MR_Y
Well-known member
Hi,
I just watched a video by Liberebil today on the M340i:
Yes, this car is brilliant for what it is and will likely give the S4 and C43 sleepless nights.
Some (including Car Magazine SA) have said that it is pretty good enough to be a full fat M car.
However, this admittedly great car is R1,090,616 - without options.
Now, forget the R130k cheaper S4 (slightly lower on power) and similarly priced C43, and let's consider bang-for-buck from within the current 3-series stable (so, no M3 for now).
For R300k less you can get an M-sport 330i.
Yes, power is only 190kw vs 285kw and 400Nm vs 500Nm.
But is R300k really worth 95kw and 100Nm extra, plus AWD, plus some slight visual differences.
The standard spec sheets on both cars are almost identical (the R1m M340i comes with 18 inch wheels as standard, just like the 330i M-sport).
Now, if we throw in the new 330d into the mix, things get interesting.
The 330d comes standard with M-sport spec for about R210k less than the M340i.
Sure, there are different driving characteristics between a 6-cylinder diesel and petrol model (granted, both are turbos), but performance on the 330d should feel tangibly closer to the M340i instead of the 330i.
My prediction is that come the full fat M3, those buyers who are fortunate enough to buy a R1m+ car will likely gravitate to the M3 - the difference in financing between these cars for those who are truly well-heeled will mean little.
In the just sub-R1m bracket, I expect that buyers would go for the 330i or the 330d (I would go 330d).
This means that the M340i would likely end up being side-lined and depreciation on these cars would be a lot worse than the M3 and the 330i/d models.
So, 3-4 years from now, we can expect some good deals on M340i models...
I just watched a video by Liberebil today on the M340i:
Yes, this car is brilliant for what it is and will likely give the S4 and C43 sleepless nights.
Some (including Car Magazine SA) have said that it is pretty good enough to be a full fat M car.
However, this admittedly great car is R1,090,616 - without options.
Now, forget the R130k cheaper S4 (slightly lower on power) and similarly priced C43, and let's consider bang-for-buck from within the current 3-series stable (so, no M3 for now).
For R300k less you can get an M-sport 330i.
Yes, power is only 190kw vs 285kw and 400Nm vs 500Nm.
But is R300k really worth 95kw and 100Nm extra, plus AWD, plus some slight visual differences.
The standard spec sheets on both cars are almost identical (the R1m M340i comes with 18 inch wheels as standard, just like the 330i M-sport).
Now, if we throw in the new 330d into the mix, things get interesting.
The 330d comes standard with M-sport spec for about R210k less than the M340i.
Sure, there are different driving characteristics between a 6-cylinder diesel and petrol model (granted, both are turbos), but performance on the 330d should feel tangibly closer to the M340i instead of the 330i.
My prediction is that come the full fat M3, those buyers who are fortunate enough to buy a R1m+ car will likely gravitate to the M3 - the difference in financing between these cars for those who are truly well-heeled will mean little.
In the just sub-R1m bracket, I expect that buyers would go for the 330i or the 330d (I would go 330d).
This means that the M340i would likely end up being side-lined and depreciation on these cars would be a lot worse than the M3 and the 330i/d models.
So, 3-4 years from now, we can expect some good deals on M340i models...
