It’s just over a year since I got my BMW M340i LCI. As I had gone for an accelerated 1-year lease to maximise tax benefits, I closed the lease at the end of last month, paid off the residual vale and am presently getting the hypothecation removed.

BHPian 84.monsoon recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

A quick update on the M340i

It’s just over a year since I got my BMW M340i LCI. As I had gone for an accelerated 1-year lease to maximise tax benefits, I closed the lease at the end of last month, paid off the residual vale and am presently getting the hypothecation removed. This was a chance to think about whether I wanted to keep the car long-term, or sell it and go for a fresh lease on my next car, to continue to enjoy tax benefits. Selling now would get me to get the maximum resale value as the M340i as it is still so fresh. I have driven only 3500 km in the whole first year and the car is still so pristine! But really torn about this as I know it will be hard to replace the driving pleasure of the M340i with literally any car in the market in the same or similar price ranges. Do let me know if you see any alternatives!

I had driven so less for a couple of reasons. It had been a fairly busy year at work and home, and I did not have too many chances for long drives. Plus I still had my Thar, which I used as my daily driver.

Another reason I have not done many long drives is that I got a bit of a scare when I drove my BMW up to the hills and back a couple of months ago. On the way back, the car’s front right tyre went over a pothole at about 70 kmph speed. There was a thud sound but nothing happened immediately and the tire pressure was being maintained as usual, when I called up the appropriate menu option. But a few minutes later, I heard the much feared hissing sound, which clearly meant the tire had been damaged. Fortunately, all else was well and the rims were not impacted in any way. This had happened on my way back from Kodai, just as I had entered the Chennai outskirts. So, I left the car at a fuel station for the leasing company, Orix, to pick it up for tire replacement and made my way home in an Ola taxi. Spare tires are very hard to come by in the OEM spec, and BMW Chennai had no stock. Again, it was my good fortune that the Bangalore dealer had one spare tire available and sent it to Chennai the same day and my car was back the very next day in the garage. Very good job done by Orix.

The M340i comes with a very thin tire profile of only 40 in the front and 35 at the back resulting in very low sidewall height. BMW keeps prioritizing aesthetics of larger wheel sizes, and grip of broad tire widths, with the result that the sidewall height gets lower and lower. Even a large SUV such as the face lifted X5 has just a 35 profile tyre at the rear, given the 305–20R tire size.

Other than this one episode, the car has provided a great ownership experience, with absolutely no niggles. The car is solidly built with not a single rattle anywhere. I am still discovering all the functionality inside that massive iDrive 8 system and am doing a few weekend drives around town to enjoy the powerful punch of the B58 engine in short bursts, on the rare occasions when one can find the runway to do that, in the ever busier roads around Chennai!

Click here to know what other BHPians have to say about this topic.

The gearbox is truly a mind reader and rewards you with immediate downshifts when you slam the accelerator even in comfort mode.

BHPian mrinmoy_s recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

According to my parents and my elder sister, my first full sentence as an infant was "Maa Gajii (Gari) asche" which can be translated from Bengali to English as "Mom Car is coming"! After that, life happened but the enthusiasm for cars remained in the deepest core of my heart only to be rekindled when I received my driving license at 26 years of age in 2011.

Budget constraints and lack of awareness made me buy a Hyundai Eon as my first car. The pride in the eyes of my Sister who virtually raised me and the congratulatory phone calls from my parents made me realize how most Indian families feel when they achieve this milestone of their lives. While the Eon is not a car that I am going to recommend to any of my friends or families today, I will remain emotionally attached to it for introducing me to that sense of freedom which only a driving enthusiast can feel.

Within two years of getting the Eon, I had an itch to upgrade and thanks to a couple of friends whom I hold responsible for spoiling me , I ended up buying a Skoda Rapid 1.6 TDI! Well, that was my entry into the world of driver's cars. That explosive torque and tank like build quality made me fall in love with Skoda cars. Thankfully I did not face much trouble from the infamous Skoda A.S.S and had an overall peaceful ownership.

Fast forward to mid 2019 and the Rapid was inching towards the end of its warrantied life and the itch for more resumed. By then, the horizon of my driving experience spanned across almost all cars in 10-50 Lakhs range in the Indian market. My Rapid, my experience of having driven many other cars and countless hours on Team BHP had ensured I grew up to be a car lover who does not belong to the "kitna deti hai" group. I also realised I am not crazy for features or looks and they were just good-to-have aspects for me. This meant as an upgrade from the Rapid and with a budget of <30L, I had no other choice but to get the Octavia! That brought me to my third car - the Skoda Octavia 1.8 TSI (L&K). The following few years were pure joy with this beauty of a car. It was truly a gem and I completely agree with GTO's comment saying "the Octavia made the A4, the C and the regular 3 series almost pointless".

