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      09-10-2015, 06:32 AM   #1
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340i xDrive Performance Center Delivery

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I picked up my 340i yesterday from the BMW Performance Center in Spartanburg, SC (one of the first ones there). For anyone who hasn't taken advantage of this program, I can't recommend it enough. Following are photos from my visit, interspersed with comments about the vehicle itself.

Vehicle: 340i xDrive in glacier silver metallic / saddle brown dakota leather and ash grain inlays with the following options:
  • Cold weather package
  • Driver Assistance Package
  • Track handling package
  • M Sport Package
  • Rear window/windshield shades
  • Side/Top view cameras

The adventures begin at the Greenville Marriott, courtesy of BMWNA:


...followed by a great dinner at the hotel restaurant. People watching at nearby tables suggests (BMW Motorsport caps) a pattern. BMW picks up the tab for this as well.



The next morning, breakfast buffet at the hotel, then shuttle over to the PC, a few exits up I-85. We start at 8am sharp.



First, an introduction, then a short class on what we'll be doing at the track. All instructors have professional racing experience.



First up, the skidpad. With an instructor beside you in a 335i, they soak the asphalt, turn off DSC, and egg you on to hammer the gas. No big surprises. Then repeat, with DSC on. It's truly an eye-opening experience how effective it works.





Next, a panic braking exercise. In speeds ranging from 20 to 55 mph, we stabbed the brakes and allowed ABS to help us steer through a simulated turn. The instructors watch carefully and offer constructive advice.



Next, some hot laps on a small section of their course, featuring cones to help you follow the racing line. If you end up behind a slower driver, then you inevitably have to slow down in areas.



To keep the adrenaline going, we then took over as passengers as the instructors hooned M3's and M4's around the same course and then onto the skidpad, showing off their skills and the cars' performance envelopes alike. They go through tires fairly regularly, I heard.





Next, the moment we've been waiting for: delivery. The presentation is awesome, as is the staff's attention to detail and thoroughness.













Next, lunch at the cafe (again, complimentary), and a chance to chat with other new customers and/or the staff. Everyone's friendly.



Thereafter, a short break, and then a taste of off-roading in X5's. For me (who's never done this before), angling up a steep incline and seeing nothing through the windshield other than blue sky, this was exhilarating.





Then, on to a walking tour of the nearby manufacturing plant, where they produce the X3, X4, X5, X6 (and soon, X7). It's an enormous and incredibly complex operation, and it's fascinating to observe the process. No photos allowed, unfortunately.

Finally, an optional stroll through the Zentrum/BMW museum. First, a couple of photo ops out front.



















... and finally, the (for me, anyway) long drive home.






So, thoughts?

The car is brilliant. Whatever faults some people have complained about, it's all nit picking. The car's obviously still breaking in, so I haven't even pushed it hard for regular road use. But the steering, braking, and handling are all sublime. Merging onto I-70 at 11pm going 70 mph, a rabbit leapt in front of me, and instinctively I was able to quickly steer around him. The tires were barely broken in, yet there was zero drama as the car obeyed. If there's any numbness to the steering, it barely registers, and while there may not be as much feedback as from, say, a well-tuned go-cart, it's an excellent rack, and I have no complaints. Yes, it has VSS, but it also has 18" Michelin Pilot Super Sports (non-runflat), and they're both compliant and very sticky. The differences between comfort and sport are noticeable: the suspension firms up nicely, the steering weight gets heavier, the transmission shifts more rapidly, and the throttle becomes a lot more sensitive. Also, the exhaust gets louder; I'm not sure if it's entirely artificial or not, and I don't really care since it sounds like it's coming from the rear. At highway speeds, though, it's an almost droning sound, so I found myself going back to comfort mode.

The best part (no surprise) is the powertrain. I haven't gone above 4k rpm, yet the engine is already plenty powerful. The torque is unreal; At highway speeds, it pulls as hard in seventh gear as my Infiniti G37 did in fifth...maybe even fourth. It may not be quite as smooth as the inline-6 from my old E39 530i, but it more than makes up for that in the power reserves. And the 8-speed steptronic deserves all the praise it gets. In automatic mode, it never places a wrong gear. And in manual mode, it shifts instantly and effectively. I had grown used to factoring in a requisite lag with my G37, leaving about a second between the paddle pull and the actual gear change. In the 340, it happens so fast that it feels premature; I'll have to re-learn when to actually shift.

The ride home was 500 miles. (Not a good way to start off a lease.) The car ate up the miles easily. The sport seats are extremely comfortable, the leather is fragrant and feels fantastic. The wheel is perfectly sized, shaped, and textured. I averaged 29.5 mpg.

Is it perfect? iDrive may be better than it used to, but the overall design is still a little fussy and will take some getting used to, and some controls may seem perfectly logical to a German but don't convey as intuitively as they could. The Harmon Kardon system is merely decent. And the 12v outlet between my cupholders doesn't seem to work. I think that's about it.

Edit: The 12v outlet works fine, but was too deep for the charger I was using.

