[vattyboy]

New BMW M340i is launched at 69.20 lakh.

0 to 100- 4.4 sec
Power- 374 hp

[SR-71]

The update is live on their site now. Gets a hike of 30K compared to the Jahre edition : 68.9L -> 69.2L

[Neelavi]

The new front design is quite sharp and the aggressive look complements the nature of the beast. The alloys also look great. Only downsides I guess are the lack of physical buttons for basic functions like climate control and the replacement of the gear shift with a tiny toggle!

Tempted to book one but have one key concern. How does the ground clearance of the 340i compare with the 5 series? Have a steep ramp and a 5 series would scrape every time. My superb scrapes occasionally when loaded too.

[84.monsoon]

A few interesting differences between the 2021 pre-LCI and the 2023 LCI:

1. Quoted fuel efficiency has increased from 11.86 to 13.02 kpl - probably thanks to the mild-hybrid tech. This is significant as it increases the range by another 70 km.
2. The car makes 374 hp at 5500 rpm versus pre-LCI, which made 387 hp at a higher 5800 rpm before. The difference may again be because the additional 10 hp provided by the mild hybrid tech, may not be showing up at high rpms. The car is just as fast as before achieving 0-100 in a quoted 4.4 seconds
3. Peak torque is the same (500 NM) but comes in at slightly higher 1900 rpm versus 1850 before.
4. Comparing spec sheets, M-Sport exhaust is new. Not sure if it was always there and was just not mentioned in the previous spec sheet.
5. Laser light is gone, we just get adaptive LED headlamps. Apparently this has been dropped globally due to regulations in many countries on account of road safety for oncoming vehicles.
6. M seat belts are also gone (at least in the spec sheet)
7. Biggest change is of course the massive dual display with 12.3 inch instrument display and the humongous nearly 15 inch infotainment display! BMW OS 8.0 seems very advanced.
8. M rear spoiler is new. This and all the other black trim in the front and back, that cover a larger area, will look better on the Dravit Grey on a sunny day than the Tanzanite blue, as the blue is very dark.
9. One of the most irritating missing features in earlier M340i (and all G20 pre-LCIs) - the absence of comfort access - is fixed!! Now you don’t have to fish for your key in your backpack every time you need to unlock the car and the M340i is now on par with the Maruti Ignis in this regard To be fair, it is smarter as you can also use the BMW Connected package to do so with your smartphone
10. The Connexted package seems to be a boon. The intelligent parking with reverse assist feature seems useful. If you enter a narrow gully and want to reverse out (has happened to me one too many times!), at the touch of a button, it will remember your last 50 m steering input and exactly reverse that to the cm!
11. Gets carbon fibre interior trim instead of the aluminium finishes
12. Gesture control seems to be gone. It was built into the previous infotainment screen and this feature may not be part of the new curved display design. It was very gimmicky anyway and I never used it in my G30 530i
13. Co2 emissions reduced from 200 g/km to 182 g/km - that is a significant near 10% reduction!
14. I wish they had provided better seat Color and material choices instead of just the Alacantera/Sensatec combo. No changes there.
15. The new 791M style alloys (first pic below) look better IMO than the earlier 790M (second pic) - more classic M-Sport looks
16. Lastly, have to complement BMW for keeping price increase to a minimum (just 30K) as compared to the M-Jahre edition but still it is up significantly from 62.9 lakhs ex-showroom at the M340i’s first launch in March 2021 to 69.2 lakhs now. But if you consider general inflation of around 7% per year, and even higher for tech components and sub-systems, this is not too bad and has to be expected.

[karan561]

Here's a pic from the launch event;



Engine will now have an output of 374 hp but retains the 0-100 km/h time of 4.4 Secs. hence still the fastest car Made In India

[84.monsoon]

Originally Posted by karan561

Engine will now have an output of 374 hp but retains the 0-100 km/h time of 4.4 Secs. hence still the fastest car Made In India

Hi Karan, they have mentioned something about the B58 engine now being made in India - do you know if this car already gets the made in India engine, or is it a future plan? I guess this may be the reason they are able to pack in a lot of new features like mild hybrid system and the massive touchscreen and still keep price increase marginal, if they can save a bunch on fully built engine importation.

[Neelavi]

Sold out and bookings closed for now! Don’t know why such low volumes for a locally assembled model unless it’s sole purpose is to give some halo to the brand. In other countries it’s just a part of the regular 3 series variants like any other.

