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It finally happened! After selling my 2013 328i last August, I’m finally back in a Bimmer! I sold my F30 before moving to Germany for a 3-year military assignment with every intention of buying another one soon after arriving. That all changed when some things went very well and I found that I could now afford a 335i and that if I waited until the summer I could get a 340i. So I locked my wallet, and resigned myself to my wife’s CR-V for the next 10 months, all to get into a 340i.

And now I am quite possibly the first person in the world to have a private production 340i in their driveway. After 60 inaugural miles on the autobahn, I couldn’t be happier!

Here’s my build:
2016 340i, Mineral Gray
Sport Automatic (I’ve already been criticized for this one, but I love it!)
M-Sport Package
Track Handling Package
18” 398 Orbit Gray wheels
Summer Staggered tires
Anthracite Wood Trim
Driver Assistance Package
Heated Front Seats
Side & Top View Cameras

And now for my impressions:

When I walked into the dealership I spotted it right away. The orbit gray 398 wheels were only going to be on a 2016 F30, so I had no trouble finding it. My first instinct was to look to evaluate how dark or light they were, as I knew that had been a point of interest for many people, including me.

I was pleased to find that the shade of the wheels is almost exactly the same as mineral gray paint. So they are essentially right in the middle of the black ones from the ordering guide and the ones previously seen on the 435i ZHP. I love the color, and think they look wonderfully edgy without being solid black. They will do a good job of hiding brake dust without looking aftermarket.

For the interior, I love the oyster gray stitching and accent in the black Dakota Leather. It gives it just a little bit of contrast, and is very nice. Having the anthracite ceiling and pillars is also very nice. The Harmon Kardon is a huge step above the hi-fi stereo from my previous bimmer.

Once I finally got in and fired up the engine, the sound was glorious! It’s not as mean sounding as an M3, but it’s a far cry better than the 2013 328i I had previously. The 328i had a distinctly diesel sound that bugged me. It was a wonderful engine, but the engine sound coming from that car was like having young Kathleen Turner looks with old Kathleen Turner voice. It was distracting. The B58 engine has a very slight grumble to it, and purrs pleasantly.

Okay, okay! Now for the driving and suspension!

Remember, I came from a base-line 2013 328i, so anything from a 340i M-Sport with Track Package is going to blow my mind! But I remember clearly enough the feel of driving the 328. I can’t compare pre-LCI 704 or DHP suspension with the new one, because I haven’t driven the pre-LCI sport or dynamic suspension. But I can tell you that the new suspension feels a lot like driving the 2010 Mini Cooper S I used to have, except wider and with much better tires. It feels like it’s very firmly planted on the road, and the PSS tires feel like they’d hold me to the side of a cliff.

I paid very close attention switching between Eco, Comfort, Sport, and Sport+ to see if I could feel a difference in straight and level driving. I was surprised to note that I could feel a very noticeable difference. In Eco mode and Comfort mode, it felt like driving on a pleasant, recently paved road. When I switched to Sport, I found I could feel small rocks in the road and seams/cracks in the pavement through the wheel and my seat. It really did stiffen the suspension and increase sensory input through the wheel. I haven’t been too twisty with it yet, and haven’t taken the RPMs above 4500, but in the many round-abouts in the area I could get a feel for body roll quite readily. In sport mode I couldn’t feel any body roll. In Eco, I could definitely feel a little bit. I can already tell I will greatly appreciate the ability to soften the ride on long car trips. I switched it to Sport+ a couple times, but as expected, it only seemed to change the DSC, which I felt no need to keep off.

As soon as I get the chance, this car will go on the Nurburgring. It’s only an hour and a half from me, I feel like I owe it to the car. I will be keeping DSC on for that drive.

As I said, I can’t compare this to pre-LCI suspension, but in this car I can’t see it matching up with the criticism I read about the pre-LCI suspension being too “floaty” or “disconnected”. I could feel the rubber of the tires gripping the road through the steering wheel, in a very good way.

The one thing I am still undetermined about is my opinion of variable steering. It was the one aspect that betrayed the electric heart of the steering wheel. I could feel it actively changing the ratio as I drove. Though it was changing it correctly and improving the efficiency of steering, it did lend a partially electric feel. I have a feeling I will get used to it and come to love it, as many others have before me.

