[MomoM3]

After a 72-day wait, I finally took delivery of my 2016 340i xDrive 6MT M-Sport 3 days ago. What a wait! I ordered my vehicle on Nov 2, it went into production the next day, and was finished by Nov 10. The vehicle finally left Rosslyn, SA on Nov 22 and made it to Port of NY/NJ on Jan 2 after a very long voyage. The wait out of the port in NJ was the worst – it sat at there for 10 days while clearing Customs and the VPC.

My tracking experience for this car was by far the worst and unbefitting of BMW. The BMWusa.com Track My BMW tool has been down since I ordered the car through current day, so my daily morning routine was to dial 800-831-1117, 2, XXXXXX, 1, 0 and speak to a live person for 2 minutes to see where my car was. Luckily, those folks are all awesome, happy people so I digress.

Although this is my 5th BMW in 10 years (05 M3, 08 M3, 08 M3, 12 X5), I actually just came out of a 2007 Mini Cooper S 6MT (R56) which I had been driving as a commuter car for the past year and a half. Still have the X5 but that’s my wife’s mommy mobile now. I’m basing a lot of this review in comparison to the M3s I’ve owned. I know it’s not fair but that’s the only barometer I have since this is my 1st standard 3er.

I got a great deal on my car - $5k below MSRP plus $4k in incentives (holiday, option, UDE, fleet). My dealer and CA are awesome.

Anyway, here is the build for my 2016 340i xDrive –


My requirements for a new car were simple – manual transmission, 4 doors, and AWD. As you know, there aren’t many options that meet these criteria. Before you say I should have gone RWD instead, I went with xDrive my own for good reasons. If my priority was RWD then the better option for me would have been another M3. I wanted AWD because I ski and often times travel a few hours to catch a storm up north or I’m off meeting with clients and need to get there regardless of the weather. Yes, it’s a a tad of an eyesore that xDrive sits higher but I guess the extra few millimeters won’t hurt in the snow. Of course I prefer the dynamics of RWD over AWD but that was a compromise I could live with.


What I couldn’t compromise with was not having a manual transmission. All of my BMWs have been 6MT with the exception of the X5, of course. I really can’t drive an automatic. I play with the flappy paddles and I get lost, I forget to shift, or I find myself bored within minutes.

I already threw on my winter setup too – 18” BBS SR with 225/45 Pirelli Winter Sottozero Serie II Run Flats. Got the V-rated version (they also make an H). These tires are surprisingly rigid although you can tell they are certainly not summer rubber.

I have an appointment next week for window tint but can’t decide between 35% or 50% on Alpine White. My Alpine White M3 had 20% but I always wish I had gotten it done lighter.

Complaints/Observations –
• It’s not an M
• MPPK/MPE kit not currently available. Wanted this installed at the port. Less appealing for me after the fact.
• I am still in break-in and haven’t gone above 4500 RPM so I have yet to see how much I can push this car.
• Steering feels very nice. I don’t feel the VSS much but the M sport suspension feels really nice and M-like.
• E-brake doesn’t engage so well. You have to pull up harder than normal to keep the car from rolling.
• M-brakes are softer than I expected. These are not as firm as my previous M3s so not sure what the difference I’m feeling is. Doubt it’s the lack of cross-drilled rotors but who knows.
• As others have said, the LEDs are very bright but aim a bit low for me. Also, it’s unfortunate they are reflective versus projection. I feel like that’s going backwards.
• Someone here said the doors feel heavier? They feel too light for me. I feel like I need to throw/pull my door noticeably harder than my other BMWs. Would have opted for soft-close doors had it been available
• Gear shifter doesn’t light up at night. I know I don’t need it but both my e92s had it. I don’t remember if the e46 had it.
• Trunk should have auto-close too
• Need something it the rear to pair with the black grills. I’m thinking of black gloss exhaust tips. Not sure if I can slip off the chrome tips and replace?
• Few folks here with 340i + snow tires have mentioned a “floaty” feeling or numb spot in the middle with their snow tires. Not me. My Pirelli RFT snow tires feel very close to the summer RFT.
• I had been driving the car in Comfort mode because I forgot about Sport. You can certainly feel the difference in throttle and steering between the modes. Sport mode is perfect.
• Having come from a few M3s I can say the sound of the 340i sounds somewhere between the e46s tinny-ness and the e92s growly-ness. Really nice sound especially on a cold start.
• The rev-matching 6MT is absolutely divine. I never learned how to double-clutch on a manual (I’ve tried many times) but the smoothness of the gearing makes me want to row gears all day. The shifter is a little notchy (less so than e92) and the spacing between gears could be just a little tighter. Clutch pedal is lighter than the M3s. Engagement point is high just like all the BMWs I’ve had.
• The Frontal Collision Warning and City Collision Mitigation in ZBD have already engaged. Got a warning beep and the car slammed my brakes enough where the ABS also engaged. Maybe it’s my driving style but I may need to drop the sensitivity a bit. I was on the fence on adding this package but if it saves me once, it’ll be worth it.
• How the heck do I turn off this annoying auto-stop??!!! I have pressed the off button dozens of times but it just randomly turns on again after each instance sometimes even in the same session. I want it off period.

