[karikaalan]

Introduction
First car - Hyundai Sonata (pre-loved, 50K) and current Honda Jazz (1L km driven) . In my 30's and looking for a primary car for the next 5+ years. Budget - 65Lakhs (On Road, Tamil Nadu), to commit by April 2025.

Test Driven (in order)
1. Toyota Hilux / Fortuner
2. BMW M340i
3. Hyundai Ioniq 5
4. Mercedes GLA 220d
5. BMW 330i and Skoda vRS (pending)

Executive Orders from the Home Ministry

• Go German ( the missus is especially partial to the three pointed star, the C43 would've made the list had it not been for Merc's audacity to price the fancy pretentious 4pot at a 20% premium over the M340i)

• NO to EV - retiring EV6 and Volvo EX40 from the list

• HELL NO to the Hilux, understandable. Loved the car personally, albeit not for day to day use

• Go New (No Demo/TD or Used) burying my hopes of getting a <15,000km driven 2023 M340i for 60ish Lakhs

The Problem

Made the mistake of test-driving the M340i first and it changed my perspective in two ways - heavily tilted my preference toward sedans and forever ruined the GLA 220/Q3 experience which were #1 and #2 options until I started flirting with the Beemer.

Options

1. Wait for the Skoda Octavia vRS and then decide if the 340i is really worth the 35Lakh premium

2. Give the BMW 330i a try - more power than practically usable on Indian roads. G20 has established aftermarket options for eye candy.

3. Stick to Crossovers and pick the Mercedes GLA 220d ; ignore the sacrilage of Merc slapping the AMG badge without making any spec changes. Enjoy the peace of mind not having to worry about the road conditions on road trips.

4. Bite the bullet and book the BMW M340i; let the lifetime nagging of going 25L over budget with every missed breaker/pothole be drowned by the ocassionaly mighty roar of B56. Added bonus of reliving childhood memories by getting a spoiler wing and cruising on the highways play pretend the iconic M3 GTR from NFS Most Wanted!

Current driving pattern - 5km on weekdays. 200km highway drive twice a month and hopefully with the new car replacing current mid distance flight commute with road trips!

Need help being talked OUT OF OPTION 4 as other articles in the forum clearly are inclined in the opposite direction hehe. Mind says spending close to a crore on a 3 series with low GC is not a very sensible option, Body says Money Come Money Go YOLO!!

Beep Beep!

[GTO]

If you are thinking of an M340i, 25-lakhs is relatively insignificant in the larger scheme of things (i.e. life). For those 400 km of highway driving you have every month, nothing will make you grin wider. Plus, fast turbo 6-cylinders are already a vanishing breed (iconic 530d is dead, 6-cylinder Audis are gone, AMGs are now coming with overstressed 4-pots). Get those big turbo-sixes while you still can.

With the updated M340i and that adjustable suspension, it's become even better as a sporty sedan that is family-friendly too. For me, it is always the "heart" above the "head" & that philosophy has kept me smiling for 47 years.

Go to the BMW showroom NOW. Come back & share an ownership report with us.

[sunikkat]

Yeah, ask me about it. I am still finding a reason to hate 340i since 6 months. Last August before buying 330Li I had a test drive of 340i and was floored by it. But then I did the mistake of taking my family for the test drive and after being driven in both, family was totally for 330Li and I had to go for it.

Now for me it’s still a low slung sedan. Understand your plight if you are going for a SUV over a 340i

Finally I found my reason, everyone (friends and family) who got in to my car were appreciative of the interiors, airy feel and the space it offers, whilst I am super happy with the performance of 330Li. I know with 340i, I would have been much more happier, but my family might have dreaded to sit inside that. So it’s a nice compromise. Find yours too if you can.

But I can confidently say if you are looking for outright fun to drive, none of the options that you have selected is going to make you happy. Go for 340i if you can and don’t have much family dependency. The extra money is really worth it.

[androdev]

Well, since you are looking for a contrarian view, there are two ways to approach this:

1. Buy a fast family sedan. M340i, vRS, etc. fall into this category.

2. Buy a comfortable family car and buy something pre-owned just for kicks (Bike, Polo GTI, Mini Cooper, Thar 3D, etc. depending on budget and interest)

If most of your usage involves traveling alone with occasional family travel, #1 would be a good option. OTOH, #2 would be better if the usage is mainly family oriented as family members may not appreciate the boy racer in you.

[Speedshift]

If your finances allow then look no further then the 340i. I have a similar experience but from a vastly different price and vehicle class type.

