The M340i is such a sleeper car. That B58 is a beast, the car rips hard and handles like a dream. You get the best of both worlds as it's still efficient and comfortable if you're not in that racing mood. Not to mention with a simple tune you can take this to 500+bhp if the 370bhp stock isn't enough for you.
This era of 3 series before the LCI is the modern peak of BMW in my opinion. All the cars that use a similar interior design like the G30 5 series, the 4 series, the earlier G47 2 series, all fall under the same banner before the facelift ruined it.
Gotta agree here. I have a pre-lci M340i (2021 with mild hybrid) and having a physical gear shifter makes all the difference! Let’s say you’re doing a sharp turn or even just a slow turn into a side road, it’s not always convenient to hit the paddles. That’s where you really miss the shifters that the newer lci cars lack. As slick as iDrive 8 is, the truth is iDrive 7 is more than good enough and 99% of the time you’ll be using Apple CarPlay or Android Auto anyway. Only time I use iDrive is for sport displays or trip computers which I map to the shortcut buttons (a godsend) which are missing in the lci! The hooded instrument cluster area with blue stitching on the leather (or sensatec depending on your package) is very driver focused and looks great, so it’s such a shame the lci doesn’t have that and instead has just a tablet behind the steering wheel where you can see the corners. Combined with the improved daytime running light design in the visibility pack (you get em with the laser lights whereas this video has the base DRLs) pre-lci was just the peak design imo. Other than Sport Plus manual, I also use Adaptive mode daily so it’s strange they got rid of that button entirely in the lci. And ofc they reduced the ambient lighting and storage compartments too in the lci. Overall It was a no brainer to choose this (in Oxide Grey metallic with Visibility, Comfort and Tech packs) over the facelift. The latter is still fantastic, but it’s ultimately a compromise in my view.
I love the fact, that the xDrive is rear-biased in these, its still very easy to get sideways 😁 Always was against BMWs, everyone always put me off them - until I decided to go for a test drive in the 320i first, and then in the m340i. Reserved the m340i straight afterwards 🥰
@@moneymakermike6189 Thats great thanks, can you let me know what OPF delete pipes you are using? I've had a look online and can't really see much for sale in the UK
I love everything about this car apart from the rev counter. Never liked how the revs go in reverse. This was always a weakness for bmw and this style hasn't improved it at all in my opinion
Funnily enough, i was in the market for an M340i and F80 M3 Comp not too long along. They are priced very similar and I was HEAVILY leaning towards the M340i due to xDrive, B58 "hype", fast, comfortable, modern tech. Went to a dealer that had both, test drove both back to back, ended up doing the biggest 180 on the spot and bought the F80. I didn't just want the F80 after driving it, i NEEDED it. There's something about full M-cars that M-lites just can't replicate.
100% a lot of people just look at stats and figures but don’t realise M cars are built entirely to be performance cars wheres the M lites are standard cars with a more powerful engine and few performance modifications. driving dynamics are entirely different
I’d still take the m kite just for the purpose of comfort & better fuel economy. With that good ballot power & torque when needed. My next car I was looking at a s3 saloon or golf r 8.5. But I’m probably gonna buy 340i lci in a year or two.
I had an M340d - tough choice between that and the m340i but I ended up going for the diesel purely for the torque! Insane car however it was a bit small for what I need so traded it in for a G31 Touring.
I’ve got an M340i pre-lci and it’s very good. I prefer this to the lci. It’s a good balance between performance and efficiency. However, it’s not a true M car. No regrets though over the purchase.
I did just that last year and haven’t regretted since. I have the LCI model with the “ cinema” screen which I’m not in love with but it does grow on you after a while. You will not see 39 mpg combined ! A fair mix in the summer months will give mid/low 30’s, cane it and you’re into the 20’s, long motorway trips and it’s 40+.
Great upgrade! I decided to buy a M340i and save some money so I can buy a Boxster S in a year or 2 for the perfect 2 car garage! If I only wanted 1 car it would have been the F90
What we're they thinking with the cheap matt plastic front grill? It was enough to really turn me off the entire car when I looked at one. It lowers the style of the car and looks plain bad!
I drive a 2020 M340iX in Dravit Grey metallic with 28,000 miles on the odometer. I have added many mods to my vehicle (Dinan CAI, Dinan exhaust, CF rear spoiler, 15mm wheel spacers, and CF front lip spoiler). I would love to upgrade the steering wheel like your vehicle in the video. Where can I get one? I live in the U.S.
