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2016 BMW 340i xDrive Long-Term Road Test - Introduction

Edmunds.comEdmunds.com Member, Administrator, Moderator Posts: 10,315
edited May 2016 in BMW
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2016 BMW 340i xDrive Long-Term Road Test - Introduction

Edmunds.com introduces its latest long-term test car: the all-wheel-drive 2016 BMW 340i xDrive sedan.

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  • roadburnerroadburner Member Posts: 17,349
    This F30 is optioned exactly the way I would want one- if I was eighty or over.

    Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive

  • longtimelurkerlongtimelurker Member Posts: 455
    The deal nowadays is that if a manual is offered, you get one...because before long you won't be able to any more.
  • vvkvvk Member Posts: 196
    AWD and auto -- no thanks!

    People who buy AWD BMWs miss out on the whole point of these cars. AWD sucks all the fun and precision out of them. It is the "American special" Germans make for "stupid Americans."

    I just had a 2016 328i xDrive as a loaner car while my E93 was in for service. Wow, what a POS. I could not wait to get back to my M Sport RWD manual transmission E93. F30 had terrible steering, very substandard ride, buzzy engine, poor body control, lots of body roll and in general drove me nuts. I was so annoyed with that car. Getting back into my E93 was like driving a limo. Superb ride, extremely quiet, turbine-smooth engine, sublime steering, great gearshift, terrific rear wheel drive handling. Even the child seat anchors in my car are so much easier to use. Everything about the F30 is bad compared to the E90.
  • throwbackthrowback Member Posts: 445
    I am amazed at how expensive 3 series cars have become. It wasn't that long a go 59K got you a M3.
  • sigarmssigarms Member Posts: 3
    It's astounding that the high-end 3-series now costs 60k -- my 2007 E90 335i cost nearly 50k when I bought it new. And even though my salary has doubled since then, that price increase is a hard pill to swallow. It's better to buy used and get more for the money like when I bought a nicely equipped 2-yr old F10 550i for 47k which had an original sticker of 73k. Buying a new BMW these days is highway robbery, and I won't be in the market for another used one again ever since they made the maintenance plan non-transferable.
  • bonzjrbonzjr Member Posts: 44
    So I guess this is the final nail in the coffin from the "Inside Line" days. Yet another BMW automatic. "...It's the more popular choice..." says Edmunds. Well so is the four cylinder motor over the six so that rationale holds little water. You had another chance to sign up for the enthusiast option and once again went for some overly-loaded "consumer special" with the big motor. Sad. Just sad.
  • roadburnerroadburner Member Posts: 17,349
    vvk said:

    AWD and auto -- no thanks!

    People who buy AWD BMWs miss out on the whole point of these cars. AWD sucks all the fun and precision out of them. It is the "American special" Germans make for "stupid Americans."

    I just had a 2016 328i xDrive as a loaner car while my E93 was in for service. Wow, what a POS. I could not wait to get back to my M Sport RWD manual transmission E93. F30 had terrible steering, very substandard ride, buzzy engine, poor body control, lots of body roll and in general drove me nuts. I was so annoyed with that car. Getting back into my E93 was like driving a limo. Superb ride, extremely quiet, turbine-smooth engine, sublime steering, great gearshift, terrific rear wheel drive handling. Even the child seat anchors in my car are so much easier to use. Everything about the F30 is bad compared to the E90.

    My wife and I have been totally underwhelmed by every F10 and F30 loaner we have driven. The EPS is totally devoid of feel- her 2004 X3 is a more engaging drive.The only AWD BMWs I like are the trucks.
    While I would have preferred a manual, I can't say that the 8HP45 in my M235i is a downgrade. In Sport+ it does exactly what I tell it to do when I tell it to do it. I expect that it will be a hoot at HPDEs. In any event, I still have my 1995 3er (and my Wrangler) to keep my left foot in practice.

    Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive

  • bloodyrbloodyr Member Posts: 11
    Isn't this the same engine as in the recently departed M235i?
  • roadburnerroadburner Member Posts: 17,349
    edited May 2016
    No. The M235i uses the N55 motor while the 340i gets the B58 motor from Munich's new modular family of engines.

    Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive

  • cjasiscjasis Member Posts: 274
    $60,000 for a BROWN, automatic, AWD 3 series that doesn't have the M sport package or the track handling package? Not only no thanks but I'm sorry... that's insane.

