[sunikkat]

Any idea when are the test drive vehicles available?

BMW should get the updated 340i test drive vehicles available immediately. This atleast will help the prospective customers to see the difference in ride quality and decide whether it’s worth spending 6+ lakhs (with the discounts on current 340i, I am sure its minimum) for adaptive suspension and real leather seats alone. Also per other post there is a price increase by 3% from Jan. It will also help people to close out deals on 330Li with current price and discount, if they feel both 340i do not fit for them.

[sunikkat]

Looks like Sachin is not very keen on adaptive dampers

https://www.cartoq.com/car-life/sach...ury-sedan/amp/

[cedricsg]

Originally Posted by sunikkat

Looks like Sachin is not very keen on adaptive dampers

Or maybe he just missed it!

[sourab86]

Test drove the new BMW 340i in Bangalore yesterday, for a longish 1hr duration. The route taken was Horamavu -> Hennur airport road -> turn towards Yelahanka new town intersection which merges to the airport road highway -> Airport road back to Hebbal -> back to Horamavu.

Due to traffic conditions, most of the drive was in comfort mode, tried out eco-pro for a while and sport / sport+ modes for the short duration on the airport road.

Few observations, especially around low speed ride in comfort mode:

• Low speed ride over speed breakers and potholes is very compliant now. The car didn't scrape at any of the speed breakers, and there were quite a lot of them on this stretch. Albeit, I was manoeuvring them at not so high speeds (10-15 kmph). The test drive person from BMW accompanying me did mention that the older M340i used to scrape at least a couple of those.
  Q - Does the suspension height also get raised by the presence of adaptive dampers vis-a-vis the older model?

• The ride didn't feel firm at all over the rough roads (gravel, broken stretches) taken at not so crawling speeds. (Adaptive dampers at play..!).
  The low speed ride over speed breakers & rough roads was the one I was interested in trying out the most with the introduction of adaptive dampers.
  Will love to hear from experience of other folks as well on this aspect, test driving this model soon.

• Sport / Sport+ modes definitely make you craving for more. Could try out for only short duration. The steering firms up, gear shifts become more perceptible, and acceleration more responsive with the car ready to shoot at the slightest press of pedal. Sport+ had the pops and burgles audible inside.

• Lack of lumbar support is one of the sorely missed things I can list out. My daily drive is creta, and the seating position is more comfortable (=upright) (at least for me subjectively). Post this 1hr drive, my lower back was complaining. Maybe (in excitement of the drive), I didn't really spend much time to adjust the seating position best suited to me, but I did raise the seat height to the highest point.
  So I'm becoming apprehensive a bit about this point, and this potentially may be a deal-breaker for me as I don't want to repent due to back issues on long drives.
  In other M340i ownership reviews, I could see folks taking lumbar support pillow. Looking to check with other M340i owners on the best ways they've tackled the seating position conundrum. Please share your opinion on this aspect.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by sourab86

Test drove the new BMW 340i in Bangalore yesterday, for a longish 1hr duration.

Did you try the Adaptive mode where the suspension decides automatically what to do based on external factors and your driving inputs?

[sourab86]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Did you try the Adaptive mode where the suspension decides automatically what to do based on external factors and your driving inputs?

I wasn't aware of this mode setting. I checked with the test drive person before the ride and he said that there's no additional setting needed to enable/disable the adaptive damping. He mentioned couple of times during the ride that damping differs based on which mode you're in (Eco-pro / comfort / sport).
So, I assumed it's enabled by default during the ride.
Anything I missed?

Edit - Checked back with test drive person. He confirmed that the adaptive mode was switched on by him before he gave the vehicle for test drive.

[Santoshbhat]

I managed to test drive the updated LCI model (LCI 2) and the pre update LCI model (LCI) back to back and here are my observations.