Hey Tom, congrats for the channel and thanks for the review. You deserve 10 times the subscribers. Quick question, this m340i or a f36 440i GC RWD with an LSD, stage 1, M3 LCAs and good coilovers + 5k to spare? I do love the 440i fseries exterior but I do not want to drive this one and completely regret it. Thanks a lot!
@@uriballesta That’s a tough one tbh. I haven’t driven one with the M3 LCAs or LSD yet. I’d say if you’re not bothered by the slightly older interior go with the 4 series+mods.
The M340i is such a sleeper car. That B58 is a beast, the car rips hard and handles like a dream. You get the best of both worlds as it's still efficient and comfortable if you're not in that racing mood. Not to mention with a simple tune you can take this to 500+bhp if the 370bhp stock isn't enough for you.
😂The evil laugh at 17:15 sums up everything in terms of handling. Great video 🔥
I've been waiting ages for this review and it didn't disappoint! I'm off to buy a M340i!
I've drove this car. I would own one of these anyday of the week. Had it on rental for a week. Sick car
Perfect daily
...had mine a year, 20k miles done and 35mpg- best daily ever!
Absolutely agree that steering wheel trim and the M buttons are amazing! I’d love to see you try the M340d next 🚂
Possibly the greatest modern engine.
This era of 3 series before the LCI is the modern peak of BMW in my opinion. All the cars that use a similar interior design like the G30 5 series, the 4 series, the earlier G47 2 series, all fall under the same banner before the facelift ruined it.
Gotta agree here. I have a pre-lci M340i (2021 with mild hybrid) and having a physical gear shifter makes all the difference! Let’s say you’re doing a sharp turn or even just a slow turn into a side road, it’s not always convenient to hit the paddles. That’s where you really miss the shifters that the newer lci cars lack. As slick as iDrive 8 is, the truth is iDrive 7 is more than good enough and 99% of the time you’ll be using Apple CarPlay or Android Auto anyway. Only time I use iDrive is for sport displays or trip computers which I map to the shortcut buttons (a godsend) which are missing in the lci!
The hooded instrument cluster area with blue stitching on the leather (or sensatec depending on your package) is very driver focused and looks great, so it’s such a shame the lci doesn’t have that and instead has just a tablet behind the steering wheel where you can see the corners. Combined with the improved daytime running light design in the visibility pack (you get em with the laser lights whereas this video has the base DRLs) pre-lci was just the peak design imo. Other than Sport Plus manual, I also use Adaptive mode daily so it’s strange they got rid of that button entirely in the lci. And ofc they reduced the ambient lighting and storage compartments too in the lci. Overall It was a no brainer to choose this (in Oxide Grey metallic with Visibility, Comfort and Tech packs) over the facelift. The latter is still fantastic, but it’s ultimately a compromise in my view.
I love the fact, that the xDrive is rear-biased in these, its still very easy to get sideways 😁
Always was against BMWs, everyone always put me off them - until I decided to go for a test drive in the 320i first, and then in the m340i. Reserved the m340i straight afterwards 🥰
Crazy this was the M3 power wise about a decade ago and it receives so much hate. “That’s not a real M” 😭
39 years old and just passed my driving test, I can afford this car and really want it but imagine I wouldn’t be able to get insured on it
I've been driving the m340i for 3 years. All stock. Last week I had a stage 2 tune. 502hp and 794Nm. The car was already fast, but now it is insane.
Do you have the OPF in place still?
@@nurburgringuk according to the invoice: OPF delete pipes, DCE Downpipe 200 cell sportcat, DO88 carbon cold air intake. And the new software ofc.
@@moneymakermike6189 Thats great thanks, can you let me know what OPF delete pipes you are using? I've had a look online and can't really see much for sale in the UK
@@nurburgringuk I believe the tuner made them themselves. (BR Performance)
I love everything about this car apart from the rev counter. Never liked how the revs go in reverse. This was always a weakness for bmw and this style hasn't improved it at all in my opinion
Funnily enough, i was in the market for an M340i and F80 M3 Comp not too long along. They are priced very similar and I was HEAVILY leaning towards the M340i due to xDrive, B58 "hype", fast, comfortable, modern tech. Went to a dealer that had both, test drove both back to back, ended up doing the biggest 180 on the spot and bought the F80. I didn't just want the F80 after driving it, i NEEDED it. There's something about full M-cars that M-lites just can't replicate.
