The second exhaust pipe remains closed in Comfort mode. When switched to Sport+ mode, it opens the valve for the second exhaust pipe.
BHPian georgesunnyt recently shared this with other enthusiasts:
Took a test drive of the M340i LCI2.
Comfort:
I drove it on the same roads that I regularly drive my F30 320d pre-LCI on. The M340i, with its adaptive suspension, felt 15-20% more comfortable than my F30 with its stock passive suspension and 17-inch run-flat tires. I couldn’t believe that a car with 19-inch wheels could be so comfortable. The BMW press release also states that the LCI2 chassis has been further refined to improve both comfort and sportiness. This, combined with the adaptive suspension, seems to be working well.
On my F30, I can feel every imperfection on the road, which can get tiring on long stretches of unevenly paved surfaces. This was one reason I put off test driving an M340i for so long, as I didn’t want to drive a stiffer car. As soon as BMW added adaptive dampers, I knew I had to drive it, and I’m glad I did. The car does stiffen up a bit in Sport mode. I could also hear the thuds of the run-flat tires a little more over road undulations in sport plus mode. During my test drive, I found myself constantly switching between Comfort and Sport+ modes depending on road surface conditions to adjust the suspension.
The ride in Sport+ mode is also not bone-jarring by any means. You could easily drive it in Sport+ all day long on average to decent roads. The car also felt much easier to drive in the city due to the lighter steering. Note that the lighter steering did not translate to less confidence or precision, as it does in some other cars.
Acceleration:
I was expecting twice the shove into the seats compared to what I get from the N47 engine in my F30, since the B58 produces nearly twice the horsepower and has all-wheel drive. I was a little disappointed on this front. I guess I had extremely high expectations.
Don’t get me wrong, the car is very quick and has a much higher sense of urgency, but somehow it didn’t feel like it delivered twice the horsepower of the N47. Maybe it has to do with how linearly the power is delivered compared to how it is in turbo-diesels like the N47. The B58 does feel very silky and smooth. The engine also sounds very good in the upper end of the RPM range. Engine braking was also more pronounced in Sport+ mode compared to the N47 in Sport+ mode.
Cornering:
I was first at a traffic light and made a hard right turn while accelerating hard from a standstill. There was zero tire squeal. The same maneuver in my F30 would cause some tire squeal on the inside wheels. The LSD combined with xDrive seems to be helping here. I’m impressed by it. I also performed a lane change on another road while accelerating, and it felt much nimbler and quicker to change lanes than my F30. The variable sport steering, adaptive dampers, and xDrive seem to be contributing here. I’m impressed here too. It masks its weight well despite being heavier than my F30. I wish I could drive it on some winding mountain roads to see if the added weight affects handling negatively.
Moreover, xDrive doesn’t seem to have reduced that pure rear-wheel-drive steering feel for me, at least. The pure, unhindered steering feel is one of the prime reasons I picked up a rear-wheel-drive car like the F30, and I’m glad that xDrive hasn’t affected it, probably because it’s still heavily rear-wheel-drive biased.
Exhaust Note:
The second exhaust pipe remains closed in Comfort mode. When switched to Sport+ mode, it opens the valve for the second exhaust pipe, I think the one on the right side of the car. The exhaust does sound really good if you’re outside and behind the car. Inside the car, you can’t hear the exhaust at lower RPMs. Even at higher RPMs, I felt like I could hear the engine more than the exhaust. I’m not a fan of loud exhausts. This car sounds perfect to me. It’s not loud enough to become a burden to anyone else on the road or pedestrians.
If you want more sound inside the cabin at lower RPMs, you can also turn on BMW Iconic Sounds, which will pump in more sound through the speakers. I didn’t play around with the Iconic Sounds much, but the dealership person put it into some mode where I could hear pops and bangs through the speakers even during lift-off at much lower RPMs. It got old quickly, and we turned it off for the rest of the drive.
Cameras:
The 360-degree cameras are a godsend. BMW’s UI for this is also impressive. Being a low sedan, it’s hard to see rocks and other objects on the edge of narrow roads. The cameras were very handy for this.
Overall:
The original M340i was something I would never consider due to its busy ride and stiff suspension. Living with an F30, I dread having to drive it over average to below-average paved roads. This updated M340i makes life much easier and is something I would strongly consider when the time to upgrade comes. The variable sport steering, xDrive, and LSD on the car also make corners more exciting and sure-footed.
Link to exhaust note and added some pictures below:
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