And here’s some pics! Thanks to this wonderful community for answering pretty much all the questions I had the last 2-3 months! Time to go drive!









Winter Setup...

[ramellis65]

very nice good luck

[Daftasabrush]

E-brake/Handbrake gets better as it beds in. Mine was crap when it was new too, it now holds as well as any other car.

[kromix]

Originally Posted by MomoM3

• Need something it the rear to pair with the black grills. I’m thinking of black gloss exhaust tips. Not sure if I can slip off the chrome tips and replace?

CONGRATS!!!!! Mine just arrived to bremerhaven can't wait for it to get on a boat!

Yes, The exhaust tips slip off, you can replace. I replaced them with BMS Tips. You can get BMS Tips, Cyba Tips, or BMW OEM Sportline black tips.



Questions for you as I am curious since my car is in transit, what took so long? Why 72 days? Do you have a timeline of your statuses so I can compare?

I feel like mine is not gonna take that long, that puts me at Feb 15th? How long did yours sit at Bremerhaven?

Any input is appreciated! Thanks!


*******Code Description
12/05/15000 Order Placed at BMW Dealership
12/09/15112 Order scheduled for Production
12/12/15150 Production Started
01/05/16151 Body Shop Started
01/07/16152 Paint Shop Started
01/08/16153 Assembly Started
01/11/16155 Production Completed
01/11/16182 AG Load No. -- Released to Carrier
01/11/16190 Dispatched ex(port?) BMW AG
01/14/16193 Arrived at Port of Exit
194 Selected for Shipment
195 Shipped from Port of Exit
196 Shipment Arrival -- ATA

[MomoM3]

Originally Posted by Daftasabrush

E-brake/Handbrake gets better as it beds in. Mine was crap when it was new too, it now holds as well as any other car.

That's good to hear. I was going to take it back to have Service check it out. On all my cars I've just pulled it up with slight muscle. I feel like I have to consciously pull up hard to get it to not roll down my driveway.

[radm]

Congratulations! BTW, I have 6MT as well and the auto stop never engaged for me. I was told it is off by default - perhaps only on 6MT.

Also, you can adjust the height of the headlights. I did. You can use just the screwdriver you have in the trunk. The white plastic adjustment screw is just behind the headlight, a bit deep but not too deep. You'll find it once you know it is there. Well, I don't have the automatic headlights but try to look for it anyway.

[Daftasabrush]

Originally Posted by MomoM3

That's good to hear. I was going to take it back to have Service check it out. On all my cars I've just pulled it up with slight muscle. I feel like I have to consciously pull up hard to get it to not roll down my driveway.

Mine was exactly the same, I live in an area with some pretty steep inclines and when I first got the car it was very difficult to get the handbrake alone to hold the car. It's absolutely fine now though.

[dc503]

Originally Posted by kromix

Questions for you as I am curious since my car is in transit, what took so long? Why 72 days? Do you have a timeline of your statuses so I can compare?

I feel like mine is not gonna take that long, that puts me at Feb 15th? How long did yours sit at Bremerhaven?

Any input is appreciated! Thanks!

South African build.

[MomoM3]

Originally Posted by kromix

CONGRATS!!!!! Mine just arrived to bremerhaven can't wait for it to get on a boat!

Yes, The exhaust tips slip off, you can replace. I replaced them with BMS Tips. You can get BMS Tips, Cyba Tips, or BMW OEM Sportline black tips.



Questions for you as I am curious since my car is in transit, what took so long? Why 72 days? Do you have a timeline of your statuses so I can compare?

I feel like mine is not gonna take that long, that puts me at Feb 15th? How long did yours sit at Bremerhaven?

Any input is appreciated! Thanks!

I was hoping you'd chime in! I don't have the OCD timeline like you have My car was a South Africa build and the vessel my car was on (Dignity Ace) had to be the one with probably the longest voyage to the East Coast US considering some go direct. If I remember correctly my ship went from South Africa > Belgium > Germany > Canada > Boston (that was weird) > NY. The voyage itself was 44 freaking days! I used marinetraffic.com for tracking since Mitsui doesn't have real-time tracking like Walenius Wilhelmsen has.

Aside from the voyage, the car was ordered and built within 8 days then sat for 12 days at the port in Rosslyn, SA, then sat at the port/VPC in NJ for 11 days. It would have been nice to have gotten a Munich build but I didn't think to ask where my dealer's allocation was from.

