[OffRoadFun]

Interesting.
I have similar feelings sometimes whether a luxury car is even worth it in India, especially in cities.

While I am addicted to a 200hp plus German car now and going back seems difficult, I still have this thought many times whether it is worth buying a powerful and expensive German car in cities. Sometimes, it leaves you frustrated (bad roads, chaotic traffic, parking worries and scratches by two wheelers). I do have a beater car but I still take Q5 for most of the errand trips and commute , kids being one of the reasons. I feel glad sometimes that at least I bought a used one. Damage to a new one would entail drastic change in driving style or digesting the scratches etc, none of which seems easy.

Goodluck with your beater car and hope you enjoy long drives in BMW.

[M9000]

I was a BMW M340i owner. It pains me to say “was” instead of “am” in the previous sentence. Really!

It is a wonderful machine but somehow the low profile runflat tyres that it comes with, aren’t suited for Indian roads.

I’ve owned this insane machine for just 9 months but the tyres burst twice needing a complete replacement on both occasions. I did have the BMW secure.

On the first occasion I had no idea how the incident happened. I just started the car when the screen alerted me to replace the tyre as the pressure was too low. So I called up the service engineer who suggested I call the roadside assistance to get the car to the service centre which I did. Later service guy at showroom suggested that I replace the alloy wheel too as there was a significant bend in it too which was shocking as the car didn’t travel much after the tyre went flat. Even more shocking is the fact that I had to bear the expense from my pocket as BMW covers this damage only if the alloy bends beyond a certain degree which didn’t happen in my case. The service centre took around 10 days to get the car ready as they had to source the tyre from a different location.

After a month while driving through some not so great road in the city, I drove the car through a bad pothole at around 50 kmph (I should have slowed down) when the car suddenly showed me a tyre pressure loss and immediately asked me to stop aside and contact road side assistance. Aren’t run flats supposed to assist us in driving the car to a safe distance at a low speed without having to stop immediately? I knew what would happen next. Another ten days at the garage! But this time the service engineer said that there is no stock of tyres in the country and even in Germany. But he said I could try my luck in the open market. I could easily get one from my local dealer and got it replaced.

At this very moment I thought I’ve had enough. It may be a great car, but what use is it if I don’t have the confidence to take it on a long drive without the need for calling road side assistance. I’ve taken the decision and I’ve let it go. It was a tough call but it had to be done. One could argue that I should have replaced all 4 tyres with tubeless tyres but it is again debatable.

I don’t regret my decision of buying the 340i in the first place and don’t regret selling it too. It is a great car. The best I’ve driven till date but it isn’t for me. I now enjoy my time every month remembering the fact that I need not pay my monthly EMI, till some other bug bites me. Cheers guys!

[Iyencar]

Very useful advice by multiple folks ��. However I feel it’s time to move on. Not everyone has the time, patience and the will to deal with the dog eat dog world that is Indian traffic. Additionally the number of dug up roads is increasing in Mumbai be it for the Metro or the coastal road or the ambitious concretisation plan. Plus the monsoon is almost upon us. I would hate to be in a long, expensive sedan with poor ground clearance and low profile tires in such a situation. Not to mention there are some client meets or institutions where you simply don’t want to pull up in a 80 lakh car. For such folks having a second smaller car makes life so much easier. Good decision OP.

[megazoid]

Originally Posted by krishnadevjs

3 incidents in 3 days shook me badly, and I re-contemplated the decision to use the M340i as a daily driver. And so, I went ahead and booked this:

A Tata Tiago.EV in it's MR version.

Would be good if you use the 340i in Mumbai like any other car. Treat the car just like a car, drive it hard and use it as you please. Thats the easiest way to get familiar with a car. Keeping it for special days and occasions will make it look alien in your hands when you want to take it out for a hard drive.

[techieaditya]

Originally Posted by M9000

I don’t regret my decision of buying the 340i in the first place and don’t regret selling it too. It is a great car. The best I’ve driven till date but it isn’t for me. I now enjoy my time every month remembering the fact that I need not pay my monthly EMI, till some other bug bites me. Cheers guys!

Just out of curiosity, how much depreciation hit did you take for selling the car so early?

[ImmortalZ]

Originally Posted by M9000

I was a BMW M340i owner. It pains me to say “was” instead of “am” in the previous sentence. Really!

It is a wonderful machine but somehow the low profile runflat tyres that it comes with, aren’t suited for Indian roads.

