12-10-2017, 08:52 AM | #45 | |
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Yumin I thought I recognized a subbie guy. Well I didnt want to do this but what the hell - here's my gripe list. The good: Big picture: the 340i is a fine car. In refinement and drivetrain performance it is in the elite class - that is why I went with it from my previous car a 2015 STi. I needed a break from the noise and the low speed jiggliness of the ride. I have always admired BMWs for how precise the throttle tip in is - a tiny change in the gas pedal gives a metered response that is consistent - not an easy thing to do with a turbocharged engine. That quality alone is a big draw for someone who likes to drive and pays attention to the details of his/her machine. B58 is great (my license plate) - but you dont really get the goods til 5.5k rpm - stil nice to have it and I have the MPPSK. I do love the sound of the exhaust and the over rev burbles. (honestly pales in comparison to my old STi, I know thats subjective and people will laugh. The STi was badass. The 340i not so much but still nice with the exhaust upgrade) The bad: Big picture - $60k and I dont have a frigging backup camera. Seriously - how BMW made this optional is beyond me. This is my fault for not understanding what is bundled in their technology package. I wanted a performance sedan with a stick and awd. Didnt think I'd have to option out the car just to get a safety feature that has been on every honda, toyota and subaru since 2014. Bullshit is what this is. Runflats - this single item which so many people are willing to overlook represents the core problem with BMW today - there cant possibly be a single engineer at the company who believes runflats perform better than non runflats. Yet they have made design decisions based on this for the entire car line - no place for a spare, suspension calibrations specifically designed for the significant added weight and harshness. Other companies have figured out how to make their cars work with spares and better tire options. I have ditched the runflats and my car certainly drives better. But the thing was designed for a different wheel/tire interface and I believe it is one of the reasons why the driving experience is so unsatisfactory. Driving dynamics - here it is. My 2015 STi was so much more entertaining compared to this car that it is not even close. C'mon BMW - where the hell s the passion? Is it only over there at the M group of cars that are $10-15k more expensive? The 2 series? - sorry no stick with awd. In ultimate speed my STi and the 340 are very close. Yes I spent around $1.2k in mods on my STi for a very conservative stage II tune - something I wont do for my BMW because if the engine goes its $20-30k with the bimmer, while I could have replaced the whole engine on the subbie for $8k. And really should I have to spend more on the $60k car I just got to make it drive how I want? The 340i is just a numb piece of work. There is never a time where it satisfies. No passion - just a sleepy affair that tries not to offend. The steering we have discussed - was hoping the sport mode would make it tight, but again whatever the engineers thought they were doing is laughable. It is just heavy and artificial. I keep the steering in comfort setting because it seems at least more "honest" and doesnt surprise me with fake news (couldnt resist) about the road. Dashboard - STi (and my father's Crosstrek for that matter) spoiled me I guess. Forget about the fact that the analog orange is a bit hard to read in some light - the thing I loved about the subbie was that the white on black was super hi res and there was a mode where you can have the speed displayed prominently digitally. (maybe there is a mode where this is possible on my 340 but I have yet to find it) I came to rely on this when I was driving to check on my speed when I'd enter different speed zones in case I was speeding. it really was more convenient and faster. I guess I should have spent more money on the technology HUD package. But again BMW is just cheaping out and making customers pay for content that other downmarket manufacturers have solved. Thats mostly it - all of my gripes would be minimal if the car inspired passion. Unfortunately for me it doesnt. I know lots of you enjoy the car and it is fine in many ways. I will be moving on after a few years to a marque that doesnt make idiotic decisions at the expense of driving capabilities, involvement and enjoyment. |
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12-10-2017, 10:53 AM | #46 |
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I don't understand the comments about how the engine is boring below 5500rpm.
Dynos of 335i and 340i show that torque starts falling off rapidly at 5000rpm. At 5500rpm you're making the same torque as 1250rpm. In a drag race you'd shift around 5k for best performance. Now go back to the sweet NA I6 engines of past years like the E36 and E46, those are engines you'd want to wind out to redline. Turbos, not so much in general unless you're in a Porsche. Grocery-getters like non-M BMWs are tuned for early, flat torque which falls off at the top end. It does make for a more boring experience than NA engines, so I wholeheartedly agree with that sentiment for those who appreciate the feeling of speed building as much as actual speed. |
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12-10-2017, 12:05 PM | #47 | |
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I would shift at 5.6/5.7K RPM. Torque fall off between 5K & 6K is very slight & peak horsepower does not occur till 5200RPM. Once you shift you will be dropping 500+ RPM depending on gear still be in the meat of the power band. Goal is to maintain the highest available average power. In a drag race the torque gets you going but as speed increase its the horsepower that pulls the to end. Everytime you shift you lose available torque multiplication from the gear box & start to rely on the constant horsepower generated by engine speed not gearing. The MPPSK or JB4 etc just pushes the whole set of numbers & shift point further up the RPM range. Have not dynoed the 440 MPPSK & would like to see some specific DynoJet runs since all my old runs are DynoJet based. BTW on the topic. Two downs on the 440. No cooled seats & no climate control driver/passenger temperature sync button.
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12-11-2017, 01:50 AM | #48 |
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I missed one on my list. This, the adaptive are brighter.
