Consolidating? 340i AWD

[Nick M3]

He’s already said that it’s loud and uncomfortable, though. So I don’t see how it actually works for the intended purpose.

[robg]

Originally Posted by equ

It has the suspension but it doesn't have VSS (Variable Sport Steering) or the blue M brakes. It also has runflat 19's instead of 18's. The car I drove (with 18" MPSS in good ole e46 m3 sizes) had a better spec for me at 2/3rds the price, though it didn't have Nav and some other tech (digital cluster, carplay) etc. I guess I might miss those over time, but right now they don't seem to be a priority, I use Android anyway, and I see nothing wrong with classical non-blingy gauges.

I listed my Macan at an aggressive price. Let's see what kind of interest I get.

Makes sense. 19” wheels with run flats suck.

The VSS steering is just a variable ratio rack (the teeth at the ends of the rack are wider such that it requires less steerinng input for a given wheel angle change as you get closer to full lock. I remember reading reviews where many people actually don’t like it given the non linear behavior. Then again, it’s very possible the Macan has a similar setup so you might be used to it.

[equ]

The Josh'es expressed it better than I could. I never fell for the Macan Turbo.

The 535i took care of daily duties for the last three years. Great for summer trips to Maine, and for taking the dog along (large space/hard as rock Dakota crap leather, but at least it wears like iron). Nice 27mpg and good range on the highway. Incurred some maintenance costs, but nothing exorbitant, and I feel it is reliable enough. If I were a miser, I'd just keep it as it's well-depreciated and has a good five or more years ahead of it.

It has some negatives:

* Even with michelin x-ice, it's not good enough on snow. It may be the tires or the platform/engine but even the 330 rwd's were better, especially the e90 (they were on dunlops ). Not just for Vermont trips, but in local snowstorms, I am worried about the few hills around me.

* Smooth but hardly fun to drive. Even with the manual, it is not engaging. It's worse than a f30 335i in this regard and much worse than the LCI 340i and pretty much any M car.

The Macan:

* Is not very space efficient. E.g. it takes some planning to carry its own (quite large) wheels and tires.

* It is competent and not actively unpleasant, but not that great to drive, despite being genuinely fast. The ride is clumpy. It has great bottom end and mid range. It has power in the higher revs but I never feel like going there; to avoid triple digit velocities as well as the sound/vibrations are not thrilling (see again inline or flat vs. v6).

* I hated the handling of the JGC, but I kind of miss its powertrain. The v6 diesel and the 8-speed ZF were smooth, torquey enough and very efficient. Too bad VW screwed the pooch on v6 diesels. The post-fix Cayennes are getting awful reviews.

* There is some herky jerkiness to the PDK/Transfer Case/e-brake combination. I'm smoother with manual cars, I guess this could be a learning curve.

* I do like that the PDK shifts without delay, but it's not that much better than a well-tuned 8-speed ZF. I never use it in manual mode other than occasional overrides, it feels pointless.

* I don't like how the PDK makes me unaware in traffic, this might be a learning curve issue as well. But all other cars in the fleet are manual and it becomes a pain to switch back and forth.

* The highway mpg gets 20 at best. It's rated 23. Most bmw's match their hwy ratings under my usual highway driving. The s4 didn't achieve its rating either. The 20 gallon tank ameliorates this, but it's still annoying. I'm definitely paying at the pump. Plenty of my mixed use tanks have been 14 to 15mpg. So I'm spending $45-50 to go 225miles.

* The sloped rear window is not good in storms. Gets crap all over it and the wiper is not good. This may be fixed at the next service.

* The leather is very nice indeed. The upshot is, at least while I have the 535i, the dog doesn't ride in the Macan. While I haven't saved it from winter/salt, I haven't taken the dog in it other than once (inaugural ride back from the dealer). Yes, there are seat covers, but there are headrests and door leather and seat backs. A dog the size of Ida can do major damage. Hell, I feel beat up just saying hello to her sometimes and getting pawed. She also doesn't like high SUV cars for getting in/out. She is fine in the 535i and the GTI (which is her main transport).