    And frankly, shame on you guys at Edmunds for buying into this crap.
  • bankerdannybankerdanny Member Posts: 1,021
    Yippee another $60k BMW that only a small share of the population can afford but still no LT Chrysler 200, no Mazda 6, no current Charger V6, no Fusion 1.5, no Malibu or Impala, no Buick, no Altima or Maxima. There are so many other cars that Edmunds could test than yet another high end sedan.
  • nyccarguynyccarguy Member Posts: 16,421
    $60K for a 3 series is NUTS!

    2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD

  • agentorangeagentorange Member Posts: 893
    I don't have any real problems with this buy, except the price. New BMW prices are a bad joke. Buying a manual with the M-Sport package "just because" tells most of the Edmunds' readership nothing as they are never going to own a car specced that way. The X-drive is not my first choice, but then again I don't live in the Midwest or in a northern coastal state where AWD is very handy to have.
  • kirkhilles1kirkhilles1 Member Posts: 863
    Very unappealing car. Not sure why you picked this one, guess because it was given to you for free. I get that people love their BMWs and I'm sure they are fun to drive, but at $60k? Oh man. Just save up for a Tesla then.
  • desmoliciousdesmolicious Member Posts: 671
    Fine. But before you start the LT test, get a rwd 340i and do a comparison of ride/handling/performance.
    That way we know what is being gained, and what has been lost.
  • 5vzfe5vzfe Member Posts: 161
    I don't know anyone who could pay full price for a new car upfront, but if they could, 60K could buy a couple of very good non-luxury cars together or a fully loaded version of a very capable machine, like a pickup or something more narrowly focused like a sports car.
    If I had a $60,000 check, I'd spend it on one of those options before a loaded 3 series. And the funny thing is, even if I suddenly had the means of affording a 7 series or a A8, I'd still pick an A4 or a 3 series because I like smaller cars in general, and they're nice enough for me as it is. But not 60K nice. There are too many cool vehicles out there that are in that price range or lower.
  • boffboff Member Posts: 91
    Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...
  • schen72schen72 Member Posts: 433
    Why is everyone harping about the $60k price of this car? There are plenty of other cars that LT has tested that were $60k or more. And I do find it amusing that nobody thinks they can pay cash upfront for a new car. I've done that with all 5 cars I've owned in my life. I just buy what I can actually afford. I walk in with a cashiers check and walk out with a car.
  • black07gtiblack07gti Member Posts: 5
    Why not test the 2017 A4 or the C-class? Both are newer models overall, and the A4 has a lot of new tech (I just leased one myself and am very happy so far). Most people are buying the 328 or 320 and hardly any option them up this high. Not sure what is to be gained from this test.
  • darthbimmerdarthbimmer Member Posts: 606
    I'm curious how much faster the -40 engine is than the -35. Sure, it's rated with more horsepower, but the -35 engine was widely known to be underrated. Has BMW upped the power on the street or just on the spec sheet?
  • dmclone1dmclone1 Member Posts: 17
    This should be a $45k car.
  • roadburnerroadburner Member Posts: 17,349
    edited May 2016
    darthbimmer said:

    I'm curious how much faster the -40 engine is than the -35. Sure, it's rated with more horsepower, but the -35 engine was widely known to be underrated. Has BMW upped the power on the street or just on the spec sheet?

    Car and Driver has tested a 2012 335i manual as well as a 340i manual. Based on those test numbers the 340i is 0.5 seconds faster in the 0-60 sprint(4.8 vs. 5.3) and 1.4 seconds quicker to 100(11.6 vs. 13.0 seconds). The F30 335i was just about as fast as my 2007 MS3, which was certainly no ball of fire. At least you can call the 340i "fast" while keeping a relatively straight face.

    Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive

  • ebeaudoinebeaudoin Member Posts: 509
    BMWs just don't really excite me anymore. There was a day when BMW meant a bunch of fun to drive. Now you're buying a badge. Just my $0.02
  • roadburnerroadburner Member Posts: 17,349
    The M235i and the M2 are the only new BMWs that I really like. I ended up nabbing a loaded CPO M235i for a very good price. No regrets, but I wonder how much longer Munich will build cars that cater to the ever-smaller group of BMW owners who buy the cars to drive rather than wear.

    Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive

  • bassracerxbassracerx Member Posts: 188
    im conflicted on the Xdrive I really want to see what you guys think of it but the enthusiest wants to hiss at you for getting the 340 with X drive. i'm actually interested in the Xdrive system. is the one in the 320 any different than the one in the 340?
  • roadburnerroadburner Member Posts: 17,349
    There's no difference. Both are equally exciting and involving...

    Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive

  • henry4hirehenry4hire Member Posts: 106
    I am thinking of buying a BMW, but the one I have in mind is 13 years old. 2003 E39 M5! Last truly great car BMW made.
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