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12-11-2017, 02:08 AM | #49 | |
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I saw your post after I posted about another lame thing I missed on my 340 which is the adaptive headlights. They really suck and people need to order the adaptive headlights because they are way brighter than the standard ones. I am Sorry to see you managed to option out a $60,000 BMW 340 without a back up camera. I have no idea why BMW does not include this as standard. I was super stingy with my options and whenever I back up I am so lazy now that I just look at my back up camera and listen for the beeps. That back up camera has already saved me an accidental plow into a pillar at a parking garage! I also admire the Subaru STI. I almost bought one (I don't know how to drive an automatic) but went for a test drive and that pretty much ended that. The suspension is stiff, so stiff if you were to replace the suspension with Wood it would become softer. The Sti has no low-end and when you start modifying it ... well you can Google it and see what happens. The 340 produces more power with better reliability with basic mods (if that's even possible with a BMW) than the Subaru. I do admit driving the Subaru STI versus the 340 in stock form is a more engaging experience on the racetrack but when you take your wife out on a date or valet park or drive to work or park your mistresses apartment ... it's not the best choice . |
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12-11-2017, 10:27 AM | #50 |
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The road noise (likely due largely in part to the Bridgestone run flats and m sport suspension combo) and occasional rattles and creeks on the inside
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12-11-2017, 10:32 AM | #51 |
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Yeah, I think next up for me is to TRY to deal with some of the rattles and wind noise. I didn't really expect to have to deal with any of that with a 60k car. Ok. I have all the coding / electronics sorted, and the cosmetics. I may get a ricer splitter at some point..
Next up will be summer wheels / tires, and then better springs and dampers. Then the JB4 to give me that wall of boost. I think most of all what it is is there's no WHOOOSH sound. Sound is feel and feel is sound. I don't get that feeling that the turbo is effortlessly pulling me along at 3/4 throttle around town.. that's what I need to get the smile on my face. A bigger turbo wouldn't be a bad idea, not sure about this one... maybe just an intake would make it sound and feel better |
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12-11-2017, 12:15 PM | #52 |
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On the back-up camera. Isn't that standard? Have one on my car & don't remember ordering one & its not on my Moroney sheet as an option.
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12-11-2017, 12:36 PM | #53 |
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It is on LCI. NHTSA mandates it on all cars sold in the US after 2018 i believe.
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12-11-2017, 12:38 PM | #54 |
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Backup camera became standard in the last year or two, since the Feds mandated it (beginning mid 2018). BMW caved and included it before the mandate kicked in.
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12-11-2017, 01:36 PM | #55 |
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I hate how hard it is to go slow lol that's one of the most difficult things to do. I pull from stop signs going at least 20 mph in my neighborhood with a bunch of 20-30 mph limits.
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12-11-2017, 04:04 PM | #56 |
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12-11-2017, 04:45 PM | #57 |
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The AC sucks.
The LED headlight is not bright. The moonroof is small in modern standard. Can't think of anything else now.
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12-11-2017, 07:10 PM | #58 |
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It's standard for 2018 I think.
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12-11-2017, 08:30 PM | #59 |
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I just took delivery on a 2018 two weeks ago. There have been several improvements to the 2018-
The M Adaptive Suspension is tuned far more aggressively then previous model years with DHP. I'd say it's just about right as far as handling feel goes. The build quality has steadily improved even though the materials are subpar for the price point. The Motor is incredible, power is linear and smooth as silk. I'd be happy with this motor in any car, it's that good. The big weakness is the steering, it's way too light, almost darty at high speeds. Bmw has just f**ked the EPS in this generation. It might be worse in class. |
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12-11-2017, 09:53 PM | #60 | |
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12-12-2017, 07:08 AM | #61 |
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I don't really like the new style of the LED DRLs on the LCI. I like it better pre-LCI.
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12-12-2017, 07:24 AM | #62 |
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Yeah you reminded me. I really wish these cars had a panoramic moon roof or something more substantial.
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12-12-2017, 12:33 PM | #63 |
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Jeez, this is a tough crowd. I love my 340i. In fact, I got out of a 2017 C43 AMG to move back to BMW. The car is simply fantastic. I finally learned that BMW simplicity is far superior to the glitz and glamour interiors of Audi/MB. Just my opinion after having a fully loaded C43, the interior LOOKED far better than the 340i, but it was a miserable piece of kit - looks can be deceiving. Rattles upon rattles upon rattles, COMAND system that made no sense, safety nannies that were intrusive and went off at any given time - and the 9G transmission was terrible.
Is my 340i perfect? No. Is it a great car compared to most others under 65K. Absolutely yes. If I had to complain, the steering with VSS in sport mode is a tad artificially heavy and the RFTs suck. But on the C43, it too had run flats and the steering was FAR too light. Bottom line, the 340i is a fantastic car and I am very much looking forward tot the M340i. |
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12-12-2017, 12:44 PM | #64 |
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12-15-2017, 05:42 PM | #66 |
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Just got the car 3 weeks ago. I'm coming from the Lexus RC350 F Sport. The power of the 340i is night and day from the RC. Love the stock handling from the M suspension too. Way better than the boat handling from Lexus. The steering in sport mode is a little stiff for factory suspension but im fine with that as long as the handles make up for the stiffness.
The Only thing I miss is the Mark Levison system from Lexus, the HK is ok. The most annoying thing is there's no passenger AC sync button. I usually have all the vents facing toward me and I hate it when I have to turn both knobs to get the same temperature. Lately I've been driving with no music and I'm definitely hearing a lot of wind noise on the highway and interior creaking. Kinda shocked coming from a 60k car. The Lexus was quite after 2 years. |
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