With almost 50k km on the ODO of the Octy and that insatiable itch in me, I started dreaming about a proper sports sedan and not one with just sporty intent. But this time, I wanted the real deal but couldn't afford the full blown AMGs, Ms or RSs! So we took test drives of the A35 AMG, the M340i and the S5 Sportsback and it took no time to know deep in my heart that I wanted the Bimmer. But the decision wasn't easy. The budget, the factor of being less comfortable than the Octy and the overall dilemma of whether or not it would be the right car for an average middle class family like ours - ensured that almost a year went by before the plunge could be taken. In the last week of December'23, I just casually called the number of Navnit Malad who had arranged the TD for me and asked about any year end discounts. To my pleasant surprise, they said they can work out a good deal as they had 2-3 unsold cars.

Thanks to my wife for financially supporting this craziness, that same evening, we sat across the table at the dealership and booked the Tanzanite Blue M340i Shadow edition at a price that was kind of a steal. Back in the bed at home, as the clock struck midnight hour, the realisation hit and the phase of anxious impatience began.

With down payment and loan approval done, armed with the TBHP check list, I went to the dealership to undertake PDI three days after NYE.

Here are some snaps of my first view of the beast!

Meanwhile, I had to let go of my Octy. After 49000 km of absolute joy, it was a painful goodbye for sure.

After an excruciating wait for another 5 days, on 9th Jan, we took delivery of the Blue beauty. A couple of snaps from delivery days

After a nervous drive to the parking lot at my society, it was still sinking in. Went through the owner's manual to find out about running-in and realised that I have to take her slow for the first 2000km and by slow they mean <160kmph!! (and less than 4.5k rpm). I thought that shouldn't be a problem but believe me it was damn difficult to not open her up. Took her for a "sedate" drive to Nashik the following weekend but that was enough to realise the potential of this car. The Kasara ghat drive was exhilarating and after crossing it, I actually stopped and gave the wheel to my wife just to absorb the feeling.

The pause to catch my breath:

 After returning from Nashik, the car was given for a full PPF. Thanks to fellow BHPian Krishnadev's post, I went to Optimum Dealerz at Chembur for the job and as recommended, Amolji did a fantastic job and delivered the car back in 6 days.

Here are some pictures after the PPF:

Almost two months down the line, here are my observations about the car. I shall refrain from going into a detailed review as the car has already been extensively reviewed by fellow BHPians who are far better writers than me.

Likes:

The engine - had heard a lot of positives about the B58 before and now I know how true they were. Despite not going anywhere close to the full potential of this powerhouse, I can emphatically state that this engine is a marvelous piece of engineering. The power band is wide and the engine obliges every demand of your right foot no matter which rpm you are at. The twin scroll turbo spools with almost an imperceptible lag even in Comfort mode. The Eco-Pro mode is the only one in which you need effort to build sudden speeds. In sports and sports plus mode, the 6 cylinder pot sounds effortlessly beautiful - something that can't be said about the 4 cylinder equivalents from the Mercedes stable.

The gearbox - not sure which one to credit more; the engine or the out-of-the-world ZF 8 speed Steptronic Sports transmission when it comes to the sublime driving experience that the M340i offers. The gearbox is truly a mind reader and rewards you with immediate downshifts when you slam the accelerator even in comfort mode. The upshifts are seamless as you rise in the revv range. Even after coming from the DQ200 of the Octavia, this gearbox feels miles ahead especially in the business of downshifts and that is saying something! I can't fathom the magic BMW and ZF have put in it to make a TC unit perform like this. While I haven't experienced the PDKs of Porsches and am sure those are in a different league, I can say that even Mercedes' DCT in the A35 AMG is no match to this unit. I am happy that unlike in the case of my Octavia, I don't have to worry about reliability of this unit.

The Sports Plus mode - listing this as a separate point as this lunatic mode needs a special mention. The sports plus mode sharpens the throttle response to an extent that one literally gets pushed into the seat. And the steering stiffens up beautifully taking the already superb handling to a notch above. And the aural pleasure of the engine with those pops & bangs, albeit largely fed into the speakers, is something that I really cherish in this mode.

The handling - The car handles like a dream. I was accelerating at those corners where I would have pressed the brake on my Octy. High speed lane changes are super nimble and on a lighter note, could have easily bullied the autowalas on Mumbai roads had the roads been smooth. The Xdrive, while providing leech like grip, does leave slight room for playfulness in terms of allowing momentary slides.

