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BMW 5-Series (G30) Forum 2017+ BMW 5 Series (G30) General Discussions M550i or M340i?

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      03-29-2019, 09:48 AM   #23
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Well, i currently have an F30 3 -series and a 2018 M550i. They are 2 completely different cars... Granted, my 3 is not the new Gen. (It's a 2014). The 3 is smaller and more "tossable", but not nearly as comfortable, luxurious or well built. These notes should be a given... The M550i is better in every way - including spirited driving on hilly, twisty roads. I have yet to find it's limit. The M550 is just planted and solid, and the power is intoxicating. I went from a 550i, to a 535i and regretted every minute - unitl I got back in to the M550i. The 3 is, no doubt, a good car - probably doubly so for the new M340i, but I much prefer the 5, evidenced by the fact that I have put 37K miles on it in 13 months. It has been flawless.
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      03-29-2019, 11:05 AM   #24
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I have an M550 and is a great car, I debated between 540 and M550, I am glad I chose the M550, but I am very curious about the M340, and thinking maybe it could be my next car. I will test drive one when available and decide.
My wife has a MB C43 and is a lot of fun, the M340 is slightly larger, it should be a fun car.
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      03-29-2019, 11:28 AM   #25
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M340 looks like a good car for driving, but I dont like the grille, dont like the new digital dash, and idrive7 looks to have lots of glitches. If I were to go for one, I'd wait a couple years at least until all the bugs get worked out. I've done this will all my BMWs (usually getting the 2-3 yr of model), and have had very few problems 10-15 years out
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      03-29-2019, 12:22 PM   #26
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well, iDrive 7 is going to get better as time goes on, I would think iDrive 6 starts buggy?
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      03-29-2019, 06:00 PM   #27
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bymep View Post
M340 looks like a good car for driving, but I dont like the grille, dont like the new digital dash, and idrive7 looks to have lots of glitches. If I were to go for one, I'd wait a couple years at least until all the bugs get worked out. I've done this will all my BMWs (usually getting the 2-3 yr of model), and have had very few problems 10-15 years out
I think is a myth that the first model year has more bugs/problems, I've had more first year production than later production years, no problems.

going back 15 years, I've had a 1st year E60 545, 1st year F10 550, 1st year G30 M550.
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      03-29-2019, 06:34 PM   #28
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I'm on my 5th BMW. I've had four 3s, including the apex predator M3.

Now that I have a 540, I could never go back to a 3.

However, with that said, when I'm driving on a back winding road, I do sort of miss the M3. The 540 drives more like our SUV than my old M3. Not saying the 540 handles bad, but it just isn't in the same league with the M3. Not even close... However, I still stand by my above statement. I don't think I could ever go back to a 3.
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      03-29-2019, 10:46 PM   #29
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Originally Posted by Fred_Boosted View Post
Just ordered my 540, M550 is a beast I would love to drive. But for daily driving. I gotta have something more tamed lol.

I prefer the new 3 series way more than the current Gen, between 540/340 I went 540.
Just throw the M550 in adaptive drive mode and it’s a very enjoyable daily driver.
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      03-31-2019, 10:08 AM   #30
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Year ago also was debating by between 550 540 , x3 m40, 340 gran coupe. I was leasing and my 550 was only $150 more per month vs 540 and I never had V8 car. 3 series felt less refined, more noisy on highway, I needed more room in rear for car seat and bigger trunk. x3 m40i was probably the closest to what I wanted but v8 won.
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      04-01-2019, 01:26 AM   #31
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tk718 View Post
Year ago also was debating by between 550 540 , x3 m40, 340 gran coupe. I was leasing and my 550 was only $150 more per month vs 540 and I never had V8 car. 3 series felt less refined, more noisy on highway, I needed more room in rear for car seat and bigger trunk. x3 m40i was probably the closest to what I wanted but v8 won.
The 340 you drove was the prior generation. The current M340 has just gone on sale and is built on the same platform as the 5 series. It’s a huge improvement and the gap between the 3 and 5 in refinement is much lower. Material quality still has a large gap, but NVH, ride and stability are all much closer to the 5 than ever before
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      04-01-2019, 05:54 AM   #32
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ssquared View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tk718 View Post
Year ago also was debating by between 550 540 , x3 m40, 340 gran coupe. I was leasing and my 550 was only $150 more per month vs 540 and I never had V8 car. 3 series felt less refined, more noisy on highway, I needed more room in rear for car seat and bigger trunk. x3 m40i was probably the closest to what I wanted but v8 won.
The 340 you drove was the prior generation. The current M340 has just gone on sale and is built on the same platform as the 5 series. It’s a huge improvement and the gap between the 3 and 5 in refinement is much lower. Material quality still has a large gap, but NVH, ride and stability are all much closer to the 5 than ever before
Not sure what you mean about the M340 being the same platform as the 5 series. If you mean the same chassis? Then it's definitely not. It's based on the new 3 series.

