M340i

Author
Discussion

Mr Whippy

29,376 posts

246 months

Wednesday 22nd March 2023
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I know, electric seats are so useful but rare even in a now very expensive car.

Makes finding a decent used one flipping hard.

I’m amazed so many people can live with the utter rubbish standard seat adjustments, especially when the muppets at garages move them and don’t put them back.

andyvtr

19 posts

214 months

Wednesday 22nd March 2023
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One popped up in Sutton Coldfield on autotrader this week. Perfect specification for myself. It was sold in hours before I hand chance to phone the dealer. frown

williamp

19,467 posts

278 months

Wednesday 22nd March 2023
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I managed to buy mine last year with electric seats, but dont ever remember seeing a sunroof..

12TS

1,943 posts

215 months

Wednesday 22nd March 2023
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Electric seats are essential IMHO if you share the car with someone. The profiles are great for getting the seat and mirrors set for you after someone else has driven the car.

If you’re the only driver then it’s different.

Mr Whippy

29,376 posts

246 months

Wednesday 22nd March 2023
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12TS said:
Electric seats are essential IMHO if you share the car with someone. The profiles are great for getting the seat and mirrors set for you after someone else has driven the car.

If you’re the only driver then it’s different.
Yeah I’m surprised the “buy for resale” logic doesn’t apply but clearly many people don’t share their cars.


As I strolled through the nearly new 40i/d 3ers at my local BMW garage a year or so back, prices of £65-70,000, with no electric seats… it made me wonder what planet people are living on. So much cash for a model that still has huge gaps in premium spec items.
I wouldn’t mind if the manual adjusters were genuinely good but they’re worse than a mid 90s Peugeot 405, which was the last car I had with decent manual adjustment.

JNW1

8,083 posts

199 months

Thursday 23rd March 2023
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williamp said:
I managed to buy mine last year with electric seats, but dont ever remember seeing a sunroof..
Not sure about the saloon but when the M340i Touring was first launched the electric seats were only available as part of the Premium Pack (which also included the panoramic sunroof). However, BMW subsequently changed that (possibly when the mild hybrid version was introduced?) and from that point you were able to spec the sunroof separately (or not if you didn't want one). Therefore, on a later car it's quite possible to have electric seats but no sunroof!

RTPT

137 posts

24 months

Friday 24th March 2023
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Good offer for one from TRL..hefty dealer deposit

https://www.babybmw.net/threads/m340i-touring-in-s...

clive_candy

668 posts

170 months

Tuesday 28th March 2023
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12TS said:
Electric seats are essential IMHO if you share the car with someone. The profiles are great for getting the seat and mirrors set for you after someone else has driven the car.

If you’re the only driver then it’s different.
Yep, never thought they were that important until my wife sold her car and started driving mine. Crazy they're not standard on a premium car like the M340i really. I do have the sunroof which my wife loves.

Not buying new I had to be prepared to compromise on the spec though as they seem to be selling as soon as they appear on the approved used list.

aspender

1,329 posts

270 months

Friday 5th May 2023
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I've just sold my Alfa Stelvio Quadrifoglio and am looking at an M340i Touring to replace. Interested in what people see as the meaningful differences between the B58 and B58 MHT version that was introduced sometime in 2021. I read around but more interested in subjective opinions. Would folks prioritise it over other spec differences? e.g. would you go for an MHT without pano roof and electric seats over a non MHT without those features?

bad company

19,295 posts

271 months

Friday 5th May 2023
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aspender said:
I've just sold my Alfa Stelvio Quadrifoglio and am looking at an M340i Touring to replace. Interested in what people see as the meaningful differences between the B58 and B58 MHT version that was introduced sometime in 2021. I read around but more interested in subjective opinions. Would folks prioritise it over other spec differences? e.g. would you go for an MHT without pano roof and electric seats over a non MHT without those features?
WTF is MHT. Do you mean Menopausal Hormone Treatment?

