Used 2016 BMW 3 Series 340i xDrive 4dr Sedan AWD (3.0L 6cyl Turbo 8A) Consumer Reviews

Great performance, but very expensive.

After several months of researching all types of different vehicles I ultimately decided on purchasing the 2016 340i xDrive. Overall, this vehicle met my needs and after reading countless reviews (consumer and professional) the 340i remained in my top three narrowed down selection. My personal needs for a vehicle required performance, luxury, AWD (due to the snowy winters in Chicago), and decent gas mileage (sub par mpg with my last vehicle, 2012 Dodge Charger SRT8). My 340i is equipped with the cold weather package ($800), driver assistance package ($950), M sport package ($2,600), technology package ($2,750), and the track handling package ($1,700). $8,800 for those added options is very steep in my opinion but after getting a good trade-in value along with very low APR financing, as well as a tax credit and 4 years free maintenance I felt that it all balanced out. As for my impression of the vehicle, let me start off with the interior. Although many people tend to favor the interiors of Cadillac, Audi, Mercedes, Lexus, etc...the BMW interior is still very nice and luxurious. I can understand if some people think it's beginning to appear a bit dated, but nonetheless it's still superior to many vehicles on the market. The Dakota leather sport seats are top notch quality and for the most part above average in terms of comfort. The anthracite headliner, aluminum and gloss black trim accents throughout the vehicle along with the ambient lighting (which is dimmable) all go together fairly nicely. The cabin is really quiet and there are no rattle like noises or unwanted vibrations. The exterior of the vehicle is the best looking to date for the 3 series sedan in my opinion. From the elegant lines on the hood and the minor refresh of the whole body in general gives the vehicle a great sporty look that is very tasteful but not overstated or too flashy. I opted for the black sapphire metallic paint and the 19" alloy orbit grey M sport wheels along with black kidney grilles complete the overall look. Now on to the performance. Let me tell you, this car can move and it is fast! It doesn't exactly give you the "throw you back in your seat" kind of feeling and I must admit I do miss that and all the rear wheel glory and torque of my previous SRT8, but I still experience an ultimate thrill and satisfaction while driving this car. The 8 speed automatic transmission is flawless. The AWD has a tenacious grip on the road and you feel like you have complete control at all times. I prefer to drive in the sport mode setting regularly as it is always responsive and ready to accelerate hard at any time. The start/stop fuel saver system is very intrusive and can be deactivated with a push of a button and I never use it. I have a lead foot and most of my driving is in the city and I'm averaging 16 mpg which for me is acceptable especially considering the performance you get with the 3.0 liter twin turbo V-6. I've read that 0-60 mph can be as low as 4.4 seconds which I don't doubt depending on the conditions and where you live of course. The adaptive M suspension is great, but comfort does suffer a bit if you're selecting the sport modes. The low profile run flat tires detract from the comfort too, but nothing that isn't tolerable. The handling on this car is great too. So much that it almost feels like you're driving a coupe. Although this is a sedan, it feels so light and steering it is so effortless without taking away from the overall driving experience. The M sport brakes are phenomenal and feel perfect and smooth (not too sensitive and not too soft) when I need to apply my foot to the pedal. I also really like the sound of the dual exhaust when I drive in sport mode. You'll definitely hear the "crackles and pops" when revving the engine and when you accelerate hard and ease off the gas pedal. I always look forward to getting behind the wheel of this car and just letting it open up on the road. But let me tell you, this car isn't perfect. I do have a few gripes with it. Mostly with the knob control of the display screen. It can get quite annoying. Turn the knob to scroll here, click this and click that, hit the back button to exit, and on and on. So many times I want to be able to just touch the screen and get to what I want with ease but I can't. I knew this beforehand of course and was willing to deal with it. Connecting your iPod or iPhone via Bluetooth or with a cable isn't the best in terms of integration with this vehicle either. The interface definitely needs some tweeking. For example, let's say you connect your phone via Bluetooth so you can play your music. Accessing playlists or trying to shuffle songs is not easy when dealing with the knob turn dial control. And with the lack of a touch screen, you can't just select what you want with ease. If you've had a Nissan/Infiniti or a Dodge, their infotainment systems are much better. Lack of a touch screen and remote start at this price point is disappointing.

Bimmer 340xi AWD

This car has proved to be so much more enjoyable to drive since I replaced the run flat tires with conventional tires. Not only to drive but in the level of comfort experienced.

