M340i LCI1 should just call it the B58 with a car around it. Positives
- Sublime B58 — the reason to get the car
- Competent chassis — remains balanced and unflappable under load
- Smooth and pleasing ZF box that is always in the right gear
- Good GC — current gen C class is worse
- Good noise insulation and refinement
- Great overall package for the price — fast, sporty and luxurious Negatives
- Steering lacks feedback — shouldn’t complain about it in 2025
- Drive by wire brakes — brake application remains jerky (on/off) and never progressively smooth
- That motor needs a DCT, ZF lacks character and can be slow at low speeds
- Mediocre build quality — my till date rattle-free Laura is built to 2 standards higher. Not kidding!
- Not really emotive or communicative Engine and gearbox -
The B58 - Enough has been said about the engine. It’s fast, smooth, and sounds decent for the emissions first times we live in (only referring to the natural sound while omitting the artificial piped nonsense). Explosive yet smooth as butter and totally addictive, will never tire of it.
It will spoil you with its pace to the degree that you’ll need either need the M3 or Carrera GTS to go faster, yeah a base 911 won’t feel faster. Nothing below 2.0 crs will feel quick enough. Rowdy M2 perhaps.
It pulls readily in any gear and from any engine speed with the ZF being utterly competent and easily giving you multiple smooth and fast downshifts if required or if commanded via paddles. It is pretty free-revving engine for a turbo and will happily live till its red line. But it is no NA and you will feel a little heaviness in its willingness to rev in certain occasions, but again, it’s amazing and almost NA like for a heavily blown engine.
The gear ratios are well spaced out and not too long. It helps sustain that train like acceleration. (Looking at you Porsche)
While the ZF is pretty obedient, I urge anybody considering this car to not try a good DCT and especially not a PDK—that will soil the car for you. It just lacks the instant crispness of a PDK which contributes to that proper mechanical feel and connect to the drive train. Considering the imperious engine on offer, not giving DCT feels just wrong. But yes, it does add to the relaxing smooth nature of the car.
The first few days were spent wishing how amazing the car and overall engagement would be with a clutch and H-pattern box. Blasphemy to even have such thoughts these days!
But hey, the same engine in the Z4 (please do correct me if i’m wrong) received a manual recently!
Finally on engine sound / exhaust — it sounds decent but the volume is pretty low and I feel there aren’t multiple notes to it, you definitely do not feel much emotion or charisma from the engine. It is no NA flat 6 with it’s multi layered opera or even the 5 pot RS3 - again these are engines from the last decade. But yeah, in keeping with the times we live in, can’t really blame the car, even the 992.2 911 with it’s turbo flat 6 sounds pretty flat for a sports car. Chassis and handling -
It gets it’s job done to the T without feeling emotive or communicative — the modern way of doing things I suppose.
The chassis balance is sublime and faultless at least under city conditions.
The car remains flat, quick lane changing even under sudden application of throttle do nothing to upset the balance of the car — it remains absolutely flat. Coming out of a corner you can be utterly careless with your right foot. The 4wd along with the unflappable balance will pull you out fuss free at very high speeds — no need to plan or judge or be cautious — just point and shoot. I do prefer such a setup for a daily driver over an overly tail happy rear end.
Chassis communication remains low on the whole, it does come alive under load and at higher speeds but you need to wring the car for that and even then it’s just a low murmur, not a clear, vocal two way chat. Steering -
Again the same theme.
Direct and precise with some vagueness in the centre. A good system among EPSes of this day and age.
No real feedback, what a car this would be if it had a hydraulic steering. Asking too much in 2025. Ride -
With OEM Pirelli runflats — Harsh at 39 psi, pretty decent at 35 psi while maintaining the sharp steering responses. Will get rid of the run flats later.
Sophisticated damping with almost no unnecessary secondary re-bound or bounce. Brakes -
Again, the theme returns.
Powerful and keeps up with the pace of the engine, but that brake by wire system is just not feel some and a big bug bearer for me.
I grew up driving and racing analog cars/karts and being able to perfectly modulate brakes is very important for me, more so than steering feedback. You see I love darting and closing traffic gaps by easing off the throttle and using brakes to smoothly fill in the gaps or even overtake cars on the brakes. While my natural instinct honed during my motorsport days was to always be smooth and progressive with the brakes, with the by wire system I just cannot do that, the 340 braking in bits and in an on/off manner.
Approaching a corner or a speed breaker, I always try to be smooth on both the application and release of brakes, no jerks or sudden balance tipping — one linear in out movement, just can’t do that here, it is always an on/off jerky thing. There’s a reason Porsche sticks to hydraulic systemsin ICE cars. Maybe BMW can learn something from the Macan Turbo EV — inspite being an EV making hydraulic systems impossible due to regen, its brakes felt natural. Interior -
Good seats up front, love the under thigh support on offer here. Very adjustable seats and can go seriously low like a sporting saloon should. You feel one with the car — the low position along with the almost roll free chassis make you feel one with the car which remains a hallmarks for me.
Other than that, decent quality inside. Decent sound system, good AC. The backseat is a nice place to be in as well. You do sit low, but the seats are decent enough. Overall build -
The exterior is built to Korean car to be sold in Europe standards. Flimsy boot panel that just sounds cheap on closing, light doors, bumpers that can’t take a knock.
Again the modern way of things — bumpers are called so as bumpers are meant to take a bump / knock or two, but here they’re just a part of the aggressive-looking body kit waiting to be damaged so that BMW can charge us for a new part. Not just BMW, the new RR’s flush looking units have no place in a SUV let alone one with RR’s capability.
And yeah, the passenger headrest rattles from day 1.
Compared to my 2013 Laura, which still feels tight and shuts like the tank it is, this thing is just nowhere close to it considering the price that it sells at. Overall -
A great package constrained due to modern compliance and cost cutting necessities.
A sporty muscle saloon that lacks the delicacy and emotion to be considered a sports saloon inspite having the pace.
But for the value on offer, if a comfy fast saloon is the need — go for it eyes closed, you’re buying the best engine - gear combo in the world paired with a competent chassis and good overall refinement.
B58 with a car around it. Buying process and dealer experience -
Went causally to check 2 used 520ds at the BMW AD, left giving an offer for the M340.
The two 520s after going through their service history did not give me any confidence to go ahead - moreover I would not have the bandwidth for multiple issue/niggles per year.
Downstairs, while leaving the dealership a red dealer M340 was probably just waiting for me, drove it, loved the engine and looks, found no issue with the ride quality and GC - checked tire pressure if it was not under inflated giving me better ride - it was normal. Made an offer (thanks to T-BHP and a good friend I already knew how much dealers would stretch on the 340) and left.
My offer was met in a few days and I booked the car instantly.
Dealer experience was pretty decent, during PDI, the car had a few unwanted body scratches but nothing major. A Dravit Grey unit had just arrived on the PDI day which I was offered but stuck with the Tanzanite blue.
Overall a pleasent AD experience. Niggles -
- Instrument cluster - I wouldn't hire an intern if he designed the UI/UX of these gauges, let alone pass the design. Red tacho line, next a permanent red line with a red background (in sports mode) and the tacho rising in a red progress bar! What are they thinking?
- No gear indicator - In normal gear mode (not sports) you cannot see the driven gear. Makes no sense to not show it when you do show it in some modes.
- Have made my peace with the lack of gear selector and physical HVAC buttons but what would they cost anyway? Rs 30,000?
Last edited by Turbanator : 17th April 2025 at 12:32.
Reason: Merging with previous post for better continuity.
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