MyBMW App - now this may not be specific to the M340i but I feel I must mention it. While there have been many good things written about the iDrive system, the app also deserves a mention. It offers a good amount of information with seamless connectivity with the car. I can monitor the car's lock/unlock status, tyre pressures, location etc; can remotely start ventilation or set a time for the same (super useful when the car is hot after parked under direct sunlight); can even take remote 3D pictures from anywhere in the world. When I left my car for PPF, everyday I was checking the surrounding of the car parked at the detailer's.

Here are some screenshots:

Dislikes:

The Tires - Honestly, much more than the harsh ride quality, what I dislike are the stock 19" runflats. They feel fragile and always keep you on tenterhooks due to fear of getting side wall damage on the pathetic roads of Mumbai. I read so much about the potential damage and the hassles fellow M340i owners have had to go through that my average speed inside city has been significantly lower than my Octy days. While I am getting used to it and am yet to face a damage, it surely is frustrating. Will be changing the shoes to tubeless for sure once the Secure package is over in a year. I am told that while even the 19" tubeless might be as prone to sidewall damage as the stock run-flats, the ride quality would be better and the replacement costs are going to be significantly lower.

The rear seats & boot-space - now this is a complaint that I knew my family would have much before buying the car. My sister finds the rear seats claustrophobic with the experience worsened by constant vertical movement due to harsh ride quality. My sister-in-law complains how she could move house in the Octy but can barely fit more than two suitcases in the boot of the M340i.

The rear seats - not the best place to be in

The tiny boot - height is highly restricted due to the spare tire

First encounter with service center - this is an important point. My car had a slight squeaking noise in the steering from the day of delivery day. It was only at a particular angle and felt like something was touching something else. With some research on bimmerpost and physical inspection, I could identify the reason as the heat shield on the steering rack rubbing against another adjacent heat shield.

The representative picture is appended below (the red starred portion was rubbing against the yellow starred one while turning towards right)

Decided to take the car to the service centre post running-in for an oil change and getting this steering noise issue resolved. Fixed up an appointment through the MyBMW App with Navnit Andheri (E) for 0930 hrs on a Saturday morning. Coming from Skoda A.S.S, I was eager to have a pleasant and professional experience from BMW. But the overall experience was underwhelming,. Despite reaching at sharp 0930 hrs, I had to wait well beyond 1000 hrs for someone to attend to me. Showed the steering noise issue and left the car with them with an assurance of having it sorted and having the oil changed by 1500 hrs. At 1430 hrs when I called them to check if the car was ready, I was told they were not changing the oil as the technical team had strongly recommended that it was not required post running-in. In the morning, I had told them that I knew as per CBS, my oil change wasn't due and I was ready to pay from my pocket but they decided not to change it and didn't even bother to inform me until I called. After I reached the service center, had to wait for another 25-30 mins to get the car back. While the steering noise was addressed, they didn't show it on the job card, neither I got any communication about the same getting repaired. I got an email about my car being taken in the morning but never got one after getting the car back. Honestly, overall it wasn't a confidence inspiring experience and probably I will go to some other service center when I take the car for first service.

Does not show which gear I am in - Now this might be a minor thing but I don't like the fact that the instrumentation cluster does not show which gear I am in unless the gear is manually put into sports mode (by toggling the gear rocker switch). When that is not done, it just shows "D" even if one puts the car in Sports Plus mode. I liked how it used to be D1/D2/.../D7 (or S1/S2/.../S7) in my Octy. Here is a picture of it even when the car is in "Sports Plus"

The Wireless Mobile Charging Pad - I find this to be the most useless thing on the car. The mobile not only gets heated and stops charging but also gets slow due to it making the CarPlay responses very laggy. In fact I find wireless CarPlay itself to be slightly laggy especially while changing the songs using steering buttons - the wired CarPlay used to be seamless in my Octy.

The basic but overpriced dashcam - BMW's Advanced Car Eye Pro 3.0 - I got this installed straight from the dealer before taking delivery of the car. Honestly, with a price tag of over INR 50k , it is just not worth the money. The integration is cumbersome, storage is abysmally low, there is no remote viewing of the footage and average video quality. One can get far better dashcams at half the price.

This brings me to the end of this post. Will keep updating as I gather more miles riding this beast. Here are some parting shots:

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The four Bimmers consisted of a Dravit Gray BMW M340i, White BMW 330i, Blue BMW M330i and Red BMW 320d.