Both cars were driven within BLR city. The LCI2 from home to Kun Lavelle road showroom and the LCI from showroom, back to home (north BLR). Since I drove both cars back to back and pretty much on the same roads, I was able to get a good feel of the changes in the LCI2 compared to the LCI

First the LCI2. Brand new car with just 50 kms on the clock. I was able to adjust the seat and steering to a comfortable position quicky. I am 6'2" for ref. The engine fired up quietly. The first thing their sales executive mentioned was that the LCI2 is quieter than the LCI, esp on cold start. It does not roar like the LCI. I hope that is not the case! New flat bottom steering felt nice to hold. The big flat screen that houses the infotainment and instrument cluster, though snazzy with high resolution graphics, felt a bit overwhelming for someone like me, who is used to simple and clean analog dials. Within a few secs of driving, I could tell that this is a comfortable car. It was quiet and absorbient and felt like a proper luxury car. These are roads that I am very familiar with. I know how the X3 and GTI behave on these roads every time I drive in and out of home. I tried sports mode before we hit Bellary road to get a feel of the ride in the "stiff" setting. Surprisingly, the ride was still good. It felt only marginally stiffer. On to Bellary road and I was able to rev it up a bit both in comfort and sports to unleash power. The power delivery is quite linear. There is no sudden burst of torque which I get in my 30d X3. In comfort mode, the exhaust note was quite muted. In sports mode it got a bit louder, what you will call a muted growl. I was expecting more. We turned on 'iconic sounds' from the menu and that improved matters with some sound being piped in through the speakers. Got a few pops and bangs as well. The steering felt light and direct with good amount of feedback.

Once we reached the showroom, we hopped into the LCI and drove back home on the same route. This was a demo car with 5,000 kms on the clock. Immediately you could tell that the car was louder. Upon firing up it was louder and even at parking speeds it was definitely louder. They say the LCI has been quietened down compared to the pre LCI. I can definitely say that the LCI2 is quieter than the LCI! Apart from this, two other observations I was able to make very quicky. One, the steering. The steering on the LCI felt heavier, but lacking feedback. It felt a bit disconnected in the straight ahead position while the steering on the LCI2 was precise, more direct and lighter. There have been some tweaks here for sure. Second was the suspension. Immediately the ruts and imperfections were being felt. It felt stiff and reminded me of how my GTI feels on such roads. On the move the ride was jiggly and busier where the LCI2 was smooth and flat on the same surfaces.

The louder engine note and busier ride in the LCI gave it a raw sportier feeling compared to the LCI2 which felt much more matured in comparison. Overall the LCI2 definitely felt like a nicer car to drive in town. The steering feel in the LCI was a bit of a let down. I am not sure whether it was an issue with this particular car in question. In my X3, the steering becomes heavier in sports mode but it also gets robbed of feedback a bit and feels artificial. This was a bit like that. The LCI 2 steering was lighter and provided more feedback, very reminiscent of the comfort setting steering feel on the X3.

Apart from addition of M adaptive suspension, the other changes in LCI2 are

• Full leather seats in lieu of part alcantara. I am used to hard BMW seats
• Modified AC vents, similar to the ones in the new X5 / 5 series etc..
• Flat bottom steering wheel
• There is a dedicated button to disable auto start/stop next to the engine start button. I could not locate that in the LCI.
• New design all black wheels are not as attractive as the ones in the LCI

Other observations

• Overall build quality and material quality is top notch.
• Rear seat legroom with my driver seating position was average.
• The new switch type gear lever is such a letdown. Feels so fiddly and odd.
• Sorely missed physical buttons for AC etc.... I had a tough time navigating through various items on the move.
• I did not bother switching on the music system.

I know a short city drive like this is no way to judge a car like this. I know what my X3 is capable of on the highway. In the city, I cannot even realise 20% of its potential. This drive has to be seen from that perspective. I am sure the M340i is a beast on open roads.

As per the sales executive there may be a lone black LCI car available at the factory. They are offering that at 85.60L OTR. The LCI2 comes in at 93L OTR. I haven't got the break up yet, these are just verbal figures given to me. The 5K done demo car is available at 79L OTR, if anyone is interested.

The big question (may be hypothetical given the lack of availability) : Is the LCI2 worth 7.4 lakhs more than the LCI? I think the LCI2 will also have much better body control on the highway. The adaptive suspension is quite an advanced piece of kit. Just the fact that it is more comfortable, does not mean that it will have more body roll. I am sure it will be rock solid in that sport setting. The quietness is a bit of a downer. I am sure fixable with an MPE. But that means additional moolah to be spent. I know how well adaptive suspension works in my X3 and I am sure to regret not going for it when it was available. Having driven both back to back, it has to be LCI2 over the LCI if I were to buy at this point, notwithstanding the higher price.