I need to start researching black exhaust tips ASAP. Thanks for the tips on the tips! My black grills look odd with all the chrome (yuck) in the rear.

[kromix]

Ahhh! Now it makes sense, South Africa! Got ya! Congrats man looks beautiful waiting on my Alpine White 340 next!

Haha I do have Timeline OCD lmao!

Quick links to help your exhaust tips search:

BMS: http://burgertuning.com/exhaust_tips_for_BMW.html

BMW OEM: http://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-21...FckYHwoduuoBRA

Cyba: http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1035622

Based on price I went with BMS. Hope this helps!

[MomoM3]

Originally Posted by radm

Congratulations! BTW, I have 6MT as well and the auto stop never engaged for me. I was told it is off by default - perhaps only on 6MT.

Also, you can adjust the height of the headlights. I did. You can use just the screwdriver you have in the trunk. The white plastic adjustment screw is just behind the headlight, a bit deep but not too deep. You'll find it once you know it is there. Well, I don't have the automatic headlights but try to look for it anyway.

So your car stays on all the time with no Auto On/Off? I gotta get rid of this feature. Even when I turn the feature off with the button and see the display with line through it on the dash it still comes on next time I drive the car.

[goj]

To put it in perspective 72 days isn't uncommon if you were to be located on the west coast.

Man, I wish BMW would do something better with the X-drive badge. Potential delete?

Looks great though!

[RISEUPF30]

Very Nice Car!!! Really Like The 6speed!

[HFW003]

The only we to have ASS permanently off is to have it coded.

[MomoM3]

Originally Posted by goj

To put it in perspective 72 days isn't uncommon if you were to be located on the west coast.

Man, I wish BMW would do something better with the X-drive badge. Potential delete?

Looks great though!

You're right but 72 days is nuts for the east coast. Serves us spoiled folks right!

Yeah, I'm debating debadging. Not sure if I wanna remove just the xDrive or the both the xDrive and 340i. I've been photoshopping both out and can't decide. I've never debadged any of my cars so I'm not sure that I want to do. I think I'm considering it because of the black kidney grills - the chrome just looks completely out of place with those.

Thanks!

[DrifterX]

Congratulations, it looks great! You should just need to press the Auto Start/Stop button once to turn it off, not sure why yours keeps turning back on. I'd monitor when it gets re-enabled and let your dealer know ...or you can code it to be disabled by default. I like the feature with 6MT though since I tell it when I want it to turn off with the clutch

My F36 with M Sport brakes were also a bit soft as well, I don't know if its by design or what but I got used to em and they stop really well.

Glad to hear you like the rev-matching feature, I've never tried it myself so it'll be interesting to get used to it because I always rev-match myself...

And I feel your pain on the waiting... I've been waiting since mid October of last year just because dealers here don't have a lot of allocation of 6MT let alone RWD. I'm kinda surprised yours went into production as soon as it did.

[kromix]

Originally Posted by MomoM3

You're right but 72 days is nuts for the east coast. Serves us spoiled folks right!

Yeah, I'm debating debadging. Not sure if I wanna remove just the xDrive or the both the xDrive and 340i. I've been photoshopping both out and can't decide. I've never debadged any of my cars so I'm not sure that I want to do. I think I'm considering it because of the black kidney grills - the chrome just looks completely out of place with those.

Thanks!

Right on that chrome comment throwing it off.... I'm just gonna debadge....


You could debadge and re-badge with bimmian black chrome badge if you really want but I'm rolling badge-less, looks nicer anyways!

[goj]

Originally Posted by HFW003

The only we to have ASS permanently off is to have it coded.

False. If you turn it off while driving it will stay off until you turn it on again. No matter how many times you turn the car on and off.

[MomoM3]

Originally Posted by goj

False. If you turn it off while driving it will stay off until you turn it on again. No matter how many times you turn the car on and off.

I thought so but that's not happening with my car at all.

[MomoM3]

Originally Posted by kromix

Right on that chrome comment throwing it off.... I'm just gonna debadge....


You could debadge and re-badge with bimmian black chrome badge if you really want but I'm rolling badge-less, looks nicer anyways!

Nah, if I debadge I won't rebadge with black badging

[chiefneil]

Auto stop/start programming was changed in 2014 to default to last mode. However when you switch to eco-pro it re-engages ASS.

If you've been accidentally engaging eco-pro mode when swapping between comfort/sport, that would explain when ASS re-engages. If not, then talk to your dealer.

[Jbrock22]

Originally Posted by MomoM3

So your car stays on all the time with no Auto On/Off? I gotta get rid of this feature. Even when I turn the feature off with the button and see the display with line through it on the dash it still comes on next time I drive the car.

IF YOU SWITCH TO ECON MODE IT WILL TURN ON A.S.S.