Hockenheim M340d Touring
Discussion
Coming up for 6 years in my F32 430d, it was feeling like time for a change.
I never got on as well with the 430d as the 320Cd I ran for 11 years before it, the 4 series whilst far more modern just isn’t as good an all round car in my experience. There’s a multitude of reasons why I feel that way, but of late some have become increasingly pertinent and dictated it was time for a change. Most notably the really poor boot aperture and the long doors making egress in tight spaces awkward and tough on the old knees.
Went looking for a replacement and initially was looking towards 330e and 330d tourings as well as a smattering of EVs, like the Polestar 2.
Running the numbers, I could make the Polestar work on paper, but practicality and reality, EVs still don’t really work for my use so it was back to IC or PHEV.
Should have pulled the trigger when prices were deflated in Q4-23 but I dawdled and didn’t end up making the change until now. Scope creep landed me looking at the M340d, as well as brief flirtations with the X3 M40d, but realistically the 3 series was the sensible choice.
There was a big number of cars started coming to market in the last month and half but most with little to no additional spec over bone stock. I really wanted the better stereo so Tech pack was really required, towbar would be ideal if possible but exceedingly rare, anything else would be a nice bonus. Oh, and under no circumstances, oyster, cognac or red leather.
Then a friend who runs an independent dealership ended up landing an Alpina touring so his personal car became available:
- Hockenheim Silver with shadow line trim (1 of 4 G21s ever finished in this colour apparently)
- 21 plate with 22k miles
- Tech pack
- Retractable towbar
- M Performance kit
I never got on as well with the 430d as the 320Cd I ran for 11 years before it, the 4 series whilst far more modern just isn’t as good an all round car in my experience. There’s a multitude of reasons why I feel that way, but of late some have become increasingly pertinent and dictated it was time for a change. Most notably the really poor boot aperture and the long doors making egress in tight spaces awkward and tough on the old knees.
Went looking for a replacement and initially was looking towards 330e and 330d tourings as well as a smattering of EVs, like the Polestar 2.
Running the numbers, I could make the Polestar work on paper, but practicality and reality, EVs still don’t really work for my use so it was back to IC or PHEV.
Should have pulled the trigger when prices were deflated in Q4-23 but I dawdled and didn’t end up making the change until now. Scope creep landed me looking at the M340d, as well as brief flirtations with the X3 M40d, but realistically the 3 series was the sensible choice.
There was a big number of cars started coming to market in the last month and half but most with little to no additional spec over bone stock. I really wanted the better stereo so Tech pack was really required, towbar would be ideal if possible but exceedingly rare, anything else would be a nice bonus. Oh, and under no circumstances, oyster, cognac or red leather.
Then a friend who runs an independent dealership ended up landing an Alpina touring so his personal car became available:
- Hockenheim Silver with shadow line trim (1 of 4 G21s ever finished in this colour apparently)
- 21 plate with 22k miles
- Tech pack
- Retractable towbar
- M Performance kit
Bit more seat time in it now and this excuse of a year even provided a dusting of snow although not quite enough to need xDrive to escape the driveway (yes, my 430d has actually struggled on that before!)
One update: gesture control can FRO. Something I do regularly with my left hand, don’t know what, matches the gesture to mute the stereo and it was doing my nut in, now disabled
One update: gesture control can FRO. Something I do regularly with my left hand, don’t know what, matches the gesture to mute the stereo and it was doing my nut in, now disabled
Pyrolysis said:
Lovely looking car! Is this the one from James Glen?
Yeah, that’s the one.d_a_n1979 said:
That's absolutely stunning! Every credit to you; it's hell of an upgrade from your 4'er...
I take it you've seen the Joe Achilles video's on the 340D?
I have yeah. For a while I was considering a man M340i as well, but I want to do some towing with it which just suits diesels better and I also want long range mileage without refuelling and his video showed there’s about 10-12mpg difference in the real world which is about 100 miles. I take it you've seen the Joe Achilles video's on the 340D?
I have no doubt some would (will…) argue with my logic in going diesel but I’m actually in the position where my annual mileage is the lowest it’s really ever been.
My e46 320Cd I owned for 10.5 years, 6-9 months it wasn’t in use during that period due to a rear wheel bearing I just couldn’t be bothered fixing Anyways, I ran it from 15k to 232k so approx 217k in 10 years use giving 21,700/year.
My f32 430d I owned for 5.5 years, 3 months of that I didn’t have the use of it due to the EGR recall and 3 months it barely moved due to covid lockdowns. In those 5 years use it went from 86k to 146k so averaging 12,000/year but in the last 2 years it only turned 10,600 and 8,300 respectively.
This year I expect my mileage to go back up a reasonable amount. My commute is only 12 miles each way but it’s ideal diesel territory. 1 mile over roundabouts at each end, 10 miles clear motorway in the middle. Aim is to average 1 day a week cycling to work, 1 day from home, 2 days driving.