[nareshtrao]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

I managed to test drive the updated LCI model (LCI 2) and the pre update LCI model (LCI) back to back and here are my observations.

Apart from addition of M adaptive suspension, the other changes in LCI2 are[list]

Is 48V Starter Generator also an addition? Unless it was there in the older version. Asking as you did not mention that.

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by nareshtrao

Is 48V Starter Generator also an addition? Unless it was there in the older version. Asking as you did not mention that.

The 48V mild hybrid system was already implemented with the LCI. The LCI2 continues to have it.

[sourab86]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

Within a few secs of driving, I could tell that this is a comfortable car. It was quiet and absorbient and felt like a proper luxury car.
...
Second was the suspension. Immediately the ruts and imperfections were being felt. It felt stiff and reminded me of how my GTI feels on such roads. On the move the ride was jiggly and busier where the LCI2 was smooth and flat on the same surfaces.
...
I know how well adaptive suspension works in my X3 and I am sure to regret not going for it when it was available. Having driven both back to back, it has to be LCI2 over the LCI if I were to buy at this point, notwithstanding the higher price.

Perfectly agrees with my observations as well. Adaptive suspension is definitely a boon for our rough city roads, and elevates the ride experience to a much plusher level, while still maintaining the high speed dynamics on the highways, though didn't get to test that sufficiently.

[cedricsg]

Took a detailed test drive today in Bombay. Drove from Turbhe (had dropped my 3GL for Servicing) to Bandra. It's a road that I usually take when I come from Pune and know the road conditions, like the expansion joints and undulations pretty well. I was really impressed with the M340i and its adaptive suspension setup in comfort mode.

I also feel that the ground clearance of the 2025 model has become better. The speed breakers in Turbhe is known for its unscientific dimensions, cause of it being an industrial area, and I can say the car really handled them well.

When I compare this to my 3GL, I found my car to be more plush (as expected) and was a better city car that the 340i even with the adaptive dampers in comfort. I managed to take the 340i on an in incline in Mount Mary Bandra, and put the car in Sports mode. This is where the 340i really did well. Even with Xdrive I managed to get the tail out and with amazing grip levels. I could never do this with my 3GL.

Overall, a great Saturday spent. The adaptive suspension is a great welcome and makes the ride more liveable and comfortable. Swap the run flats with tubeless and it would even more comfortable.

Good job BMW!

[sunikkat]

Originally Posted by cedricsg

Overall, a great Saturday spent. The adaptive suspension is a great welcome and makes the ride more liveable and comfortable. Swap the run flats with tubeless and it would even more comfortable.

Good job BMW!

I remember reading previously you were planning to change 3GL with M340i. So after the test drive, have you decided to do the swap?

[cedricsg]

Originally Posted by sunikkat

I remember reading previously you were planning to change 3GL with M340i. So after the test drive, have you decided to do the swap?

That’s the plan and waiting for a 2025 production model. Hoping the depreciation on the 3GL doesn’t pinch too much.

[sunikkat]

Originally Posted by cedricsg

That’s the plan and waiting for a 2025 production model. Hoping the depreciation on the 3GL doesn’t pinch too much.

That’s the path I am thinking too after couple of years (mine is just 3 months). But biggest concern is we are getting used to the extra space at the back and the very airy feel with panoramic sunroof. Let’s see what’s in store by then. Anyways, all the best.

[cedricsg]

Originally Posted by sunikkat

That’s the path I am thinking too after couple of years (mine is just 3 months). But biggest concern is we are getting used to the extra space at the back and the very airy feel with panoramic sunroof. Let’s see what’s in store by then. Anyways, all the best.

I think the 3GL is a great sedan for our road conditions and ticks many boxes. It’s probably those 5 to 10% of the times when you want that sharp and point handling, there is a lot to be desired. Having said that, it’s a great product and at times one doesn’t even get the opportunity to push the car that 5 to 10% of the time, especially in our dense cities. Enjoy the 3Gl while you have her and make some great memories.