RammyMP

6,945 posts

158 months

Friday 5th May 2023
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bad company said:
aspender said:
I've just sold my Alfa Stelvio Quadrifoglio and am looking at an M340i Touring to replace. Interested in what people see as the meaningful differences between the B58 and B58 MHT version that was introduced sometime in 2021. I read around but more interested in subjective opinions. Would folks prioritise it over other spec differences? e.g. would you go for an MHT without pano roof and electric seats over a non MHT without those features?
WTF is MHT. Do you mean Menopausal Hormone Treatment?
Mild hybrid technology. It’s a higher voltage battery that is supposed to increase MPG and a slight boost to power. I doubt you’d notice any difference. I’ve got it in my diesel, the engine cuts out when you lift off so you coast along. It’s something else to go wrong!

Bianchi Dave

33 posts

90 months

Friday 5th May 2023
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bad company said:
aspender said:
I've just sold my Alfa Stelvio Quadrifoglio and am looking at an M340i Touring to replace. Interested in what people see as the meaningful differences between the B58 and B58 MHT version that was introduced sometime in 2021. I read around but more interested in subjective opinions. Would folks prioritise it over other spec differences? e.g. would you go for an MHT without pano roof and electric seats over a non MHT without those features?
WTF is MHT. Do you mean Menopausal Hormone Treatment?
Mild Hybrid Technology - a 48V battery on the engine giving an extra 11 bhp. Not on the top end though, so still circa 375 bhp. What it does is fill in gaps in the torque band, makes start/stop virtually unnoticeable and improves mpg / emissions slightly. The MHT cars are also a bit quieter on the exhaust front unfortunately.

I decided to go MHT as I wanted a newer car, and often do longer trips so anything that helps mpg is a boost - you don't buy an M340i for fuel economy, but every little helps smile

Edit - beaten to it by Rammy! Forgot about the coasting element - again, its unnoticeable when the engine cuts out

Edited by Bianchi Dave on Friday 5th May 18:20

2 GKC

2,025 posts

110 months

Friday 5th May 2023
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Quite a few new ones in the dealer network at the moment

sunnyb13

1,007 posts

43 months

Friday 12th May 2023
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2 GKC said:
Quite a few new ones in the dealer network at the moment
I've noticed cinch.co.uk has had an influx of M340i's all YG or YC prefix on 71 plates.

williamp

19,467 posts

278 months

Friday 12th May 2023
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I posted this on another thread but thought jts worth repeating here: a boring topicmon fuel consumption on the M340i (2021)

From yestsrday:

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2ozxNcb]

So thats derby to tunbridge wells, doing 70mph wherever I can. Averaging over 64mph.... and just over 48mpg.

..amd the range left
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2ozCFwa]

So, in theory, doing 70mph, the car thinks it can do 544 miles on a tank. Of petrol. And its also 370-odd bhp comfortable saloon.
I am very pleased with mine!
[/quote]

Back today and with traffic and a few lead-footed moments, just over 40mpg for the round trip. Mine has the mild hybrid system.
One benefit of the car in heavy traffic: with anticipation, you can accelerate into gaps which are just opening.


Newc

1,965 posts

187 months

Sunday 21st May 2023
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Bought a 2020 saloon recently as a general family car.

Most uncomfortable car I've ever owned. Suspension made out of girders, and none of the comfort / adaptive settings make any difference. And the seats are shockingly bad. Thin hard padding with no give, and can't get the position to be anything that doesn't force my lower back into a 60° angle.

Six weeks in but going to get rid I think, and maybe look at an A6 or a Ghibli.

Main dealer AUC, so I didn't do much more than drive it round the block and press all the console buttons before buying. So it's all on me, but strong recommendation for other prospective buyers: get a long test drive.

JNW1

8,083 posts

199 months

Sunday 21st May 2023
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Newc said:
Bought a 2020 saloon recently as a general family car.

Most uncomfortable car I've ever owned. Suspension made out of girders, and none of the comfort / adaptive settings make any difference. And the seats are shockingly bad. Thin hard padding with no give, and can't get the position to be anything that doesn't force my lower back into a 60° angle.

Six weeks in but going to get rid I think, and maybe look at an A6 or a Ghibli.

