400+ Horsepower Dinan 2016 BMW 340i xDrive
Hey all! So I’m finally back with another review and this time we’re taking a look at some finely crafted German automotive engineering! Today’s car of interest is a 413 bhp Dinan tuned 2016 BMW 340i xDrive. I went into this review personally curious about a few things: How well would the car hook with the power it has and is the ZF 8 speed gearbox as fun as the 6 speed manual I’m accustomed to?
Well before we answer either of those questions let’s go into a little more detail about what we’re dealing with here. The 2016 BMW 340i comes with a 3 liter inline six with a single twin scroll turbocharger making about 335 horsepower called the B58B30M0 (or so BMW claim, there are reports of these cars making more than that… to the wheels if you can believe it).
So right out of the box the car is plenty fast, the xDrive is capable of a 0-60 of 4.2 seconds and a 1/4 mile time of 12.7 seconds at 108.3 mph. (Reported here: https://www.edmunds.com/bmw/3-series/2016/long-term-road-test/2016-bmw-340i-performance-tested.html) This is the moment where you realize that the car I’m reviewing today is even faster with over 400 horsepower. And here’s what’s so nice about how the power is delivered with this car… you don’t run out of juice even when you’re approaching redline, the car keeps pulling until physics tells you to stop. And because it’s powered by a single turbo inline six the car sounds so much better than its M3/M4 counterparts.
The car is equipped with the B58 powerplant, and I’ve gotta say I really like it, and now that we know the new Supra is going to be powered by the same powertrain (give or take a few minor differences) we’re hopefully going to see more tuners around the world trying to push this platform to see what its capable of. Which hopefully means more high horsepower B58 BMWs in the future.
Connected to the B58 powertain we’ve got the ZF 8HP 8 Speed transmission and I’ve just gotta say one thing before I tell you anything about it: Holy moly… paddle shifters are pretty fun. Obviously performance-wise paddle gearboxes are better than manuals in every way and there’s an argument that clutch manuals are more fun for enthusiasts, but I’ve gotta say that paddles are pretty darn fun in their own way as well. When you go into manual mode and using the paddles you feel like you’re in a super comfortable race car. After driving only manual for basically two years it was really satisfying to have the car consistently do the upshifts very fast and rev match without upsetting the balance of the car all on its own. The ZF 8HP boasts shift times as low as 200 milliseconds (That’s definitely faster than what I can do with three pedals). I will say that the gear change doesn’t happen the moment you pull the paddle, but it’s fast enough that it doesn’t hinder your ability to drive in a performance setting. And another great thing about paddle shifter cars is that when you’re done having fun or are in rush hour traffic you can just switch to automatic mode and it makes driving less of a chore.
Did I mention how comfortable the car is? Sure the car is fast but the 340i’s primary purpose in life isn’t to be a full on sports car, it’s also a luxury vehicle. The suspension is stiff (and even stiffer in sport mode) but it isn’t as stiff as my 2015 WRX. The electric steering and pedals require so little effort to use, it’s like operating a vehicle with feathers. The only way to make the steering wheel stiffer and more responsive is to go into sport mode which will make the wheel give you more tugs and feedback. The leather seats are very cozy and were pretty snug. Obviously since they are leather comfort can vary under different weather conditions but then they are also much easier to clean than cloth.
The sound insulation of the car is wonderful, you can have a conversation with other passengers at highway speeds without ever having to raise your voice regardless of where they are seated in the vehicle. The sound and navigation systems are for the most part pretty intuitive but it can take you a moment to figure out how everything works if no one explains it to you. And I don’t know why you would ever need anything better than the Harmon Kardon 464 watt, 16 speaker sound system because it sounds and feels fantastic.
The car overall is a very good commuter car, that’s what the vehicle I’m reviewing is used for. It has been taken on roadtrips and is driven everyday through downtown Houston. It’s got features that make life easier such as voice commands, push to start and that feature that allows you to open the trunk by pretending to kick the rear bumper.
And I don’t know why all-wheel drive BMWs aren’t more popular because this one was a ton of fun to drive, and no matter how hard I floored it I couldn’t get the tires to spin. (And this car is running three different types of tires!) The way the car just did what I wanted it to without error was super satisfying. This combined with how the car just pulls all the way to redline makes even just 2-3 second moments of full throttle capable of putting a smile on my face.
The car I am specifically reviewing also has the M Sport package, this means it has a much better looking exterior and an improved suspension setup. And I’m going to say right now, if you care about performance right out of the box getting the M Sport package makes perfect sense, and did I mention it looks so much better? Just do it it’s worth it. The MSRP of this particular spec was $60,900 which obviously included the M Sport package, specific wheels and comfort options like heated and powered seats.
So unless if BMW starts making single turbo versions of the M3 and the M4 I’ve got to admit I would feel more inclined to get a 340i xDrive for a fun fast and reliable car for a few reasons. First, the B58 single turbo setup sounds so much better than the twin turbo S55 in the M3 and M4. Second, the all wheel drive makes it much more useful all year round. And third, now that it shares a powertrain with the Supra and is all wheel drive you can probably understand why I’m we're likely to see more people trying to push the B58 powertrain harder to see what it's capable of.
But in case you hadn’t already guessed it, the 400+ horsepower Dinan BMW 340i xDrive gets my stamp of approval! Check out my video review of the car on my channel to see my reaction to how fun this car is! I hope you found this review helpful in informing your decision for your next car or at the very least found it enjoyable!
If you’d like to have me review your car you can use the link below to fill out a form to make an application!
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