BHPian Dr.AD recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

6 BHPians in 6 Cars Drive across Karnataka!

Got wheels, must drive! That was a simple idea behind this drive by a group of BHPian friends from Bangalore. All of us love driving. And driving was the primary agenda. Everything else was secondary.

We chose a circuit that offered a nice mix of driving conditions - fast highways, some lovely hill roads and descending down the Western Ghats and reaching the west coast, a small drive along the coast, then a hill drive again and ascending the Western Ghats from another route, and back to four-lane and six-lane highways for a fast highway drive back home.

To add more variety to the mix - not just in the driving conditions but also in the landscapes we would see - we chose one beach location (Kumta) and another iconic location far away from the beach (Hampi) for this 2-night drive! That meant we had a chance for a car photoshoot both at the coastal areas and at the iconic sites of Hampi. Outdoor photography is often a matter of luck. Multiple factors including location, time and light must come together for it to work. As it turned out, we did not find any decent location for a car photoshoot at a beach near Kumta. But we did find a nice location for a car photoshoot in Hampi. So overall it was a mixed bag for photography in this trip.

The approximate route map of this drive spanning more than 1200km is shown below:

We had 6 friends and BHPians driving 6 cars. A solo driver in each car. That is how the most enthusiastic drivers drive.

The group of 6 included @robimahanta (driving his White VW Polo GTI), @jkrishnakj (driving his Gray Audi A6), @RakishRam (driving his Dravit Gray BMW M340i), @praveenbalan (driving his White BMW 330i), @HighRevving (driving his Blue BMW M330i), and myself (driving my Red BMW 320d).

We had another friend, who is not a forum member, joining us for some time on the first morning, in his White 320d. He could not join us for the whole trip, but it was nice of him to join us for about 200km of distance in our early morning run!

The convoy at the beginning of this memorable drive:

Our convoy somewhere on the scenic forest stretch of the road.

We took Shimoga-Sagar-Honnavar (NH69)-Kumta road, and this road is brilliant! Sagar to Honnavar (NH69) is one of my favorite roads to drive on. This road has the best of everything - lovely twists and corners, hilly drives with ups and downs, scenic views and thick forests all around, and butter-smooth tarmac. I have driven on this road in monsoons too, and even in peak monsoons, the road surface here has always been great. We enjoyed our drive on this road.

The six cars at our beach resort in Kumta:

The four bimmers in the group:

Another group photo of all six cars in Kumta:

As I mentioned, we could not find a right spot for car photography at the beach. All we managed was to crawl on an off-road track trying to find a beach location and then returning back with not much success on that front. However, while crawling around on those dirt tracks, I managed to take a couple of casual mobile photos near the beach.

@praveenbalan's White 330i MSport:

@HighRevving's Portimao Blue 330i MSport:

Although we did not get a good beach photoshoot, we did get a great evening at the beach. We spent the evening talking cars while chilling at a beach resort. The simple and idyllic beach resort we stayed in Kumta was "Om Bodhi Retreat". Nothing fancy. No luxuries. Just a simple place that was peaceful and comfortable. The resort and the rooms were clean, it was located right on the beach, had a good parking space (very important for us), and offered a great dining experience at their beach restaurant. The hosts were hospitable and the service was great. Food was fantastic and always fresh! We did not expect much from this basic place, but we got more than what we expected and we ended up having a great time at this beach resort.

Evening scenes at the beach:

Photoshoot at Hampi

From Kumta, our next-day destination was Hampi. We took the dreaded Ankola-Yellapur-Hubli road before driving on the newly developed 4-lane highway from Hubli to Hampi. That Ankola-Yellapur section was notorious for massive potholes and many have had tyre bursts and other issues there. I myself have lost a tyre of my 320d in that very stretch in one of my previous drives. Anticipating such challenging conditions, we made elaborate plans to tackle the potholes and drive carefully and in a coordinated manner.

However, to our pleasant surprise, this road has been fixed well now, and instead of the dreaded potholes, we were greeted by newly laid smooth black tarmac. I loved a fast drive on this new smooth road after painful and slow drives in the last few trips. This new development on this road is great news for our future drives in that area and even drives to Goa.

And from Hubli onward, towards Hampi, it is a newly built 4-lane divided highway. This highway is awesome too. Nice wide divided road with long straight stretches and great visibility for a mile ahead. The only problem is that the road surface is concrete (just like all new highways in India), and that can get a bit noisy and bumpy. My 320d was quite fine and comfortable even on this section, but the more aggressively setup other bimmers in the group were not too happy here. But anyway, keeping aside this minor issue, this road was great and we had a nice fast drive here.