The M340i is to 3 series as the M550i is to the 5 series.

Did you mean something else?
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      04-01-2019, 06:58 AM   #33
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Quote:
Originally Posted by drjolokia View Post
Not sure what you mean about the M340 being the same platform as the 5 series. If you mean the same chassis? Then it's definitely not. It's based on the new 3 series.

The M340i is to 3 series as the M550i is to the 5 series.

Did you mean something else?
Both models are based on the Cluster Architecture (CLAR) platform. That doesn't mean the 3-series is just a smaller version of the 5-series.

For example, the front suspensions are a totally different designs. 5-series has a wishbone setup, 3-series a variation based on the MacPherson strut.
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      04-01-2019, 09:49 AM   #34
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Originally Posted by drjolokia View Post
Not sure what you mean about the M340 being the same platform as the 5 series. If you mean the same chassis? Then it's definitely not. It's based on the new 3 series.

The M340i is to 3 series as the M550i is to the 5 series.

Did you mean something else?
Yes the M340 is a 3 series but it is based on the CLAR platform which means there are many similarities to the G30 5 series which is also based on CLAR platform.

It’s not exactly the same...3 uses Macpherson as mentioned above while the 5 is double wishbone. The 3’s suspension is setup to have more aggressive turn in, firmer ride and more road feel than the 5. But the G20 3 is way more refined than then f30, and the gap between the g20 3 and g30 5 in ride comfort and nvh is much smaller than the gap between the F30 3 and F10 5 or G30 5
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      04-01-2019, 01:39 PM   #35
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ssquared View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by drjolokia View Post
Not sure what you mean about the M340 being the same platform as the 5 series. If you mean the same chassis? Then it's definitely not. It's based on the new 3 series.

The M340i is to 3 series as the M550i is to the 5 series.

Did you mean something else?
Yes the M340 is a 3 series but it is based on the CLAR platform which means there are many similarities to the G30 5 series which is also based on CLAR platform.

It’s not exactly the same...3 uses Macpherson as mentioned above while the 5 is double wishbone. The 3’s suspension is setup to have more aggressive turn in, firmer ride and more road feel than the 5. But the G20 3 is way more refined than then f30, and the gap between the g20 3 and g30 5 in ride comfort and nvh is much smaller than the gap between the F30 3 and F10 5 or G30 5
Got it. Thanks for the clarification!
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      04-01-2019, 11:51 PM   #36
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M550 has better design, quality interior & powerful TT V8. It's fun in a straight line due to massive torque, but on turns you sure gonna feel the big weight. That takes the fun away, especially if you're comparing to M340. You'll probably think the power of the TTV8 will compensate for the weight, but it won't. It's not all about straight line acceleration. If you value handling then M340 is gonna be a good choice! It's powerful enough! My thoughts after driving tuned TTV8 550 for 4 years!
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      04-02-2019, 08:56 AM   #37
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Russkey View Post
You'll probably think the power of the TTV8 will compensate for the weight, but it won't. It's not all about straight line acceleration. If you value handling then M340 is gonna be a good choice! It's powerful enough! My thoughts after driving tuned TTV8 550 for 4 years!
Although the smaller 3 is gonna be more tossable by simple physics, the G30 M550iX is different than your F10 model. While not a autocross car, it can handle most US highway curves and the engine more than makes up for its weight. This engine, especially when easily tuned to just under 600HP, can handle the weight.
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      04-02-2019, 09:03 AM   #38
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Originally Posted by LexProf View Post
One thing about the 5 series, including the M550i that I've owned for about 15 months, is that there is a lot of plastic in the car (not as much as the 3 series for sure). And it snaps crackles and pops all the time: driving over bumps, and especially when there are temperature changes (like blasting the AC on a hot day, or blasting the heat on a cold day). It's the only thing I've been disappointed in about the 5 series. BMW has gotten a bit cheap there.
I think you are confusing the holding clips used to hold the plastic trim pieces.