Main dealer AUC, so I didn't do much more than drive it round the block and press all the console buttons before buying. So it's all on me, but strong recommendation for other prospective buyers: get a long test drive.
Surprised to hear you say that, I always found the ride in my G21 M340i perfectly comfortable in either Adaptive or Comfort mode; out of interest which car(s) have you owned that make the M340i suspension feel like it's made out of girders?!

In terms of the seats, do yours have the adjustable lumbar support? Scandalous it was an optional extra on such an expensive car but it does make a difference. Having said that I'd have to say the standard seats are adequate and no more; the M-Sport seats weren't an option when I got mine but I'd definitely spec them if I was ordering again now.


Vee

3,100 posts

239 months

Sunday 21st May 2023
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Hope it is not that bad !
I'm changing from a 2017 M3 Competition for a 6 month old M340i this week.
The adaptive on the M3 there is a noticeble difference between the suspension settings.
Loved the M3 but the UK roads and traffic are terrible meaning I enjoy it less and less these days. Was hoping for a much more compliant ride from the M340i.
Haven't driven the G20 car but I don't really like anything else at that size and price point so will live with it.

Edited by Vee on Sunday 21st May 10:47

Newc

1,965 posts

187 months

Sunday 21st May 2023
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JNW1 said:
Newc said:
Bought a 2020 saloon recently as a general family car.

Most uncomfortable car I've ever owned. Suspension made out of girders, and none of the comfort / adaptive settings make any difference. And the seats are shockingly bad. Thin hard padding with no give, and can't get the position to be anything that doesn't force my lower back into a 60° angle
Surprised to hear you say that, I always found the ride in my G21 M340i perfectly comfortable in either Adaptive or Comfort mode; out of interest which car(s) have you owned that make the M340i suspension feel like it's made out of girders?!

In terms of the seats, do yours have the adjustable lumbar support? Scandalous it was an optional extra on such an expensive car but it does make a difference. Having said that I'd have to say the standard seats are adequate and no more; the M-Sport seats weren't an option when I got mine but I'd definitely spec them if I was ordering again now.
I've had all sorts of I-expect-this-to-be-firm stuff in the past - 911's, ferraris, small lambos, M5, etc - and sure they are firm but I guess the word for the 340 is lack of pliancy. You go over a bump say in a 911 and you feel the wheel move but the impact is absorbed. Hit a hole in the 340 and every millimetre of the movement gets transferred to the cabin and then the seat isn't soaking up any of the pain either.

If it was an Atom or a Caterham I'd be 'yeah, OK', but this is a 4-door saloon with a performance bias.

Yes got the lumbar support, but just cannot get comfortable. I think - but IANABackSurgeon - it's because the base of the seat is always inclined up at the front so right away you're reducing the spine angle. But I don't know enough about it to be able to describe the problem properly, IYSWIM.


Vee said:
Hope it is not that bad !
I'm changing from a 2017 M3 Competition for a 6 month old M340i this week.
The adaptive on the M3 there is a noticeble difference between the suspension settings.
Loved the M3 but the UK roads and traffic are terrible meaning I enjoy it less and less these days. Was hoping for a much more compliant ride from the M340i.
I guess it will be relatively more compliant than an M3 but I'd still recommend a longer test drive over your familiar roads if you can.




bad company

19,295 posts

271 months

Sunday 21st May 2023
quotequote all
Newc said:
Bought a 2020 saloon recently as a general family car.

Most uncomfortable car I've ever owned. Suspension made out of girders, and none of the comfort / adaptive settings make any difference. And the seats are shockingly bad. Thin hard padding with no give, and can't get the position to be anything that doesn't force my lower back into a 60° angle.

Six weeks in but going to get rid I think, and maybe look at an A6 or a Ghibli.

Main dealer AUC, so I didn't do much more than drive it round the block and press all the console buttons before buying. So it's all on me, but strong recommendation for other prospective buyers: get a long test drive.
Astonishing. I bought my G20 new in March 2020, it’s the best every day driver I’ve ever had.

Nothing wrong with the suspension, ride or seats imo.