Quote:
Originally Posted by Equilibrandt
Honestly, I don't get the 340i take at all.
Find me a sedan that could compete with an M340i... most of the MBs are 4 cyl AMGs, an Audi S3/RS3? A Cadillac CT4-V non-Blackwing, an Acura TLX Type S?
These M340i are pretty serious performance sedans and definitely deserve the M badging, as it's becoming more and more well-known that an M-Lite is comparable to a previous-gen M3 on every freeway and on-ramp at semi-safe and semi-legal speeds. Performance cars deserve performance parts and performance names, which is why the jump from a 330i to an M340i is a world of difference.
No G20 M340i is eating a prospective G80 M3 owner's lunch; the used F80 market, however, is probably getting munched. And that's the exact point: if a G20 B58 can dissuade someone from getting an F80 instead, it deserves an M badge.
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I agreed with your original take of the pearl clutching going on... that's pretty natural and not surprising.
But I can't say I agree with this take. As a former m340i owner, saying something is "deserving" of the M badge outside of marketing strategy is much more nuanced than simply cramming a larger engine into it and slapping an m badge on it. That's essentially what's happening here... the m340i is almost literally a 330i with a b58. It's got the same suspension, brakes, etc as the 330i. Outside of an LSD and the b58, it's the same car. The M3 on the other hand has a totally different suspension setup, brakes, cooling, etc. Take an m340i to the track and after a few hot laps you'll get glazed brakes and/or heat soak. Take an M3 to the track and it'll happily give you a full day's worth of track time. They're totally different machines.
I suspect people going from an f80 to a g20 m340i are doing so not because it's a comparable driving experience (because outside of perhaps straight-line spreadsheet figures, they're nothing alike) but rather because they want something more modern without paying for the g80 premium.
All this is to say, yes BMW is watering down their performance brand.... but so is everyone else (amg and audi etc). These are mass market cars and these automakers are in the business of making money. So if slapping an m sport badge on a 330i will help make more money, better believe BMW is going after that... that's where the bread and butter is anyway.