush hour traffic, in her M140 (B58) she was getting 19-21mpg standard, when we remapped it stage 1 it was doing 24-26mpg. On a long of run 80 miles each way in light to moderate traffic sticking bellow 75mph 50mpg was common (45mpg before the remap). The car ended up with a TU fuel pump, high flow sports cat, MPE and hybrid turbo, this made 525bhp and 710nm and trust be it moves along. It was doing about the same fuel economy as it made at stage 1. LSD was a must too. The new owner is still in love with it.
She moved onto a 340i Xdrive as a company loan car for 6 weeks, it was less fun but got off the line like the clappers, you could feel the ZF 8 speed limiting torque and slipping the clutch’s the same as it does in all Xdrive cars tho, a gear box remap simple transforms this!! Economy was about 2mpg worse than the standard M140. We didn’t get to remap etc it wasn’t a private car.
For the last 6 months she has had a G20 330i rwd with standard LSD. It has MHT and you barely feel it working, she can’t feel it at all but I can, it is very subtle. The 48v crank shaft starter motor is 11kw and makes stop start extremely brisk in action as well as filling in with the petrol engine when required. Economy is good. For her commute it did around 32/35mpg and 50mpg on long runs bellow 75mph. When we fitted a bluespark tuning box it went up about 12%. The extra power isn’t massive but noticeable, the box will pay for its self in months due to the ecconomy improvements, you can’t afford not to fit one or remap. We will not be doing further modifications to it.
My 530d Xdrive is about the same as my wife’s 330i where economy is concerned. Both did broadly the same sort of MPG without tuning, both about the same with tuning, if anything the B57 diesel improved slightly more than her B48 petrol. When I fitted the blu spark box, my fuel economy went up close to 20%, the extra torque feels huge. Top end power is better too but not as much as the extra torque.
I have a weekend use 2020 M2 comp and the engine is the S55, this is an N55 with internal changes, a different cylinder head and twin turbos. It isn’t as smooth as the B58 and fuel economy is far worse. 431bhp standard so I haven’t done anything to tune it, I don’t do enough miles to save on fuel by tuning. It sounds beautiful, no better than a B58 but more agricultural. The rolling response is instant with the 7 speed dual clutch box and twin turbo set up but the box is clunky and clumsy in traffic next to the XF 8 speed boxes.
Later cars like the 2022 M4 have the S58 engine, and as you may have worked out this is a B58 with S head, turbos etc. this engine is the pinnacle of BMW il6 development. I have no idea about economy I haven’t owned one but reports are B58esque with S level power and free revving top end performance.
If tuning is your thing the early S55 isn’t bad but the B58 is far easier to get up to 600bhp. Later S55s are much better. The S58 is too new but looking at standard numbers and the stage 1 results I expect it will be incredible.
I understand many people won’t want to tune a car but I hope my experience of standard and remapped or tuning box enhanced performance will help you make an informed decision based on real world experiences. For me I can’t recommend a stage 1 remap or blue spark box enough, just for economy!
The B58 and S58 differ significantly, fwiw I average 26mpg out of my M4
If you map the car you can no longer use the cars on board display to calculate the mpg you can only use a fill to fill comparison, lots of people get a far better mpg displayed after a remap only to be very disappointed when working it out themselves
One more thing. The G20 suspension is entirely intolerable. So hard I can’t see how anyone would want it on British roads. The only answer is either get M sport suspension delete as a dealer option, or dynamic dampers as a dealer option. My wife has Dynamic and it is night and day better, softer and more compliant in comfort, hard and horrible in sport. Cars just keep getting harder on the roads, I don’t see the obsession my self, it doesn’t even equate to better or faster handling on anything apart from a billiard table flat surface, it’s just fashion.
We drove a 330i without dynamic and I was appalled. I suggested she tried a car with dynamic dampers and the dealer rubbished the suggestion because he didn’t have one in stock, said it would feel the same. We booked a test drive at another dealer in 2 cars, one with and one without. It was like getting off a toboggan and into a car as we moved from fixed to dynamic dampening. I would not own one with standard dampening!
You can re calibrate the mpg calculation very easily. I get 750 miles per tank of fuel now and used to get just over 600. That’s a clear improvement that needs no calculations.
The S58 is entirely B58 derived only better in execution. Different internals, different head, different turbos but it came from the B58. If you research BMWs engine codes you can decode their history and derivation quite easily. The long codes are extremely descriptive. It is one hell of an engine!
Last edited by Mrbarry; 4th September 2022 at 15:38.
I’m fully aware of the difference between the b and S engines but would love to hear how it’s easy to recalibrate the on board fuel computer
You can recalibrate it via esys etc, or even Bimmercode in expert mode but the latter has down sides and is a HUGE faff. Both manipulate the info from the DME so the dash reads correctly, the ‘correct’ method is to change the info in the DME computer when remapping, ultimately the end result is the same however.
You can also change the technology in action meters to read the new power and torque values.
As for engines, I will also concede that whilst the S58 was born out of the B58 it bares almost no resemblance. It’s a bit like saying the M3 is derived from a 316d, it effectively is but it’s tenuous at best.
Probably not terribly helpful, but…..I test drove an M340i and loved it. The only thing that stopped me buying one was the price. I had an M135 and the 3 series was completely different level in terms of performance and completeness. If the money isn’t a consideration than I’d crack on!
I have the 330i MSport 4 door so G20 I think. Although it’s not got the same engine as the 340, I absolutely love it and it’s very quick, handles brilliantly and is genuinely a lovely place to be.
I have the Technology Pack, which includes the HUD and Apple CarPlay, both operate very smoothly. The HK sound system is excellent too. It’s also a lot of fun in Sport mode with the paddles etc.
Hope this helps your decision
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Sorry, mine isn’t Xdrive as it’s RWD but still handles very positively
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Thanks everyone for your thoughts and opinions. It seems a popular choice in the various guises mentioned and I’ve got plenty more to think about now.
I’ve found a couple of examples that I’m considering both with tech and comfort packs and shadow line plus with minimum 2 yrs warranty and I’m currently trying to conclude respective negotiations, including the best trade in price for my 530D which has been a joy to own and drive, albeit a slightly boring one.
The tech in the 340i is impressive the dash is a work of art with all the information it clearly presents, but I do wonder what would happen further down the line if that dash was to malfunction, but I’m probably just overthinking it.
Insurance is the next hurdle which I’m jumping on tomorrow.
Keep those thoughts and opinions including driving / running / maintenance / insurance and servicing costs coming thanks all.
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