The 340i xdrive... As soon as I started driving it, I loved it. It is MUCH more fun to drive than the 535i, also a lot newer, so there is that. It will be somewhat better in snow. Xdrive is not the best, but it's gotta help. I also like the driving position, seats/pedals set up better than both the 5 and the Macan. Issues..

* Small interior. I must have gotten used to the 5 and the macan, the front headroom feels tight.

* NVH. Did not expect this. Somehow thought a 2016 3er would get close to the 5 or the Macan on quietness, may need another drive.

But again, the engine, suspension, steering and even shifting is much more involving than the 5. It's just a good car. I don't think I'll miss the Macan much as I'm not connected to it, that just feels like a competent, fancy rental.

In the should have, could have department, I should have just gotten a 340i when I sold the e46 m3. And that would have let me sell the 5 as well. I thought about it but for some reason, I didn't test drive one. The JGC did carry some 10ft beams for us, there was more repairs going on at that time.

I'm emotionally more connected to the 5 than the Macan. Some of it is duration of ownership, but also BMW's are easy to work on and modify. I did a steering wheel swap, ignition coils, rear fog light, Euro side mirrors, front grille, engine tune... As easy as these were, service is harder in VW/Audi/Porsche products. Even changing bulbs or air filters are harder. At least Porsches are pretty reliable.

[equ]

Originally Posted by robg

Makes sense. 19” wheels with run flats suck.

The VSS steering is just a variable ratio rack (the teeth at the ends of the rack are wider such that it requires less steerinng input for a given wheel angle change as you get closer to full lock. I remember reading reviews where many people actually don’t like it given the non linear behavior. Then again, it’s very possible the Macan has a similar setup so you might be used to it.

I'm not used to the Macan hardly at all. But I do know 987 onward, boxsters and caymans have it (I assume 911's must as well). I actually loved that about the 340. I like it to be not so sensitive on center, but get sensitive with steering angle to reduce lock. Speed sensitive is something else entirely and that would be absolutely terrible (I think BMW experimented with that ten years ago). This was great for me. I'd need to drive a 340 without it to see how much it matters, but it was better than the f30 adaptives I've driven.

[equ]

Originally Posted by wdc330i

I wish there were a 340 wagon variant, but otherwise, it seems like a solid choice. I love my car and the specs are very close to the 3.

I also thought my E91 wasn’t very luxe—either from a soundproofing standpoint or interior quality. That seems to continue.

The 2 is also pretty bare bones in that regard. Lots of hard plastics.

Yes, the soundproofing and the plastics were a letdown, but man what an engine and quite a welcome improvement in the handling/feel department with the right boxes checked. Also with manuals ending, I feel some pressure. As JST said, our future is full of auto-something or other CUV's.

[rumatt]

The key here is: was the noise in the 340 noticeable because of contrast with the others, or is it something that will annoy you over time.

Can you get an extended test drive?

Sounds like you're smitten anyway. Just get it.

[equ]

Originally Posted by Nick M3

He’s already said that it’s loud and uncomfortable, though. So I don’t see how it actually works for the intended purpose.

I wrote those with a bit more qualification. It is louder and has less headroom but I think the driving position is better than either car.

My L4/L5 disc is not easy to predict. Generally, it needs adjustable lumbar. But that itself is not enough. The lumbar has to be low enough, the gas pedal needs to be stiff and I need a good angle/stretch/support on my right leg. I'm guessing the f30 sport seats are going to be just as good or better than the 5 or the Macan but we will see.

Unfortunately, the 14-way porsche seats are better than the higher option, sportier, thinner 18-ways that I have for my condition. However, I love that car as it is, I don't drive it too long too often, so it will stay. (If I do find 14-way seats in red 2013 to 2016 or so, that might be of interest to swap in!!!)

