Monthly Update for May 2017 - 2016 BMW 340i xDrive Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.comEdmunds.com Member, Administrator, Moderator Posts: 10,316
edited June 2017 in BMW
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Monthly Update for May 2017 - 2016 BMW 340i xDrive Long-Term Road Test

The one-year anniversary of Edmunds' long-term BMW 340i xDrive didn't have a big celebration, but a piece of the dash did fall off.

Read the full story here


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  • DLuDLu Member Posts: 94
    "There's this perceived general sense of security people associate with all-wheel drive, and it's something I've never understood." In the Northeast, I know a lot of people think AWD (erroneously) = safe/better on snow. Not enough people shell out their $$$ for a set of winter tires.

    However, when it comes to high-HP, high-torque cars, AWD is better if the driver is not careful with the right foot, especially if the electronic traction and stability aides are turned off. I'm sure we have all seen Mustangs and M4s spin out in a most embarrassing -- sometimes fatal -- manner on public streets.
  • s197gts197gt Member Posts: 486
    edited June 2017
    and since bmw refuses to offer a factory LSD on any non-M car... AWD is another way to get all the power down to the ground.

    but they do make some good points... a RWD 328i and maybe a 320i is plenty of car; especially for urban driving in a one-season city.

    here is the problem.... you are gonna have to order the lesser models from the factory if you want something as "luxurious" as HIDs. Most 328 and 320 cars are low-optioned rentals. at least where i live.
  • s197gts197gt Member Posts: 486
    low optioned leases, not rentals...
  • roadburnerroadburner Member Posts: 18,009
    edited June 2017
    I much prefer RWD in my DD/track rats. I bought a CPO M235i and plan to add the M Performance locking diff in the near future. AWD is fine, but for me it would have to be a system like the one fitted to the F90 M5- which gives you the option of selecting RWD mode.

    And I still wonder at the incompetence of some people who tell me that they can't buy a RWD car because they need a car that they can drive in the rain...

    Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
    Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
    Son's: 2018 330i xDrive

  • DLuDLu Member Posts: 94
    roadburner said:

    I much prefer RWD in my DD/track rats. I bought a CPO M235i and plan to add the M Performance locking diff in the near future. AWD is fine, but for me it would have to be a system like the one fitted to the F90 M5- which gives you the option of selecting RWD mode.

    And I still wonder at the incompetence of some people who tell me that they can't buy a RWD car because they need a car that they can drive in the rain...

    Just curious -- have you tried the rear-biased AWD system like in the 340? I think it's quite good. Idiots like me will have an easier time putting all that powerrrrrr down with a AWD saving my [non-permissible content removed], but it still has dynamics that are surprisingly similar to a RWD setup.
  • roadburnerroadburner Member Posts: 18,009
    I drive different new BMWs virtually every day and I think that xDrive is an extremely good AWD system. If I lived in an area that received a lot of winter weather and I didn't have something else to drive I'd consider an M240i xDrive. Fortunately winters in my area aren't all that extreme- and I have a Wrangler TJ if things do get really bad. As a result, the only time I have to cheat death and drive my 2er on the razor's edge of apocalyptic disaster is when it rains... B)

    Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
    Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
    Son's: 2018 330i xDrive

  • DLuDLu Member Posts: 94
    It's nice to have the skill ... I know I was happy with the amount of power in the RX-8, sent to the rears. I was quite confident in it. The power of 340i for me is too much to handle if it's RWD!
  • DLuDLu Member Posts: 94
    I found a better 3-series than the 3 series: Macan GTS. It costs a bit more, but it's definitely more fun than a 340i
  • belisariusbelisarius Member Posts: 1
    edited January 2018
    Ma
    DLu said:

    roadburner said:

    I much prefer RWD in my DD/track rats. I bought a CPO M235i and plan to add the M Performance locking diff in the near future. AWD is fine, but for me it would have to be a system like the one fitted to the F90 M5- which gives you the option of selecting RWD mode.

    And I still wonder at the incompetence of some people who tell me that they can't buy a RWD car because they need a car that they can drive in the rain...

    Just curious -- have you tried the rear-biased AWD system like in the 340? I think it's quite good. Idiots like me will have an easier time putting all that powerrrrrr down with a AWD saving my [non-permissible content removed], but it still has dynamics that are surprisingly similar to a RWD setup.
    Easier example, friend. At -5, -10, -15, -20, -40C (=-40F), each time I gas the AWD while stopped (to do a doughnut or 180 in place), the car spins. WITH TOP RATE WINTER TIRES. It stuns onlookers whom know it is xDrive. The point is, in all other brutal driving conditions, the rear never spins out of control, as the front takes over. Several times the lights warned me of what turned out to be highway black ice, at 60mph. In similar conditions, RWDs would have spun a long time before if touching gas. The AWD, 4% front heavier, begins oscillating, and lets you know whil retaining directional control. That aside, if living South of Canada's snowbelt, I would go for RWDs with winter tires. But with 4-5 months of sub 0C, and 2 months of -20C or lower, AWD is a no brainer.
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