oonowindoo

I am pleasantly suprised, the Visual cockpit or whatever it is called and Navigation are standard now?

my built is only $59k with individual paint

00TL-P3.2

^ Still an extra cost option for the digital dash on the W205, at least up to the C43, haven't played with the 63 builder to see if it's standard there..

Also, if you go with the non-runflat option on the 3, you get a spare tire included (extra cost, )
Not an option at all on the Merc.

oonowindoo

Yah like i said, i am very surprised by the standard equipment on the M340i.... now you guys can't say BMW charge for everything...

But Red leather is gone.... WTF....

RPhilMan1

I'd just save up for it. It's worth it.

Not on the M3!

oonowindoo

I personally would only be interested in the M if they offered the M4 GC.... If not my next car will likely be the M440i GC....now i have seen the pricing of the M340i...

I just love the hatch and i miss it very very much... but that name tho... too many 4s

SamDoe1

Mine was $62,925 so pretty close but still a lot of money.

Yes but you get a lot more car. That said, I'd expect the discounts on a M340i to be more than on a M3 so the gap may widen as well. Also, that extra $10k gets you into a base model M3 that will likely go up with things like paint colors added on.

I'm not at all surprised with what's not standard now...

Things that they charge for that are standard on a higher trim Subaru:
Heated seats
Navigation
Android Auto (not even an option on the BMW)
Adaptive cruise
Blind spot monitor
Lane Keep
Collision mitigation
HK Stereo
Any of the offered paint colors
AWD

And many more I'm sure.

Agreed, though the 440i GC is going to be more expensive than this.

oonowindoo

Well Subaru is a different market... if it makes you feel better, compare BMW with Mercedes, Tesla and Porsche's option list. The M340i at 60k is almost a bargain when compare to similarly equipped C43 and S4/5.

By the way the Navi is standard now. Making features standard is easy... just increase the MSRP and call everything standard.... Or with lower MSRP and select the features that you really wanted and nothing else.

The next Gen AWD M3/M4 will be pushing close to $100k loaded, meaning ~$80k will be the average.
and AWD to me at least is not an option. If given a choice, i would pay more to choose RWD over AWD.

SamDoe1

I get that it's a different market and that's kind of the point. If they can offer all of those features as standard on a $25k impreza then there should be zero reason they shouldn't all be standard on $55k BMW. BMW is for sure not the only one, they all do it.

There is going to be a RWD M3 for the next gen, it's the low end model with less power though.

kurtatx

God, prices are insane. An A4 with the options you listed is like $50,000

oonowindoo

and if they all do it and they are all successful, what does that tell you? The buyers in that segment just dont care about having certain features standard. It is not going to stop them from buying the car.
In the $20 to $30k segment, they need to offer these "values" to sell their cars.

and also not all features are created equal. Some are created to give it out for free and some are created with quality and innovation in mind as long as you are willing to pay for it.

kurtatx

Right. If standard features mattered at all, Acura wouldn't be the bargain basement for sedans. They have so many options standard but that doesn't fly with upscale buyers.

SamDoe1

Yup, and I'd wager that a substantial portion of luxury car buyers are buying for the badge and nothing more. For the enthusiasts, they are willing to pay more for the driving experience. The question then is, why not just toss in the goodies for free anyway? If BMW said fuck it, we're throwing all the safety aids in for free on the same car, that's a massive incentive for anyone to buy a BMW over a Benz. While people buy expensive cars for different reasons than they buy Subarus, they are still price/feature sensitive to some degree.

And yes, agreed that not all features are equal but we've arrived at a point where all the safety aids and adaptive cruise stuff is a pretty mature technology so I'm not worried about that anymore.

Right, but that's mostly because the rest of the car is a turd in comparison to Audi, MB, BMW, etc. Look at Genesis as a comparison instead.

oonowindoo

This is the thing.. why would they toss in the goodies when #1. People are perfectly OK paying for it. #2 No one else in the segment is doing it, or at least the ones that are relevant.
Also there is no such thing called Free goodies. Like i said they could increase the MSRP and include EVERYTHING...As you mentioned your top trim Subaru has all the features... that top trim is just another word for options.
The difference is, with BMW and others, if you only want 1 or 2 items and you dont want to pay for the whole package, you can do that.

I personally wish EVERYTHING is a option as long as they lower the MSRP, so i can build a car with everything i need and nothing i dont. Instead of paying for bunch of gimmicks that i never use AKA Gesture control and Hi-beam assist.

Also, have you thought about why people want to pay more for the badge? These people are not stupid. There must be a reason why these badges are so attractive (just like any other luxury items).
I can tell you that value and free goodies are definitely not it.

RPhilMan1

The way I configured the M3 was literally the way I wanted it... and it ended up being only $10k more. Like you said, it's a lot more car for that price difference.

oonowindoo

While there is nothing wrong with the M3... but as far as price goes, you are comparing 2 different Generation of cars...

RPhilMan1

Yes that is very true. But for me personally, I can't imagine my next car not having a manual transmission. That's why I look in this direction.

oonowindoo

If you are really serious about the F80 M3... you should wait for the next G80 M3 Pure... RWD 6mt.... it will be faster, lighter too.

I personally cannot stand the F30/F80 interior anymore... have been staring at the same interior since 2013.... I need something new.

SamDoe1

This is exactly how I'd spec my M3 as well though I'd either go for just white or the dark blue paint.

oonowindoo

My built 2018 340i is $61k..... and my built for 2020 M340i is only $58k.

i am perfectly happy with the pricing structure.

But the fact they got rid of red interior and 6MT is Hopefully, that Red interior will be an option on the 4GC.

charliemike

$74K for that M3 isn’t bad when a Mercedes C63S is $89K the way I would like it.