Overall, all the way from Kumta to Hampi, we had a good drive.

We reached Hampi in time for the "Golden Hour Photoshoot" on the backdrops of some of the ancient ruins there.

Group photoshoot in the magical golden hour of Hampi, against the ancient and historic structures:

The three bimmers (I should say "four-cylinder" bimmers, because a six-cylinder bimmer was parked next is not seen in this frame):

Could not resist one more photo of the three bimmers against the ancient temple:

After this group photoshoot, we took a few solo car photos.

White M330i of @praveenbalan:

The lovely Audi A6 of @jkrishnakj (by the way, the A6 looks really big next to the other cars):

One more photo of the huge and majestic A6:

The stunning Portimao Blue 330i of @HighRevving with its even more stunning wheels:

My own humble steed, the only diesel in the convoy:

My 320d bathing in the lovely golden sunset light in front of that ancient temple:

The three powerful modern German machines parked in that historic land of ancient temples:

Talking about modern German machines, the monster in the group, the only 6-cylinder in the convoy, M340i of @RakishRam:

Another look at the three lovely sedans parked on that dirt track where otherwise SUVs would be more at home:

By now it was time for sunset, and we could not resist another round of photoshoot, this time against the setting sun:

My 320d against the setting sun:

The monster in the group, BMW M340i, against the magical Hampi sunset:

And finally, as parting shots, a couple of photos of Robi's Polo GTI against the setting sun:

Continue reading Dr.AD's thread about this road trip for BHPian comments, insights and more information.

One of the issues I felt in both cars is the aesthetics of the interior. Fairly below par for something costing in the 1 Cr territory.

BHPian Ponybha23 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Thanks everyone for your inputs. Test drove the fully loaded X3 M40i and the M340i back to back today. As expected the engine is mind blowing. And the burble, on the X3 especially (I think it’s an older version of the 6 pot?) was to die for. Oh, what aural pleasure!

Chennai roads are not the greatest and wanted to check out the ride which is of great importance to me since this is a daily driver. While the X3 was definitely better, the 3er wasn’t bad either. Was certainly better than my CLA. Took on the bumps relatively well. I am not sure how it would age though (my car is 7+ years old).

One of the issues I felt in both cars is the aesthetics of the interior. Fairly below par for something costing in the 1 Cr territory. I am not saying it’s not put together well but found the interiors or have a lot of hard scratchy plastics. Even the sensatec dashboard was scratchy. Almost like an MG Astor. Can’t even hold a candle to my CLA dashboard, definitely not the upper part. One special issue with the 3er was that it scraped on two speed breakers.

I know I am going back and forth but feel a little shortchanged to settle for a great mechanical car and fairly average interior. This would be worse with the special edition of the X3 (about 15L cheaper).

Waiting to test drive the GLC 300 and the NX 350h. Will probably do another round of test drives of the Beemers as well.

Fairly confused now! I am guessing going to get confused further with the other test drives!

Here's what BHPian nmn.070 had to say on the matter:

I was in a similar dilemma. I thought I wanted a great drivers car. But during the extended test drive for the M340i I realised that it's not even 5% of driving time when I can truly enjoy the b58. The ride to me was quite firm. The car really feels nervous at low speeds due to the suspension setup and the knowledge of having great firepower. I decided I'd rather have a daily which is taller to allow for drives in rains (waterlogging is an issue in most cities) and unknown terrains. X3 M40i would be perfect but for me it was stretching my budget conscience far too much. The other suv mid size options were:

• Audi Q5 - decent power and great comfort. But interior is very boring and outdated.
• Lexus NX - felt too small for what it is. Great materials but the design is too edgy and overall it did not feel exceptional. Unlike the excellent Lexus ES.
• BMW X3 - only offered in diesel now. Had they retained the X3 30i I would have picked it up in a heartbeat. Interior is again a little old but functional and well built. Rear biased AWD and good steering make the sedan-suv compromise more digestible. But I think diesel is very poor residuals if you keep the car for long.
• Mercedes GLC 300 - the power is good. Interior is the most updated but still creaky and not as well put together IMO. But driving pleasure is second only to the X3. Spacious and good looking. I found the ride to be on the stiffer side. Considering that I only explored SUVs for comfort, it was a bit disappointing. Also it lacked some basic features such as keyless go. But this may be the best contender in this price bracket. If you can excuse the chitzy interior and ride quality, this would serve well.
• Volvo XC60 - excellent comfort, simple but ergonomically amazing interiors. Felt it to be better put together than the merc. Only sore spot is the front biased AWD. But the seats, music system, massage function and overall look inside and out won me over. It is understated and elegant. I love the Android based infotainment. Google maps and Spotify in built is a big plus for me. I hate having to connect my phone for anything. I don't take calls when driving anyway. This system allows me to ignore my phone completely when driving. It's a little dated but I believe Volvo will not change it much. They are committed to going full electric and this would be replaced by an all new EX60. So the XC60 will serve for sometime with the ICE powertrain. Even if it changes, I think the interior and exterior will age gracefully over the next 7-8 years. The fact that it saves you close to 15 lacs over the GLC is sweet.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information

I believe I did not spot any speed cams (not sure), but plenty of CCTV's.