All cars have plastic in the interiors. However the material quality used in the G30s cabin is of very high quality and that includes all soft touch plastics. Your complaint is the plastic or metal clips used that seem to rapidly expand under temperature changes (Hot cabin with AC in full blast).
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      04-02-2019, 09:06 AM   #39
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Russkey View Post
M550 has better design, quality interior & powerful TT V8. It's fun in a straight line due to massive torque, but on turns you sure gonna feel the big weight. That takes the fun away, especially if you're comparing to M340. You'll probably think the power of the TTV8 will compensate for the weight, but it won't. It's not all about straight line acceleration. If you value handling then M340 is gonna be a good choice! It's powerful enough! My thoughts after driving tuned TTV8 550 for 4 years!
How many people live near "twisties" and "canyon roads". Not me and I am afraid not many do either. It's funny how people obsessed over high lateral G cornering capabilities in DD cars when they live in areas flat as a pancake chock full of traffic
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      04-02-2019, 12:42 PM   #40
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Originally Posted by PureModelsOnly View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by 530iDriver View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Russkey View Post
M550 has better design, quality interior & powerful TT V8. It's fun in a straight line due to massive torque, but on turns you sure gonna feel the big weight. That takes the fun away, especially if you're comparing to M340. You'll probably think the power of the TTV8 will compensate for the weight, but it won't. It's not all about straight line acceleration. If you value handling then M340 is gonna be a good choice! It's powerful enough! My thoughts after driving tuned TTV8 550 for 4 years!
How many people live near "twisties" and "canyon roads". Not me and I am afraid not many do either. It's funny how people obsessed over high lateral G cornering capabilities in DD cars when they live in areas flat as a pancake chock full of traffic
I take these so called "twisties" on my daily commute :
That's awesome man! Unfortunately for the vast majority we don't live no where near roads like that.
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      04-02-2019, 12:56 PM   #41
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i had a 335i for 4 years i ve been driving 540i for the past year, and let me tell you, the car feels like a huge step up above the 335i, yes 335i felt lighter more nimble but this thing is just awesome, and from luxury perspective cant even compare, i love it and after having this five, i will never go back to 3, cant wait for my lease to expire so i can get the 550
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      04-02-2019, 01:14 PM   #42
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ksoze View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Russkey View Post
You'll probably think the power of the TTV8 will compensate for the weight, but it won't. It's not all about straight line acceleration. If you value handling then M340 is gonna be a good choice! It's powerful enough! My thoughts after driving tuned TTV8 550 for 4 years!
Although the smaller 3 is gonna be more tossable by simple physics, the G30 M550iX is different than your F10 model. While not a autocross car, it can handle most US highway curves and the engine more than makes up for its weight. This engine, especially when easily tuned to just under 600HP, can handle the weight.
Are you sure M550 is completely different animal? Mine was lowered and tuned and when I tested M550 I couldn't find much difference in driving characteristics and handling. It's still big and heavy car. I didn't tell OP to avoid M550, just telling him my experience. It's not as fun as M340. More luxurious for sure but not as fun!
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      04-02-2019, 01:28 PM   #43
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Russkey View Post
Are you sure M550 is completely different animal? Mine was lowered and tuned and when I tested M550 I couldn't find much difference in driving characteristics and handling. It's still big and heavy car. I didn't tell OP to avoid M550, just telling him my experience. It's not as fun as M340. More luxurious for sure but not as fun!
Pretty sure the F10 and G30 have some significant differences. How that translates to what one desires in a car is subjective. I am also sure the M340 is a "funner" car simply based on its size and and killer heritage. The bigger, heavier and stronger 5'er is fun in a different way and far from just a stoplight racer. I have owned several M3's, starting with a new '98 and while it was a go cart on steroids, the M550iX is a rare combination of luxury and solidity wrapped around a crazy fast engine. My fun is of a different sorts these days...
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      04-02-2019, 01:35 PM   #44
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I would prefer the m340i IF I could get individual merino leather with it. I had a 330e with the Dakota leather and I really disliked it and I love my current nappa leather.
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