00TL-P3.2

Wouldn't it be:
M3 = C63
M3 Comp = C63S

Not that it matters. A loaded M3 Comp is ~$76.5k & a C63S starts at $74.6k, configured to $93k

oonowindoo

Not to mentioned the difference in lease program... you can realistic lease a 76k M3 for less than 900 a month with tax included and with minimum drive off. .... try that with C63 with the S or not.

SamDoe1

Numbers like this is why I love luxury car depreciation.

Costco

Yeah, 900/mo for a lease. TF

oonowindoo

It is a $75k car.. I am not sure what do you think is cheap to lease a $75k car.
Just FYI, both C63 and RS5 are well over 1000 a month to lease...The panamera Turbo cost a little over $3000 a month to lease and Model X P100D is $ 2400 a month.

Unless you are buying used, buying new is even worse... $15,000 is gone the moment you drive the car out of the lot. That makes $900 a month lease sounds like a great deal.

But some people have to buy/lease new, for the "smart" buyers to buy used right? But then would you really want to buy a used German car in another subject all together.

Costco

This is why I drive my 2-door Corolla, it's paid off and gets 30mpg on the freeway




Meanwhile, my landlord has me by the balls...

oonowindoo

Get your balls back!

Costco

Yeah, I could save up $200k+ and even then the bank would still have me by the balls.

Fuck the Bay Area

Anyway, I've just never paid that much monthly on a car, damn.

oonowindoo

I probably wont either... my car payment + the car i just bought for my parents = lease 1 C63.... i would rather get 2 cars.

But at the same time i know a lot of people paying $1500-3000 a month to lease 1 car and it does not affect them 1 bit.
Many people on the forum already ordered the M340i and some of them are on the boat already. Paying about 800 a month on average lease....

This is all done without even seeing and driving the car.

The problem is us, not the car.

Costco

If I could go back in time, I would kick my ass. Become engineer, like parents said. No, that job won't get outsourced like everyone is saying.

oonowindoo

well if i could go back in time, i would just buy bitcoin when it was less than $1 and buy a shit load of Google stock

SamDoe1

People who can afford a $3k a month lease are in the IDGAF about money tax bracket. I couldn't fathom spending $900/mo on a car payment let alone a lease. Hard pass on that one.

I am an engineer, still can't afford a $900/mo lease.

RPhilMan1

In 2013 I had stock in Amazon at $263.91... look at it now. Should have sat on it longer.

Costco

I guess it depends on what kind of engineer and which company, too.

I see job listings for software engineers at Apple... then I see the salary offered... I cry evry tim

SamDoe1

The salary offered there is somewhat requisite with the COL there. If you make $200k a year but your mortgage/rent is $5k a month, you're probably more poor than someone who makes $100k a year with a mortgage/rent of $1500 a month.

oonowindoo

00TL-P3.2

https://www.motor1.com/news/348326/b...-turismo-axed/

oonowindoo

Thank you, next!.... The even more weirder model that is the ugly 5 series being called a 6GT

LiQiCE

Test drove an M340i xDrive last week - I like it a lot. Compared to my 2017 340i xDrive with the M Performance Package & Sound Kit (MPPSK) - essentially a catback exhaust + BMW tune that increases power from 320hp / 330 lb-ft to 355hp / 369 lb-ft.

Things I liked:
1. Steering felt better, a lot of people focus on feedback, I don't think there was a big difference in feedback - but the feel / weight of the steering was better in Sport+ than it is on the F30 LCI.
2. The car felt well planted but was not as rough over bumpy roads even in Sport mode (this car had the adaptive suspension). The difference between Comfort and Sport was not as pronounced as it is on my F30 340 though.
3. The interior is a big upgrade over the F30 in general, the new infotainment screen is great - it is closer to the driver since it is a touch screen too. Some of the cheap feeling pieces on the F30 have been improved or at least don't feel as crappy - like the hollow sound from the hard plastics you get when you run your fingers over the transmission tunnel in the front seats.
4. The digital gauges didn't bother me at all - I kind of like it, but I would prefer the option to have a more classic set of dials. I primarily look at the HUD anyway though and the HUD is much improved (more information is shown).
5. Car is quieter with the windows up than the F30.

Things I didn't like:
1. The exhaust does not sound nearly as good (windows down) as the MPPSK exhaust on my 340i. The MPPSK exhaust in sport mode bypasses the muffler entirely and sounds really good imho. The M340i exhaust simply opens the second exhaust outlet, so it doesn't even really sound that much different. It does have similar pops and crackles, but it isn't as loud overall. I love that on my 340i I can drive in Comfort mode and the exhaust is pretty quiet, but in Sport mode it sounds like an aftermarket exhaust.
2. The car is most likely faster than my 340i, but for some reason (maybe I wasn't pushing it hard enough or maybe the power delivery is just smoother) - the car didn't push me back into my seat the way my F30 340i does. The M340i has the same amount of torque and makes it from 1600 - 4500 rpm. Maybe after the car is broken in it will feel faster? Not sure here.

Overall I really like the car, excited to replace my 2017 when the lease ends in October with an M340i.

oonowindoo

Great! It seems the price (Price paid) is a lot better than what expected too. Some people are already get 10% off MSRP and leasing in the $600 range now, i think by the same time next year, it will be in the 500s again

You will have to compare apple to apple 340i with MPPSK vs. M340i with whatever they have later.

Many people said the M340i exhaust is louder than the 340i LCI exhaust.. but you essentially have the aftermarket exhaust (M performance exhaust), so it was not a fair comparison either.