BHPian karan561 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Saturday night drove on this new bridge for the 1st time and had the opportunity to capture the magnificence of the Atal Setu (previously called the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link) at night. This exclusive 1st night POV style drive video previews the journey on the longest sea bridge of India.

The video also has some unfiltered sounds of the B58 singing & the M Performance exhaust making all the right noises.

Here are some pictures;

Taking the ramp for Atal Setu via Eastern Freeway (Mumbai);

India's longest bridge starts and the celebratory lights welcome us;

Soon ran into some traffic of cars which had illegally stopped to take selfies etc. Was a cause of concern but thankfully the cops were on the job & booking the miscreants.

Interestingly the updated maps on my M340i was detecting the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link;

A Nice roller;

When will this stop ?

The openness is really rewarding and relaxing;

The entire bridge is well lit up throughout which aids night driving;

The entire bridge is well lit up throughout which aids night driving;

The bridge is well designed & an engineering marvel. The road quality is also flawless & trust it will stay this way (BWSL road surface is still great). The Speed limit is 100 km/h which is ok (thankfully not 80 km/h, as that would have felt too slow). I believe I did not spot any speed cams (not sure), but plenty of CCTV's. The bridge surface is not flat, there are upslopes & dips may be to make way for ferry or ships to pass from under. Crossed the bridge in aprox. 15 mins to reach New Mumbai, a game changer for sure

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Though the S58 is based on the B58TU only 10% of the components are the same.

BHPian karan561 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

The S58 engine in the BMW M4 is based on the B58TU engine from the M340i, it’s been possible to carry over several engine components from the B58TU standard production engine.

Video highlights the same & charts the similarities, differences & part sharing between these two engines featuring the BMW G20 M340i which is the M Performance model & G82 BMW M4 from the BMW M stable

Introduction

The BMW B58 engine is found in many cars like the M340i, X3M40i, X4 M40i, Toyota Supra etc. & the BMW S58 engine is found in cars like the M3, M4, X3M, X4M etc. However, today's discussion is going to focus on 2 cars with specs. as under;

G20 M340i is a M Performance BMW with the B58TU (Engine Code: B58B30O1) producing 382 HP.

&

G82 M4 is a M Power BMW from the M stable with the BMW S58 (Engine Code: S58B30T0) producing 510 HP (Competition Spec.)

Though the S58 is based on the B58TU only 10% of the components are the same & 90% are different or new or present in some sort of an upgrade.

Let's discuss the Similarities first:

• Chain Drive is the same for both these engines
• Intake Valves are the same just some material changes to adapt to the S58.
• VANOS concept is the same & carried over with some adaptations
• Injectors are Same
• DME is the same for both the cars

Differences:

• S58 gets a New Cylinder Head Gasket
• S58 has 2 Turbo Chargers whereas the B58 is a single turbo engine.
• S58 gets 2 Air Intake Ducts v/s 1 in the B58TU
• New CrankCase
• Forged Crankshaft (LightWeight)
• Forged Pistons
• A New Exhaust system
• New Cooling System

In addition to the above changes & adaptations the S58 gets some changes in the Oil supply (Additional Oil Sump lid) & a new (Single Stage) Vacuum Pump

So the core narrative around the G82 M4 or the G80 M3 has been about its styling and how controversial its front nose is, but in the middle of all this, we should not forget how fantastic it is to drive.

So I have driven the M4 on a couple of occasions previously, once on a drive organised by my dealership and the 2nd time at a track day event. Both times I have had the opportunity to go all out and experience the power of the S58. But this drive was about how it drives in regular local city conditions at moderately brisk speeds.

Immediate impressions about the B58 v/s S58 topic is that the B58 feels more refined & relaxed in the city, whereas the S58 feels more raw & eager.

The torque down under & mid-range feels more abundant v/s the B58.

B58 redlines @ 7000 rpm whereas the S58 has a 7500 rpm redline.