Last edited by NightWriter; 09-11-2015 at 06:20 AM..
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      09-10-2015, 06:50 AM   #2
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Nice shots and congrats on a beautiful F30!
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      09-10-2015, 07:13 AM   #3
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Thanks for the tour, congrats on the ride she is a real beauty.
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      09-10-2015, 07:19 AM   #4
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sweet...congrats!!!
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      09-10-2015, 07:27 AM   #5
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Great photos and write-up. Makes me even more impatient for our F31 PCD at the end of October.
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      09-10-2015, 07:44 AM   #6
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Assuming the California PC opens this year or within the next 10 months or so, I deeply want to do this with my next car. Palm Springs to Portland is worse hit on my lease miles than your 500 miles, but I'll do it anyway. :-) Your car is gorgeous!
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      09-10-2015, 07:47 AM   #7
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Congrats on the new ride. You have some pretty slick photography skills there.
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      09-10-2015, 08:38 AM   #8
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Great write-up and your car looks great too. The saddle brown works well with the silver
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      09-10-2015, 08:59 AM   #9
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Awesome. That's about exactly how I would order a 340i minus the x drive
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      09-10-2015, 09:16 AM   #10
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I tell everyone that you have to do PCD at least once. Can't wait for my lease to be up so we can go again. The factory was closed to tours for retooling for the X4 when we were there.
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      09-10-2015, 10:40 AM   #11
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Beautiful ride! Thanks for the pictures and write up.
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      09-10-2015, 11:23 AM   #12
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Hey, you finally got it!
Congrats!

Looks very nice.
The dark wheels are still too dark for me even though they should hide the brake dust nicely.

Mine is silver with red interior, no track pack, with Adaptive.
BMW says it's in transport so I'm expecting it by the end of the month, hopefully.

It'll be interesting for me to feel if I miss VSS as I have it now in my 335i.
I'm holding hope that the 340i will be better in the areas that my 335i lacks.
From yours and other 340i reviews I might be happy.

Thanks for the post.
Happy driving!
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      09-10-2015, 12:29 PM   #13
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Great write-up indeed! Nice to see a good picture of Saddle + no Nav.

Quote:
Originally Posted by RPM90 View Post
Mine is silver with red interior, no track pack, with Adaptive.
BMW says it's in transport so I'm expecting it by the end of the month, hopefully.
Looking forward to seeing pictures of yours! Had a tough time choosing between silver+red and blue+brown, but have the latter on order.
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      09-10-2015, 01:40 PM   #14
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beautiful car - i love the wheels, they look fantastic.

Welcome to a fellow g37 expat
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      09-10-2015, 01:42 PM   #15
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Thanks for the great photos and write-up!

Nice to hear your opinions on many points.
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      09-10-2015, 01:53 PM   #16
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Looks great! Was there some sort of fog light delete option? I thought BMW made fog lights standard on the M-Sport again last year.
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      09-10-2015, 01:55 PM   #17
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If you haven't gone above 4k revs then you haven't driven the car yet.

Otherwise awesome thread

edit:
We should have a general rule that says do not write about the 340i until you have redlined the car
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      09-10-2015, 02:00 PM   #18
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Congrats! Nice write up! Enjoy!
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      09-10-2015, 02:00 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jz View Post
Looks great! Was there some sort of fog light delete option? I thought BMW made fog lights standard on the M-Sport again last year.
Selecting the track handling package automatically deletes them, at least for US-spec cars, and adds extra radiator cooling in those holes instead. I wouldn't mind having the fogs, but I don't think it's a huge loss; the LED headlights are superb. Driving late at night with the high beams was awesome.
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      09-10-2015, 02:02 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 300hp View Post
If you haven't gone above 4k revs then you haven't driven the car yet.

Otherwise awesome thread

edit:
We should have a general rule that says do not write about the 340i until you have redlined the car
Hah, so I accidentally violated the break-in rules in manual mode, forgetting that pushing the stalk is a downshift. I went from 5th to 3rd and probably got it above 5k rpm very briefly. I hope Munich didn't get an automatic notification to terminate my warranty.

But, yes, I can't wait to dive deep into the rev range...
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      09-10-2015, 02:14 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NightWriter
Quote:
Originally Posted by 300hp View Post
If you haven't gone above 4k revs then you haven't driven the car yet.

Otherwise awesome thread

edit:
We should have a general rule that says do not write about the 340i until you have redlined the car
Hah, so I accidentally violated the break-in rules in manual mode, forgetting that pushing the stalk is a downshift. I went from 5th to 3rd and probably got it above 5k rpm very briefly. I hope Munich didn't get an automatic notification to terminate my warranty.

But, yes, I can't wait to dive deep into the rev range...
Neither can I man

FYI, there is a school of thought that says it's good to redline your car during break in
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      09-10-2015, 02:19 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 300hp View Post
If you haven't gone above 4k revs then you haven't driven the car yet.

Otherwise awesome thread

edit:
We should have a general rule that says do not write about the 340i until you have redlined the car
I will guarantee you that once I pick up my 340i it will be driven as it should be within the first 100 miles if not sooner.
That does mean a few meetings with redline.
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