The M-Sport brakes are exceptional! No squeaking or squealing as of yet, and I gave them a few good presses. We’ll see how they handle being wet and worn in a bit. For now, though, I can feel the size of the rotors and their ability to really bring this beast to a stop.

As for the electronics, I’m unfortunately not going to be the best source of information. I did not get the Tech Package. I’m one of those weird guys who prefers having his phone mounted to the dash. I mounted my iPhone 6+ to a Proclip with iOauto magnetic mount, and for me, it’s perfect.

To clear up some previous confusion, even without tech Package or 6NS, I am able to activate Siri with a long-press of the voice command button. And with Apple Music, I can call up any album, song, or artist I want at any time, or make radio stations on the fly. I’m quite happy with it!

The side and top view cameras as well as rear-view camera all work as they have in previous iterations. Nothing new there. I found myself in a tight spot already today and was very happy to have the radar and cameras to keep my new bumpers safe.

I now open the floor for any questions you may have! I’ll try to fulfill any picture requests in addition to this post tomorrow when I have light again.

I’m so happy!

[RPM90]

Very nice!

Congrats and enjoy!

[NO_RETURN]

The only thing that could make it better is if you picked it up at the Welt!

Stunning sir, well played.

[bucknutz]

Awesome! I'm going to the same dealer on Monday to pick mine up too.

I was told that a Welt pickup would have added up to 3 weeks to the delivery time, so I chose getting the car sooner instead.

[AudiA4]

Congratulations! Super cool that you're one of the first in the world! I guess my question #1 would be how does it drive (chassis/powertrain updates), but I suppose that would only be a realistic commentary had you been driving the pre-LCI F30 for comparison.

Note: How could these now be in delivery yet NOT ONE public/media/journalist "first drive" review?

[Thumper333]

Love the wheels. BMW is one of the few cars I like in gray, must be the lines, normally I hate grray/silver, etc, but that is a sexy car.

Be sure to get a GoPro for your trip to the ring, be a great keepsake. Hoping to ED one of my next leases (or two, then wife and I could both drive it LOL) and hit the ring.

[Vegetable]

so sweet, congrats.

[Daftasabrush]

Congratulations, I suspect a lot of the handling you're enjoying is down to the MPSS and 18s. Any chance of a video or two of the exhaust note?

[DrivenByE30]

Congrats! Please post more pics.

Personally i think the lighter shade of wheels would be better but taste....


Enjoy buddy, lucky B.... Bimmer owner

That turbo six is music to the ears...

[snowghost]

Congrats, nice ride. Missing a pedal though

[TBolts10]

Wow, looks absolutely amazing man. I love the wheels!

[Agamemnon]

Love the wheel and tire package. The wheels should be easy to clean and no run flats to change out.

[David9962000]

What a beauty... What do you have for the spare tire? I don't think you have runflats?

[drexplode]

more of the front seats!!

[yemenmocha]

Nice! Congrats!

Also, don't know how you can sleep at night while parking it so close to that adjacent car.

[M-Pilot]

Congrats, looking sharp! If I'm not wrong, this is M sport and does not have fog lights. Good to know that you can opt out for the fog lights

[clemsonkev]

enjoy it! By the time you crave for more power, there will likely be a JB4 or Cobb available for that engine.

[clemsonkev]

...... now don't forget to tint those windows a bit and drop it an inch or two with some new springs. You'll thank us later.

[NightWriter]

Congrats, enjoy. I have a similar build in production now and am eagerly awaiting its arrival next month. I'm a disappointed, though, to hear about the steering, from you and from some other initial reviews. I can live without stellar feedback--that ship seems to have sailed long ago in the automotive world, it seems (other than, perhaps, Porsche), but the reviews almost make it sound like the atrociously spooky steering of the Infiniti Q50. I'm wondering if this will be bad enough for BMW to issue some TSB to address (if possible).

Excerpts from (and links to) first reviews: http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1151395

[Bkpk]

congratulations.. enjoy your 340

[bocajunioz]

Great color, congrats!

[Moony]

congrats!