Quick talk about the exhaust, my M340i with the M Performance exhaust sounds better than the stock M4 S58, it's true. Both engines sound similarly good but in this car, the OPF restricts the drama. Maybe an OPF delete should be considered for the M4 owners.

Overall the S58 in the M4 feels like a typical M Car engine where the performance is mega, Limits are approachable & most importantly it's easy to drive fast.

Final Thoughts

If these cars were into bodybuilding then the B58 is only on protein shakes and a natural whereas the S58 is the one on steroids. To conclude things it would be fair to say that the B58 is the leader in 6-cyl technology for non-M Cars, whereas the S58 is bigger on power having a proper Motorsport inclination opening up the possibilities for the tuning world and aftermarket modifications. So the right way to say is that the S58 engine is the more heavy-duty B58 engine & the B58 has heavy-duty potential.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The other new car options I considered were BMW M340i, 330Li and the GLA 35 AMG.

BHPian Tvk1991 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I am happy to share that I purchased an A35 AMG in the month of April 2023, the booking was done in Jan and I got the car delivered on April 2nd week.

The other new car options I considered were BMW M340i,330Li, and the GLA 35 AMG.
Used car options were C43 AMG, CLA/GLA 45 AMG, and BME 340I

M340i: I tried seeing the car twice in the showroom and both times was not successful. The OTR price was 25% higher and there were no discounts.

330Li: I was mainly considering the 330i and not the LI as the car will be used by my wife mostly. So I felt we won't be needing the longer wheelbase version. Took a test drive of the interiors and the drive feel was good but the car felt big for me.

A35 or GLA35: I personally loved sedans much when compared to hatches/SUVs. So decided to go ahead with the A35 AMG. There were many demo cars with multiple dealers for 20-30% less. But the Interest rate was calculated as a used car for these.

Used cars: I saw a white CLA 45 AMG in Hyderabad, a GLA 45 AMG in Bengaluru, and a C43 AMG in Delhi the cars were good and were within my budget. But obtaining a loan for a used car was a bit tricky particularly if I was in TN and I am planning to buy another state car.

We preferred to buy the car with finance and this was not a possible used car. Now I am saving some funds in FD's for my next car to go for a loan against FD and purchase my next used car.

The pre-booking and test drive experience were good but they continuously pushed the delivery dates and I paid off the whole amount on March 31st after getting confirmation car was ready to be shipped and delivered on April 2nd week.

Been using the car for 5.5k kms so far, I took the car for 1 1-month/1000kms checkup and was charged around 4k for a rodent protection sleeve for the steering wire.

Use it only for self-drives on weekends, weekday nights, and vacations.

Likes:

1) Like the performance and decent legroom for rear occupants.
2) 8-year warranty for turbo, engine, and gear box.

Dislikes:

1) The major one is GC. Have scrapped multiple times so far mainly in diversion from NH to side roads where the Speed breakers are mental.
The GC is so low 113mm only.
2) Due to GC have to take out only in places I know the road well.

Trips so far:

1) Chennai-Bengaluru
2) Chennai-Pondy
3) Chennai- Yercaud
4) Chennai-Kumbakonam
5) Chennai- Sivakasi

FE in all trips between 8.5-10.5 km/l based on how we drive.

Removed the speed chime 3 weeks back and enjoyed the car much better during highway runs.

Upgrades planned:

1) Plan to go for stage 1 or stage 2 with a Downpipe in the future.
2) Change tires from 235/40/18 to 235/45/18 to increase the GC by 11mm.
3) Planning to take the service package before the end of 1 year.
4) Thinking of changing colours of the alloys to Gold.

Some pics of the car:

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

BMW also had the M4C, M5C, M340, X3M40i and the XM for the event. Driving these during the event is always a lot of fun.

BHPian Robimahanta recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Had the opportunity to participate in the BMW M town event held at the Madras International Circuit. I wanted to drive the G87 M2 manual, luckily they had 6 M2 manuals for the event. It was immense fun driving the M2 on the track. It has been a while since I drove a powerful manual car, the M2 didn't disappoint. As the last RWD BMW M car with no electrification and a manual transmission, the G87 is a very desirable car. Even looks much better in person than in the pictures, especially in black.

BMW also had the M4C, M5C, M340, X3M40i and the XM for the event. Driving these during the event is always a lot of fun.

A very well organised event for enthusiasts and a Sunday well spent.

Some pictures,

The monster V8's

Getting ready in the M2 Manual

Line up

Testing ABS during the lane change event

Lovely interiors of the XM

Bright blue M4 interior

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.

It is funny that the M340i gives a better mileage than the Thar.