Aside from work, there will be probably ten trips to Knockhill and other circuit visits to include Anglesey, Brands Hatch, Croft, Donington, Pembrey, Silverstone, Snetterton, Thruxton. This is where the diesel really comes in to its own, I can finish work on Thursday, point the nose south and get to the track on 1 tank, refuelling before arrival. Then once racing is finished on the Sunday, I can point it north and cruise home. No need to stop to charge or fuel up at motorway services prices.
It’s probably the last combustion engine daily I’ll buy. Once our house build is out the way in the next couple of years I’ll be looking in to some eurotrips with it.
Got a brief sniff of sunshine so had a go at capturing some of the flecks of colour in the Hockenheim paint.
My e46 320Cd I owned for 10.5 years, 6-9 months it wasn’t in use during that period due to a rear wheel bearing I just couldn’t be bothered fixing
Anyways, I ran it from 15k to 232k so approx 217k in 10 years use giving 21,700/year.My f32 430d I owned for 5.5 years, 3 months of that I didn’t have the use of it due to the EGR recall and 3 months it barely moved due to covid lockdowns. In those 5 years use it went from 86k to 146k so averaging 12,000/year but in the last 2 years it only turned 10,600 and 8,300 respectively.
This year I expect my mileage to go back up a reasonable amount. My commute is only 12 miles each way but it’s ideal diesel territory. 1 mile over roundabouts at each end, 10 miles clear motorway in the middle. Aim is to average 1 day a week cycling to work, 1 day from home, 2 days driving.
Aside from work, there will be probably ten trips to Knockhill and other circuit visits to include Anglesey, Brands Hatch, Croft, Donington, Pembrey, Silverstone, Snetterton, Thruxton. This is where the diesel really comes in to its own, I can finish work on Thursday, point the nose south and get to the track on 1 tank, refuelling before arrival. Then once racing is finished on the Sunday, I can point it north and cruise home. No need to stop to charge or fuel up at motorway services prices.
It’s probably the last combustion engine daily I’ll buy. Once our house build is out the way in the next couple of years I’ll be looking in to some eurotrips with it.
Got a brief sniff of sunshine so had a go at capturing some of the flecks of colour in the Hockenheim paint.
Edited by emicen on Saturday 6th April 14:01
Road trip #1
First round of the MINI Challenge Trophy this weekend at Snetterton, so half day Thursday working from home so I can hit the road soon as I clocked off.
Prep before hand, had a slime kit and a bottle of tyre sealer in the garage but both were god knows how old. Bought a new slime kit and combined all 3. Car came with BMW first aid kit and a GardX one, also a couple of high vis vests.
Added my trusty fire-ex cause why not.
Now the challenge was to get it all stowed so it won’t fly about whilst driving!
The boot floor lockers are surprisingly shallow but there’s useful space tucked in the corners under the floor.
Fuelled it up and pointed it south!
6hr 40min drive time, all in just under 7hrs including pee stops at Scotch Corner and Peterborough services. A1 around Darrington is a delight at the moment with it being down to 1 lane, cost me easily 15-20mins.
Done about 2/3 of a tank on the way down, OBC says 48.1mpg but no idea how accurate that is. If it hadn’t been the A1 shambles, average speed would have been closer to 70 I reckon.
First round of the MINI Challenge Trophy this weekend at Snetterton, so half day Thursday working from home so I can hit the road soon as I clocked off.
Prep before hand, had a slime kit and a bottle of tyre sealer in the garage but both were god knows how old. Bought a new slime kit and combined all 3. Car came with BMW first aid kit and a GardX one, also a couple of high vis vests.
Added my trusty fire-ex cause why not.
Now the challenge was to get it all stowed so it won’t fly about whilst driving!
The boot floor lockers are surprisingly shallow but there’s useful space tucked in the corners under the floor.
Fuelled it up and pointed it south!
6hr 40min drive time, all in just under 7hrs including pee stops at Scotch Corner and Peterborough services. A1 around Darrington is a delight at the moment with it being down to 1 lane, cost me easily 15-20mins.
Done about 2/3 of a tank on the way down, OBC says 48.1mpg but no idea how accurate that is. If it hadn’t been the A1 shambles, average speed would have been closer to 70 I reckon.
Edited by emicen on Thursday 11th April 22:13
Richtea1970 said:
48mpg isn’t bad, I guess you weren’t hanging around!
Doing distance I tend to try and hit the happy middle ground. I don’t want to hang about but equally I don’t want the fuel economy going through the floor.I don’t hypermile but I don’t tend to go north of 10% +2 either.
Escort3500 said:
Really great looking car, and fortunately doesn’t have the god-awful looking grille that adorn many in BMW’s current range.
Interesting point, found a paddock pal today and I was looking at an iX1 and 2 series on the way down.It appears on the LCI 3er they’ve toned the grill situation down a bit. The kidneys are actually very slightly smaller on the 330e next to mine.
jackcactii said:
Hockehnheim really suits the Touring; very lovely colour
I have the Alpina version of your car so can't fault you going diesel as well instead of the 340i. I change my engine oil every 6k miles as these run very hot. Already done all the diff fluids and gearbox flush too
Code Bowers & Wilkins via bimmercode, makes a difference to the audio in these cars. If you're ever bored, Laser Lights are a straight retrofit with no faffing about with modules, just need to code them to the car.
