[shashi792]

It's hands down M2 for me. Z4, on the other hand does not appear as the sleeper car. M2 for me has the right size and proportions to be a daily driver in metros.

[reignofchaos]

I have a hard time fitting in the M2 - I just couldn't find a comfortable driving position in it - the seats were a bit narrow and for tall people, the posture is just a bit weird. So M340i it must be.

[LilBimmer]

340i. It's the last hurrah till electric cars come in. BTW, everyone here seems to be quoting the Euro or US spec on power. It's actually 387bhp in India spec tune.

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by androdev

In that sense, I would prefer either M2,C43,Z4,etc. depending on what else is already in the garage and my primary requirement (speed or social)

Originally Posted by shree_shell

My vote goes to M2's simplicity. Not sure about the Z4 though. Last time I heard it had an identity crisis.

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

In that case the full blown M2 just makes more sense.

Originally Posted by shashi792

It's hands down M2 for me.

I see that many prefer M2 over M340i, and I can understand why. M2 is a an absolutely great car in its own right, and a full blown M car after all!

However, I would like to point out the price difference: Based on what I heard the last time, M2C costs Rs. 1.1Cr on road. And M340i is Rs. 78L on road. So that is a 32L difference in the prices.

Unless one is so rich that money is not a concern at all, this difference is significant for even those who can afford a Rs 1Cr car. In % terms, this is more than 25% price difference, which is not small regardless of the price range we are talking of.

And this is where the 340i becomes such a great package. You get 93% of the M2 performance, with (subjectively) 150% the practicality of M2, for about 72% of the price!

Originally Posted by LilBimmer

340i. It's the last hurrah till electric cars come in. BTW, everyone here seems to be quoting the Euro or US spec on power. It's actually 387bhp in India spec tune.

No, it is not. If you convert 285kW to hp, you get 382hp. That 387 mentioned by BMW is actually a slightly different unit called "PS", which is metric horsepower. PS is commonly used in German cars as the unit of horsepower, but numerically, it is slightly different.

The conversion ratios are:
1kW = 1.341hp
1PS = 0.986hp

Therefore, 285kW = 382hp = 387PS

[motorotor]

Voted for M340i. As a sleeper car, nothing comes close and the delicious pricing is the icing on the cake!

[prits_moh]

voted for the M340i, i can escape the crore mark with this.

[androdev]

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

However, I would like to point out the price difference: Based on what I heard the last time, M2C costs Rs. 1.1Cr on road. And M340i is Rs. 78L on road. So that is a 32L difference in the prices.

Unless one is so rich that money is not a concern at all, this difference is significant for even those who can afford a Rs 1Cr car. In % terms, this is more than 25% price difference, which is not small regardless of the price range we are talking of.

And this is where the 340i becomes such a great package. You get 93% of the M2 performance, with (subjectively) 150% the practicality of M2, for about 72% of the price!

I did mention in my post that budget is a big issue and M340i is priced very well. But Rs 78L is also a crazy indulgence.

I think it really depends on who you have in mind as co-passengers. The added practicality is useful only if you have friends, colleagues, car-sympathetic wife/girlfriend.

If you are a regular Joe like me who has saved up that much money for that once-in-a-lifetime purchase, you will have a middle aged wife and senior citizen parents who will ask you to get the car serviced to fix the noisy engine problem. Lol. For such buyers, who IMHO, would be the majority, it is best to avoid all-in-one performance car. You can do much better with 78L.

[eyeman]

Voted for M340i. I like almost everything in this car. Of course, the pricing just seals the deal.

[Reesnat]

The biggest game changer in this whole equation is 340i being CKD. BMW Paying 60% as import taxes for the M2C automatically puts it in a different stratosphere price wise.

Between the C43 and S5, even if 340i was the same or a bit more expensive, I would pick it any day of the week, purely for the drive. Looks and features the other two offer something each.

Having driven the 340i twice and owning an M2C... the 340i is a great car for the price and for what it is, but it doesn’t feel super special like when you drive an M2. M2 makes you feel like a million bucks, drives like a million bucks and looks like a million bucks. In comparison to that, the 340i is a fast 3 series, and a good one at that.

But once you bring in practicality, again it gets complicated. Is this your ‘do it all car’ or do you have other cars for practical purposes?

So as some have commented, if your position and finances allow, get a family car that does the job of a family car properly and get something like the M2 when you want to truly smile and enjoy every nuance of what makes driving a car get us all so weak in the knees.

One way to look at the 340i is a bargain car that goes really really fast! Another way to look at it is it’s a fast car with compromised practicality and compromised sports car performance. So depends on your perspective and the other cars in your garage.

But, it’s a good time to be an enthusiast now!

[316kmph]

My daily driver is a 2017 Audi S5 Sportback which I bought as a stylish, yet slightly faster and more practical alternative to my 2013 BMW 640d Gran Coupe. It serves the purpose rather well. But then, I am coming to realize that speed breakers are getting taller, potholes deeper, highways and roads busier, SUVs better handler, me older all when compared to their respective self say 5-10 years ago. This makes all these cars quite honestly, pointless! Yes the M340i is relatively great value, but one day while driving my S5 hard alongside with a 330i, I realized that my car was easily faster than the 4 pot BMW but not by much until about 100-120 clicks. If I want a fun to drive sedan, I will get the 330i and save the cash for a super comfy SUV that ain’t too bad to drive while offering large plush seats and loads of legroom and an absorbent suspension like the Q7, Defender, or the RX

[d3mon]

Originally Posted by androdev

If you are a regular Joe like me

...senior citizen parents who will ask you to get the car serviced to fix the noisy engine problem.

You gave me a good laugh with both these statements

Originally Posted by androdev

You can do much better with 78L.

Pre-owned, sure. But what better new sports car is available for near about 78L?

[Kuldeep31]

A no-brainer poll for me: the BMW M340i. I have always preferred all-rounders and the M340i perfectly fits the bill. It has that characteristic “Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde” type persona associated with the M5.
The better reliability score of BMW is the bonus. Glad to see BMW covering both ends of the 5-10 million price band with compelling offerings.
Regards

[316kmph]

Originally Posted by 316kmph

My daily driver is a 2017 Audi S5 Sportback.... If I want a fun to drive sedan, I will get the 330i and save the cash for a super comfy SUV that ain’t too bad to drive while offering large plush seats and loads of legroom and an absorbent suspension like the Q7, Defender, or the RX

And I forgot to mention, if I would do track days, I would take the M2...for being that pure performance car and that’s what I voted given this thread.

[shree_shell]

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

I see that many prefer M2 over M340i, and I can understand why. M2 is a an absolutely great car in its own right, and a full blown M car after all!

It's not about M2 being a full blown M car. It's about what it offers as a car. It is BMW's attempt (maybe unintentional) to get back to the core ethos of an M car since E46 M3. Lower weight, great chassis balance. Yes, it could be lighter, could have a Naturally Aspirated engine and a better steering. As a sports-coupe package, it offers far more than any M-car can, let alone a wannabe M-sports car.

And this is where the 340i becomes such a great package. You get 93% of the M2 performance, with (subjectively) 150% the practicality of M2, for about 72% of the price!

I am sorry, we cannot have such percentage based arguments for something that's purely visceral. Life will be much less complicated if one could quantify how a car or anything else for that matter makes you feel when you drive it

[ibisbrew]

I am personally a low-key kind of person and the 340i is barely distinguishable from the regular 3 M-sport. This is a great proposition to me. I never thought I would say this, but the S5 is suddenly looking too flashy in comparison.

The practicality aspect is just the cherry on the cake, if one vehicle is all you could have.