Competing with pro review on 340ix

I thought it might be useful for someone to get a more detailed review of this car based on personal experience of owning it and at the same time comparing it with other cars owed or tested. When somebody tells me 'I love my car, its great' it generally tells me very little. I heard that from the owners of KIA or Prius or Tahoe and other cars that I personally would try to avoid. They all have something good about them (if only the price) and are better than any car produced in India, for example, but that does not tell me exactly how these cars are really better or worse than others. And that's the only thing that really matters, for me at least. So here it goes. I bought my new 340ix 2.7 years ago.. Before that I owned for 3.5 years 335is coupe, before that Mercedes 320 Sport and my wife owns (so me too to a degree) new Z4 35i and before that z4 35 sport and before that z3. Before deciding on 340ix, thinking of either re-leasing or replacing my 335is I tried BMW 435i, M325, 335i, M3, Mercedes c450amg, Audi4, 5 and RS, Hyundai Genesis and these are all the cars (not to mention my experiences with rental Toyotas, VW, Chevrolet, Nissan, etc.) that I compare this one to. First, none of these cars were worth switching to from my 335is. With exception of M3. Which would be more than I was willing to pay. Arriving of the new 340ix did it though. It matched engine power with 335is, it had x drive which I found attractive (335is was not fun driving around ski resorts), it had a couple of luxury items I'd like to have and it was a new car I could have for almost the same lease money Id pay re-leasing 335is. What did I get? After paying for M package, Track package, Park assist but skipping Navigation? Actually, not one but four cars with very distinct personalities. Resulting from Track and M packages that provide several different modes of driving which are really something very noticeable, not just 'on paper' statements. On other cars I tried and on my wife's Z4 those are also present, nothing new, but while you can feel the difference on other cars I feel its much more prominent on 340ix. So, starting with these modes: First, they indeed can be useful and I do switch between them in different conditions. Second, I still can't say I'm very excited about them. I would be just fine with one perfectly tuned suspension and steering. Which was the case in my 2012 335iS, frankly having the ideally tuned suspension and steering, better than any other car I tried so far (better even than in M3 and maybe better than Porsche Boxter). I don't know how they managed that but they did with 335is - exceptionally smooth, absorbing major road imperfections and at the same time razor sharp with just enough heavy and firm steering to feel the road and keep things under absolute control. Simply a joy to drive. Why BMW would not just stick with it?? People keep saying that new BMW cars generation lost the handling edge but BMW stubbornly ignores that. And these modes are: 1. ECO Pro - call it Eco Pro Pro or super pro or whatever else BMW wants call them there would still be nothing "Pro" here. This mode turns your BMW into Toyota Primus. It reduces the engine response to the gas pedal and adds a bunch of indicators on display to let you sort of play some computer game, with saved miles indicators, graphs, tips, etc. Warns if you press too hard on accelerator or exceed some speed limits. I played around with it while breaking-in the car but frankly I can't see what an idiot (pardon) would buy BMW to drive it in Eco mode. 2. Comfort mode - that mode is actually better than same on 335 or Z4. It feels a little firmer and more steerable. But still not what I would consider a good BMW-like driving experience. It provides reasonable engine output (you can really go) and its smooth but IMHO a little bobbing on bumps and the steering is just too soft/mashed which makes you a little nervous on high speed. I still use it in rush hour and maybe its OK to use on gravel roads or something. But its still nowhere close to the standard 335is experience, worse than Z4 comfort mode and I would even prefer Mercedes 320Sport feel to that. Its Buick leSabre on steroids. The worst part of it - its default mode. You cant change that. Why??? Audi and Mercedes let you choose whats default, its all software. Mercedes even let you customize the parameters of the mode to choose your preferences. Why am I forced to drive in comfort mode the car most would buy for sporty behavior? That's plain stupid. Its the same on Z4. So if you bought the car to indeed enjoy performance ride, not just show that you can buy luxury car, then you need to hit the mode button every time you start engine. That will give you a Sport mode. 3. Sport mode increases the responsiveness of the engine, stiffens steering and suspension and gives you a sport car with great reflexes. Now we are talking. Though ride can become a little harsh at times on uneven surface. That saves it

Classy at the meets... Dust em' in the streets.

There's really nothing bad I can say about this vehicle. Some folks would criticize maintenance costs, but I've cruched the numbers and it is cheaper to factory maintain my 340iX than it is to maintain my Ford Escort Zx2(Remember those?) In my back yard. Matter of fact, if you are the type to enjoy the benefits of preventative maintenance, this is ABSOLUTELY the car for you. Your maintenance schedule is downloaded to the vehicle computer. It will give you upcoming maintenance notifications, and will even schedule it through the dealer. You exact maintenance needs get downloaded off your fob when you go to the service center. My car performs better than factory spec. Not just power and torque, but the fuel economy as well. When the kinetic assist is fully charged we adverage 45mpg. When we engage sport+, we can engage, and dust hellkittens!! They get MAAADDD too! Screaming and smoking while they get absolutely dusted by opulence and decadence. Also, you can find them in stick shift!! What other luxury brand gives you that option!? They stopped putting them in after 2018, but you can still factory order an M3 with a stick shift to this very day! When BMW says they create the Ultimate Driving Machine, they mean it. I'll admit this is my first BMW, but that makes me uniquely qualified to point out that they have absolutely refined every last aspect of the driving experience. The service I have been receiving at the dealer double confirms my loyalty as a BMW customer/driver. 1,000,000% a different dynamic from any American brand I have driven or maintained.

Fantastic Car