Not every drive I take will be long. Will it be better for ski trips than the Macan? No. Either car will either need a roof rack or a split-folded rear, so the interior is about the same. The clearance certainly and the center diff likely are better in the Macan compared to the xdrive. But not every drive is a ski trip. I haven't driven the Macan much since I've owned it, I just don't connect with it. Of the 2100 miles, 300 were purchase and a clean-up/complaints visit. So I've done 1800 actual miles in five months. Let's say I do a ski trip, I will still not get past 3000 miles for the winter. Less than 5000 for the year, it's just a waste to keep two cars for that and drive each about 5000 miles.

[equ]

Originally Posted by rumatt

The key here is: was the noise in the 340 noticeable because of contrast with the others, or is it something that will annoy you over time.

Can you get an extended test drive?

Sounds like you're smitten anyway. Just get it.

I think this will happen. I really clicked with it in minutes. Very nostalgic in some ways compared to the PDK powerhouse Macan. It just felt like I was driving an e46 m3 back in 2004.

Spec isn't perfect, but very good (2nd choice in exterior/interior color, 1st choice for performance set-up, meh on Nav/tech, at least I save some money). I also get back into HK. The 5er's stereo is base and not great at all, would need about $1k to fix up.

[equ]

Originally Posted by Nick M3

I guess I don’t understand why you wouldn’t simply ditch the 535i and keep the Macan.

I think I have a habitual problem of "miswanting" when it comes to cars, hopefully not many other facets of life. It's great that you can be rational enough that this all sounds strange to you. How could one buy a Macan turbo, knowing what it is, and then get disappointed by what it is? Does not compute. Well, it just doesn't.

It's happened with bicycles as well. I kept thinking I'd love a cyclocross classic steel bike. Bought a LeMond Poprad. Total fail. I kept preferring the road version, Lemond Zurich.

The worst mistakes were the x5 35d, the JGC and the Macan, all SUV's. All kept less than a year. And you guys, rightly, asked me again and again...

I keep thinking I'm going to get some family capable, awd, hatchy thing. But in the end C. drives the GTI and that takes care of most dog and hatch needs, sure it's not as big as an X5 or a JGC. If I had to keep one of those three (not that the macan is sold within hours of listing), I'd take the JGC and deal with the terrible emergency handling, its diesel drivetrain and interior simplicity was the sweetest. Maybe I'd avoid the air suspension this time around.

At this point, I don't plan on getting an SUV/CUV, not now, not in two years. If in two years, C. wants one, she won't want my turbo anyway. She has different likes, and I expect she'll end up with a 4-cylinder wagon or some lighter CUV if at all.

[Nick M3]

Originally Posted by equ

I think I have a habitual problem of "miswanting" when it comes to cars, hopefully not many other facets of life. It's great that you can be rational enough that this all sounds strange to you. How could one buy a Macan turbo, knowing what it is, and then get disappointed by what it is? Does not compute. Well, it just doesn't.

It's happened with bicycles as well. I kept thinking I'd love a cyclocross classic steel bike. Bought a LeMond Poprad. Total fail. I kept preferring the road version, Lemond Zurich.

The worst mistakes were the x5 35d, the JGC and the Macan, all SUV's. All kept less than a year. And you guys, rightly, asked me again and again...

I keep thinking I'm going to get some family capable, awd, hatchy thing. But in the end C. drives the GTI and that takes care of most dog and hatch needs, sure it's not as big as an X5 or a JGC. If I had to keep one of those three (not that the macan is sold within hours of listing), I'd take the JGC and deal with the terrible emergency handling, its diesel drivetrain and interior simplicity was the sweetest. Maybe I'd avoid the air suspension this time around.

At this point, I don't plan on getting an SUV/CUV, not now, not in two years. If in two years, C. wants one, she won't want my turbo anyway. She has different likes, and I expect she'll end up with a 4-cylinder wagon or some lighter CUV if at all.

You’re looking at the guy with four M3s and four E30s, so I don’t know that rational is really the right way to put it.