Of course for overall driving experience yes, as for a daily this is miles ahead
100% a lot of people just look at stats and figures but don’t realise M cars are built entirely to be performance cars wheres the M lites are standard cars with a more powerful engine and few performance modifications. driving dynamics are entirely different
I did the opposite only because the interior tech tho
@@wrththey’re the same chassis as the regular car just with suspension upgrades and a better engine and a wide body kit tbh
I’d still take the m kite just for the purpose of comfort & better fuel economy. With that good ballot power & torque when needed. My next car I was looking at a s3 saloon or golf r 8.5. But I’m probably gonna buy 340i lci in a year or two.
8:55 that was quick the way he went into that parking space
Looks close to the curb
I had an M340d - tough choice between that and the m340i but I ended up going for the diesel purely for the torque! Insane car however it was a bit small for what I need so traded it in for a G31 Touring.
I’ve got an M340i pre-lci and it’s very good. I prefer this to the lci. It’s a good balance between performance and efficiency. However, it’s not a true M car. No regrets though over the purchase.
i want this rather than the s3 now!!
Great video. I’d like to see you review the 2020 merc c43 coupe to see how it compares to this
Should I upgrade my 330i to M340i?
Yes yes, a thousand times yes
yes
I did just that last year and haven’t regretted since. I have the LCI model with the “ cinema” screen which I’m not in love with but it does grow on you after a while. You will not see 39 mpg combined ! A fair mix in the summer months will give mid/low 30’s, cane it and you’re into the 20’s, long motorway trips and it’s 40+.
Dream car and it's pretty affordable so hopefully have one within 2 years or so
Do a review on the 330i next
My leased M340i goes back in a week! Will miss it big time! Up next an F90 M5
what was the deposit n monthlys?
@@qoa9985 £750 upfront. £530 a month over 30 months/2.5 years. 8k miles
Great upgrade! I decided to buy a M340i and save some money so I can buy a Boxster S in a year or 2 for the perfect 2 car garage! If I only wanted 1 car it would have been the F90
Im in a real muddle now, was considering another F80 as a daily but this has thrown a spanner in the works,
Must try one. The handling certainly looks better than my F30 335d
Stock handling on a f series 335d is atrocious. SE springs which is why they sit so high.
5:06. Even with your 8 inch ?
What we're they thinking with the cheap matt plastic front grill? It was enough to really turn me off the entire car when I looked at one. It lowers the style of the car and looks plain bad!
I drive a 2020 M340iX in Dravit Grey metallic with 28,000 miles on the odometer. I have added many mods to my vehicle (Dinan CAI, Dinan exhaust, CF rear spoiler, 15mm wheel spacers, and CF front lip spoiler). I would love to upgrade the steering wheel like your vehicle in the video. Where can I get one? I live in the U.S.
Hey Tom, congrats for the channel and thanks for the review. You deserve 10 times the subscribers.
Quick question, this m340i or a f36 440i GC RWD with an LSD, stage 1, M3 LCAs and good coilovers + 5k to spare? I do love the 440i fseries exterior but I do not want to drive this one and completely regret it. Thanks a lot!
@@uriballesta That’s a tough one tbh. I haven’t driven one with the M3 LCAs or LSD yet. I’d say if you’re not bothered by the slightly older interior go with the 4 series+mods.
Top review 👏
Finally an M340i review. Absolutly love this car. How would you compare a RS3 2018 to this? Which one is a better choice.
@@frixyshorts RS3 is more iconic but the 340i is more fun in the corners
Test drove both went m340 actually test drove a 18’ rs3 and 20’ 340
Where and how can you upgrade the steering wheel, love the additional functions like the m3
Contact RCW performance from Colchester. They can come to you anywhere in the country. Did mine recently and many other m340 owners. Highly rated
Wish the 840i came to the UK with xdrive
@Cars London - how would you compare m340i to the latest X3 M50 (b58 3rd gen) ?
How would you say this M340i compares to an S4 for a daily driver?
Neck and neck performance m340 but interior quality s4 easily and performance is close
such a sick engine
More povs please
How many revs does it sit at, at 70mph?
My ‘72 model is around 47 mph per 1K revs in top gear. It cruises well and 40 mpg is possible on the motorway
That was shot in Taunton, right?
Watford
Why do bmw do ugly cream/white seats still
So you loved this but not so much the m240i ??
@@doughnuts5364 was just the looks of that i wasn’t too keen on. It is growing on me though.
Would you swap a your m140I for the 340I??
Yes!
Too late I already brought a 540i 😪
The steering wheel is way to thick for most people's hands! Audi has a better sized wheel!
I think u like this car 😂
Hella lol