BHPian robimahanta recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Thar: 26000kms

Got a radio installed with a magnetic mount antenna. Quite useful in off-road trails and convoy drives. The installation is noting great but does the job.

Usually, I keep the antenna unscrewed from the mount unless the range is an issue.

Some pictures,

The way the Thar guzzles petrol, I found it apt to use this sticker. It is funny that the M340i gives a better mileage than the Thar.

GTI: 58000kms

Did the 6th year of service at VW. Changed the lower arms as the rubber components were damaged. Did some proper suspension mount lubrication along with the basic filter and oil changes. The left rear wheel speed sensors had gone kaput, so had to replace them. Really happy with the cost and efficiency of VW service.

Routine service

The wheel speed sensor which malfunctioned

New lower arms

Strut lubrication

M340i 23000kms

Haven't been driving much other than the short weekend drives. The car is performing flawlessly. Changed the registration plates to HSRP along with all GTI. Didn't have the heart to drill/rivet it so have used a frame. Karnataka has extended the last date for HSRP plates till February 2024, so will take a call regarding riveting at that time.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

It was mega fun to watch the Polo 1.0L TSI move. The BMW 530d was built to do this and it was perhaps the least exerted on the highway run.

BHPian megazoid recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Max Verstappen was going about his business in style and Kalle Rovanpera had already claimed this year's WRC crown. What remained was for us to make our Sunday a wee bit special.

The city and nearby areas had got a fair bit of rain in the past few days and everything was looking pretty. Woke up to good weather and tried sneaking out of the apartment without disturbing anyone. Promptly dropped the water bottle, which bounced in numerous ways not only waking up folks at home but also the neighbour's dog. Cursing the water bottle, made my way into the car and saw the fuel needle resting on its side making no effort to wake up. Realized I needed gas and that would make me further delayed.

Drove into a neighbouring pump and filled regular petrol, rolled the windows down, made small sounds of happiness and drove to the meet point about 20kms away. The day looked lovely with the sun slowly popping out and the early morning folks were up and about, enjoying their day. Tried to fiddle around with the phone while driving and saw a board clearly stating "No mobile phones while driving", refrained from doing anything foolish and concentrated on getting to the location safely.

Low and Fast

One interesting thing about our bunch of driving buddies is that everyone is extremely punctual. Nothing gets more irritating than to see a friend turn up sipping orange juice with a smile while others are melting in the sun. Everyone wanted to quickly get on with the drive and we started moving quickly.

There was a 1.0L Polo AT, a 530d, a 340i and a 330i. We kept a nice rhythm and picked up pace as we left the city behind. After an hour's drive, got to our breakfast point where a BMW Z4 was gathering eyeballs along with a bunch of big bikes. Felt that our day had started on a good note. Had a quick breakfast and polished off a coffee before continuing with the drive.

It was mega fun to watch the Polo move. As a past Polo owner, I could imagine the fun Nerd1200 was having behind the wheel. The 530d was built to do this and it was perhaps the least exerted on the highway run. d3mon knows his car very very well technically had put all his buttons to good use and used his locomotive torque and set sail. The M340i has seen most roads around these parts and it likes fast action and robimahanta happily obliged.

We veered off the fast highway into an undulating curvy stretch which had lovely tree cover. Apart from the beautiful scenery, the car and its occupants were subjected to strong lateral forces that proved beyond doubt that our heads weren't just freely mounted on our necks. Every now and then, we would park, jump out of the car gesticulating wildly about the beauty of the cars making the villager going about his life obviously puzzled at these antics.

Reservoir

After being challenged by curvy two-lane roads, we decided to make things more interesting and landed up on a single-lane winding piece of road that turned out to be super fun. We gathered together at some nice spots for some photos and some relaxation before starting to drive again. At some point, I lost my bearing and went deeper and deeper into some bylanes and finally reached a point of no progress. The Big 5 series just would not be able to squeeze through this alley. This brought out another interesting aspect of the group. People are extremely accommodating even when something were to go wrong with the plan.

Fast and Furious

A short fuel break and we were on the move again. The pace picked up again once the small settlements were behind us and all the cars and their occupants had a great time. We got through a tight ghat that had the 530d tires squealing in protest. The 340i was clinically fast and the Polo was sitting pretty in the rearview mirror easily.

Robi had to drop his friend, who was with us on the drive, at the airport. The friend turned out to be a very good pilot and drove the 340i really well. They had to make it back and could not join us for lunch. The rest of us had a late lunch and then parted ways making it a small yet happy driving day.

Men of honour

Credit for all the pictures to the rightful owners.

May the tribe grow!

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.