[karan561]

Originally Posted by 84.monsoon

Hi Karan, they have mentioned something about the B58 engine now being made in India - do you know if this car already gets the made in India engine, or is it a future plan?

Yes, the B58's sub-assembly is assembled in India.

[84.monsoon]

Originally Posted by Neelavi

Sold out and bookings closed for now! Don’t know why such low volumes for a locally assembled model unless it’s sole purpose is to give some halo to the brand. In other countries it’s just a part of the regular 3 series variants like any other.

That is really crazy! They have barely launched it - as you say, it could be to create a halo effect for the mainstream LCI cars that should arrive very soon.

I am sure some of this must be because there is also a lot of pent up demand for the kits from all over the world. Finally we are at a stage when most of the time, one can get complete cars and not have to put up with important features being deleted arbitrarily due to want of parts. Also luxury consumers are still on revenge shopping mode after the 3 years of lockdowns. Stock markets are holding up in the US after some slippages earlier in the year, which means people are not necessarily tightening belts as much as expected.

[kashesh]

Originally Posted by 84.monsoon

: To be fair, it is smarter as you can also use the BMW Connected package to do so with your smartphone [*] The Connexted package seems to be a boon. The intelligent parking with reverse assist feature seems useful. If you enter a narrow gully and want to reverse out (has happened to me one too many times!), at the touch of a button, it will remember your last 50 m steering input and exactly reverse that to the cm! [/list]

What is connected package? I thought it was only available in USA with car's with internet connectivity? Is it available in India now?


As for reverse assistant; this is already available in pre-LCI variant. Love the spoiler btw.

[dragracer567]

That is one aggressive body kit and spoiler, are these dealer-installed accessories?

The stock M body kit is nowhere near as aggressive! Heck, even the M3 isn't this aggressive!

[sid_deb]

Has anyone seen the pictures of the interior of the facelift version? I saw the iOS 8 and the long digital screen on the LCI in videos posted from abroad on Youtube. However, haven't seen anyone posting the actual interior images or videos for this M340i facelift in India.

Also surprised to see that the car is already sold out, people are still plonking in such money on an ICE even though the i4 EV variant has already been launched in e40 variant. i4 in the M50 avatar has 0-100 of 3.9s and can pretty much kill the M340i when launched in India.

[karan561]

Originally Posted by dragracer567

That is one aggressive body kit and spoiler, are these dealer-installed accessories?
The stock M body kit is nowhere near as aggressive! Heck, even the M3 isn't this aggressive!

Yes, these are M Performance add ons you can buy from the dealership as accessories.

Originally Posted by sid_deb

Has anyone seen the pictures of the interior of the facelift version? I saw the iOS 8 and the long digital screen on the LCI in videos posted from abroad on Youtube. However, haven't seen anyone posting the actual interior images or videos for this M340i facelift in India

Here's a pic of the India spc. car;



^ Note: It now gets Carbon Fibre Trims as standard OE fitment

[krishnadevjs]

Doesn't seem possible that it’s out of stock already. AFAIK, this year India was to get a higher allocation. Thankfully, my dealer called me up yesterday morning to activate my BMW ID. They said this was a requirement to order the car. Got an email later from BMW, saying order’s been placed.

Now, the wait for the new car to come. Believe deliveries start Jan whereas Demo cars will be available in December. Have told my dealer I want to drive it as soon as they get one.

The car looks amazing! Love the new headlights and the curved screen display. The Dravit Grey launch car has me questioning my choice to book the Tanzanite blue, but I guess nothing else matters once you’re in the driving seat of this monster.

Had always wanted the BMW-special gear lever, but will have to live with that selector now, I guess. The pricing is the cherry on top - I was expecting around 71 lacs, but this is a pleasant surprise.

@84.monsoon - The M Sport exhaust was always there - guess they’ve just added it to the spec sheet this time. Also with the mild hybrid system and the Integrated Starter Generator, Auto Start Stop is expected to be smoother (like in the C class).

[Venkatesh]

Originally Posted by sid_deb

Has anyone seen the pictures of the interior of the facelift version? I saw the iOS 8 and the long digital screen on the LCI in videos posted from abroad on Youtube. However, haven't seen anyone posting the actual interior images or videos for this M340i facelift in India.

From the launch event - Link