In 2015, as a broke college student I wanted a Honda Activa but made the mistake of driving my friend's Duke 390 and there was no looking back from them on. I moved heaven and hell to stretch my budget from 70k to 2.4 lacs, borrowed money from then girlfriend, now wife, every friend and every cousin, and had to miss out on every party and trips as I was repaying the sums I had borrowed, but it was still the best decision I took. 10 years on the Duke is still with me and everytime I wring that throttle I pat myself for taking that decision. It's a different story that it's upkeep is still more than my car ��

Live your life while you still have the age to enjoy the machine, no point in getting a supercar at 80.

Wish you the best and apologies for the long reply.

[karikaalan]

Sold harder by team-BHP than the BMW SA ever could hehe, thank you guys will keep you posted

Beep beep!

[veedub89]

I picked up my M340i in December by going almost 30 lacs over the initial cost allocation but funnily enough I seem to forget that every time I press the engine start button!

Sure you might "hate" how you could never truly upgrade from this car without spending more than 1.5Cr.

You might also "hate" how after driving this car, every thing else just seems boring.

But all in all you will mostly love this car.

[sunikkat]

@ OP - So the summary is you have posted this question in the wrong forum. You have been looking for reasons to hate 340i, but trust me you will mostly get only reasons to love it even more

[suhaas307]

Well, I absolutely hate the iPad / tablet style HU and instrumentation, particularly in the LCI version. The superbike-style speedo+tacho looks super tacky.

It’s the only reason why I didn’t get the M340i and instead bought a third owner F30 328i for a fraction of the cost.

[cityslicker86]

Do you have another vehicle in the house that can manage bad roads? Will your financial situation remain stable even after spending 25 lakhs more? If yes, I agree with GTO. Get the M340i. If you don't, 30 years from now you might look back and regret that you picked the GLA over the M! The 25+ lakhs you save now will not be able to turn back time, no matter how much they multiply into. (One can argue that you could get the M340i 5-7 years later as well, but no one has seen tomorrow). YOLO indeed!

On a personal note, I dream of owning a standard BMW 3-series some day. I'm 39, and looking at my growing responsibilities as a single income salaried family man in India, its likely that this dream will remain a dream and at some point turn into fantasy. So count yourself blessed if you are able to even 'consider' the M340i. Most people can't, ever.

Get the M!

[NH.DSG]

This is a very interesting and cute thread. I drive a Kushaq 1.5 DSG and absolutely love it! Have been following all the BMW threads as well. I am generally a heart over head guy when it comes to cars and many other things in life. Now I know - I should NEVER test drive a BMW Sedan! Hahahahaaa. It will cause me major issues at home if I test drive one.

[Tvk1991]

One major concern about these sporty sedans are the ride quality, I personally feel the suspension is more on the harder side (tuned more for handling than comfort on these cars). To reach roads where you can enjoy them will at least take 10-20kms in most cases. So better to keep that in mind before finalising the 340i.

I believe the new 340i is has sorted this issue out with the upgraded suspension setup.

[autobahnjpr]

There cannot be any debate over "head" vs "heart" decision. However, your usage and needs should drive the purchase decision.

• If it is more family oriented, there are better options. The ride is not plush.
• If your travel includes to areas other than well paved highways, you will dread taking this out. Eg. I go to vrindavan frequently and everytime there are surprises on the road - ditches, construction, monster bumps etc etc.
• Many people do not take this car out during monsoons as waterlogging is a big enemy.
• How much grin you can have once you have done and dusted the pedal to metal routine. Other things will slowly take over.
• Fuel costs will be on higher side.
• If you travel with luggage, you will have to bear with the lower capacity.
• It has run flats and therefore those have their inherent disadvantages. If you get a spare, boot space is gone.
• Can you take it to ladakh or hilly areas?

[AirWind]

Oh boy... I can tell you are sold on the M340i and nothing else will make you happy!

You would regret buying something else whenever a M340i zips past you.

This is a big investment, so buy it and enjoy for a long time to come.

Originally Posted by karikaalan

Attachment 2718034
Sold harder by team-BHP than the BMW SA ever could hehe, thank you guys will keep you posted

Beep beep!

[RakishRam]

Originally Posted by karikaalan

Need help being talked OUT OF OPTION 4

Just picking on this line and replying as I am one who didn't think heart or head or asked anyone's opinion, just bought 340i on launch itself in 2021 without even seeing or test driving it.

There are enough reasons to dislike 340i. But main point to consider is about your weekend drives. Since it is with family (I saw mention of Home Ministry couple of times), get a more comfortable but still fast sedan and use rest of budget on something for you - like androdev mentioned.

if I put in one line, you buy 340i for you to drive (and that is a good enough reason as well) not for family's comfort. I do lots of family drives in it, hence I know this well.

PS: I am not sure how much the adaptive suspension in LCI2