Interesting stuff, thanks.I have the Alpina version of your car so can't fault you going diesel as well instead of the 340i. I change my engine oil every 6k miles as these run very hot. Already done all the diff fluids and gearbox flush too
Code Bowers & Wilkins via bimmercode, makes a difference to the audio in these cars. If you're ever bored, Laser Lights are a straight retrofit with no faffing about with modules, just need to code them to the car.
I’m going to investigate some coding. Struggling to get my head round paying £200 for adaptive!
Last service was done about 2000 miles ago and it’s saying 7000 to go at the moment. I tend to give new cars an oil change as soon as I get them, in this case it’ll likely be the end of the month by which time I’ll have stuck nearly 2000 miles on it.
5 In a Row said:
I'm considering one of these or a 340i to replace both my 430d coupe and a knackered old Kia estate.
How do you get on with the instruments?
It’s got the heads up display which is tremendous for the speedo, absolutely love it.How do you get on with the instruments?
I don’t have any direct experience of using it but the LCI dash with the long sweep of digital panel put me off facelift models. Much prefer an instrument binnacle and supplementary screen for other stuff.
The reverse rev counter is taking a bit of getting used to but I find the general info on display better than my 430d which was pre-facelift.
Went to install my dash cam before Snetterton but first needed to de-install the one fitted when I got the car. As it was a bit of a time crunch, I decided just to leave it in for the trip and put the power cable back in.
Half way down the M74, I wondered why Waze was alternating voices and volume. Then I realised, the dashcam was talking to me
It’s now staying in permanently. It’s a Thinkware F800 Pro iirc, has GPS and more significantly, tells you when approaching speed cameras, an ongoing gap in Waze’s capability.
Anyways, week after Snett, an unwelcome visitor appeared on my morning commute.
Dealer arranged a local garage to investigate and loaned me their courtesy car whilst it was in. Only away for a day, needed a sensor in the DPF replaced. Interestingly that same code and sensor was the subject of a warranty campaign on the F series cars not so long ago.
Weather finally sorted itself out for a brief period this weekend so went to give it a proper wash. Then found this
Absolutely no idea how that’s happened. There’s no other evidence of damage in the area, best guess is someone’s bag walking past in a car park.
Temporary fix so I can wash it and not worry about water ingress whilst I source a replacement.
Not my finest work, if things go tits up in the day job I won’t be starting a new career in a nail bar that’s for sure
The car has a ceramic coating applied and gave it a top up with a spray on - wash off sealant just to maintain.
Edited by emicen on Monday 6th May 10:50
5 In a Row said:
emicen said:
It’s got the heads up display which is tremendous for the speedo, absolutely love it.
I don’t have any direct experience of using it but the LCI dash with the long sweep of digital panel put me off facelift models. Much prefer an instrument binnacle and supplementary screen for other stuff.
The reverse rev counter is taking a bit of getting used to but I find the general info on display better than my 430d which was pre-facelift.
Thanks, I prefer a proper binnacle as well.I don’t have any direct experience of using it but the LCI dash with the long sweep of digital panel put me off facelift models. Much prefer an instrument binnacle and supplementary screen for other stuff.
The reverse rev counter is taking a bit of getting used to but I find the general info on display better than my 430d which was pre-facelift.
I think I'm just going to have to try one for an extended period.
The silver inserts in the steering wheel are flat/concave, whereas the F series wheel had much more curvature. The steering wheel is blinding when the sun is coming in over your right shoulder. The instrument cluster is tough to read in the same situation.
Nothing I can do about the instruments but I’m going to look for some matt wrap to put on the steering wheel inserts.
Hockenheim on Tour continues. After Snetterton came Knockhill, then off to south Wales for a trip to Pembrey.
Weather was miserable on the way down with torrential rain causing chaos on the M6, M4 etc. so naturally, I bailed off and took the straight through the middle of Wales route.
Would actually have been a nice drive were it not for the weather
Surprising amount of grit and grot picked up en route. Parking on fairly moist grass largely prompted my latest upgrade/purchase:
Genuine BMW all weather floor mats. Managed to get them for £80 lightly used from someone off Bimmerforums, less than 5mins from my work.
I know £80 hardly seems like a bargain, but they’re nearly £200 new
Weather was miserable on the way down with torrential rain causing chaos on the M6, M4 etc. so naturally, I bailed off and took the straight through the middle of Wales route.
Would actually have been a nice drive were it not for the weather
Surprising amount of grit and grot picked up en route. Parking on fairly moist grass largely prompted my latest upgrade/purchase:
Genuine BMW all weather floor mats. Managed to get them for £80 lightly used from someone off Bimmerforums, less than 5mins from my work.
I know £80 hardly seems like a bargain, but they’re nearly £200 new
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