I’ve owned this insane machine for just 9 months but the tyres burst twice needing a complete replacement on both occasions. I did have the BMW secure.

…

I don’t regret my decision of buying the 340i in the first place and don’t regret selling it too. It is a great car. The best I’ve driven till date but it isn’t for me. I now enjoy my time every month remembering the fact that I need not pay my monthly EMI, till some other bug bites me. Cheers guys!

I guess everyone has different tolerances for these things. I lost two of the stock run flats to bubbles, with two wheels also bent. Secure wouldn't cover it because the tread depth was too low. Got all four replaced with Pilot Super Sport. Barely 1K KM in, lost a PSS to a bubble. Thank God for Madhus!

I suppose I got my money's worth from the tyres even though they bubbled since the tread depth was near the replacement mark on the rear one.

I can't even think of getting rid of the car because of these things. I'm almost 35K KM in with three months to go for the 2y mark - plenty of time on the road to think about it too.

[simplythebest]

Just a doubt...
Does the Indian version of the 340i come with the hybrid system?

The BMW website and spec sheet for the card don't mention it.
Please correct me if i am wrong.

Just test drove the car, and felt the turbo lag.

And the BMW guy said it doesn't have any hybrid.(Not that they know enough)

Tried fiddling with the screens to see if some kind of indication would show when the engine was off or both Engine and motors were being used and couldn't find anything.

Edit: comparing the Turbo lag to my X3M30i (G01 Face lift/LCI) and 320d(G20- 1st gen0

[84.monsoon]

Originally Posted by simplythebest

Just a doubt...
Does the Indian version of the 340i come with the hybrid system?

Yes, indeed it does. Here is the picture of the 48V battery from my M340i LCI.

[itwasntme]

That's a serious battery! Just out of curiosity, where is this one fitted and is the boot mounted one also there?

[M9000]

Originally Posted by techieaditya

Just out of curiosity, how much depreciation hit did you take for selling the car so early?

Well, I got hit pretty hard I guess (like a Dhoni helicopter shot). I sold it for 60 lakhs. It cost 83 lakhs onroad and a few more lakhs for BMW Secure, 5 years extended warranty plus a few more extras. 😢

[narula123]

Good you got a beater EV, KD. Now I wont feel underpaid when I park my i10 next to yours.

Jokes aside, BEST bus drivers (like several of their colleagues in other cities) bully their way through in traffic. Add Wild West Autorickshaw guys and some dicing two-wheelers and one prays to get home unscathed everyday. Only other option is to cab it or use the local/metro to have peace of mind during commutes.

[ashish2135]

I was just going through this thread last week regarding the multiple incidents on @krishnadevjs’s car and taking lessons from @androdev’s post on how to drive safely.

While out on a drive in my 330Li with another Bhpian friend, I had a small incident of my own. On a narrow road inside a gated community, an Innova hit my rear bumper on the driver side while negotiating a turn!

Luckily it’s just the PPF which got ruptured. The Innova driver and the the owner both were shameless and didn’t even care to apologise, instead they were trying to brush off their mistake. I decided to let it go! Will visit the PPF centre and see how this can be mended.

I’ve realised that a big complicated car needs to be taken special care of! We need to extra careful to enjoy these machines.

[14000rpm]

Originally Posted by krishnadevjs

Some more pictures of the car, and some observations

Congratulations and wishing you many happy miles !
I love the curved display. It is one of the most stylish integrations. Overall, I love the styling of the G20 which makes it look much more confident and in my perception, better than the current Gen C Class.

Great color too. Enjoy the ride.

[DRIV3R]

Originally Posted by simplythebest

Just a doubt...
Does the Indian version of the 340i come with the hybrid system?

Yes, only on the facelift M340i. The first generation didn't have it.

[84.monsoon]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

That's a serious battery! Just out of curiosity, where is this one fitted and is the boot mounted one also there?

This sits at the end of the engine bay towards the cabin, off to the corner on the passenger side. It is not a very big battery necessarily - as much as it may appear so on the photo. There is no battery on the boot as far as I am aware. The boot is dominated by the spare tire

Originally Posted by M9000

Well, I got hit pretty hard I guess (like a Dhoni helicopter shot). I sold it for 60 lakhs. It cost 83 lakhs onroad and a few more lakhs for BMW Secure, 5 years extended warranty plus a few more extras. ��

This is quite a hit, my friend - this looks like an LCI car ? So you muy have had it for barely a month or two before selling it off? That is quite a raw deal.