Low discounts and low stock on the M550 suggest otherwise. Or did they ramp down production?
It has always been a low stock car from what i have heard and the 5 series isnāt selling as well as BMW has liked. I know they slowed down production even more for the engine change
24/10
.00052 MF and 60% residual
$2500 lease bonus
for a S4 now
I was looking at a S5 (might be the diff) with same 24/10 and he was well over $900 monthly payment on a 63k MSRP car.
Different MF and RV for the A5/S5 for sure.
Audi is cleaning house for the ānewā S4
how crazy are they getting?
Just do a search, depending on location too, always boil down to it
In round numbers the s4ās 60% 24 month residual is the same as a 3erās 36 month.
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Yepā¦we do pay all the money for Audi leases!
The dynamics of the market have changed so significantly. A new 3 Series used to be a huge deal but now, with BMW selling less than half the units than they did just 4 years ago, interest is firmly in the āmehā category.
The X3M40i is (and has been for a while) the new sports sedan. If reviewing a āsporty crossoverā will get you more views/clicks/subscribers then guess whatās going to get featured? Market conditions innit.
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I appreciate what you are saying regarding the crossover market but there is no way the mags you tubers etc have had a shot at the car and chose not to review it.
Yeah I agree, but I think itās more that BMW is probably acutely aware of the declining sales of the 3 series (and sedans generally) and having already done a bunch of media for the 330i maybe donāt think itās worth doing the same for the 340i. Or their strategy is to keep that for later in the year to try and drum up sales. 
Iād be very interested in a comparison test of the 330i, 340i and 330e when all three are available though.
Iām also interested in X3 m40i. Iām thinking that either, when x3m hits later this year (base is supposed to be $69K and include a bunch of optional stuff on m40i), either they will discount m40i more, or sell lots of x3ms. I see $65k m40is on the lot all over - I just want base + better seats (which are supposed to be coming in August, IIRC?) + adaptive suspension. But adaptive suspension on the lot only comes in $63-65k models. At that point, Iād consider another $4-5k for x3mā¦
That might be our best bet. Wait for the X3M and the 2020 m40i to hit lots. Iād be more than happy with a 19 m40i, just need driving assistance package plus 20" wheels. Enough HP for this old man.
The m340i is phenomenal. I test drove it and itās night and day compared to my current 340. I wonāt be getting another one when Iām up in a few months, but the redesign has been fantastic. Thereās no way that thing has 382 horses. It feels like much more.
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BMW seems to have a pesky habit of understating output. The 340i appears to typically produce itās crank horsepower rating at the tires. Perhaps the M340i is similar.
I have always suspected they have the practice of understating power on some of the lesser models to protect the M cars.
I donāt recall that happening until the E9x 335i
Yeah, that seems like where they started doing it routinely. Now it is just the norm!
Car and Driver recently completed a dyno test at Livernois Motorsports of an M5 as well as the new Toyota Supra (which of course has the mechanicals from BMW).
The M5 Comp makes itās rated output at the tires, not at the crank. The Supra, rated at 335 hp at the crank, put down 339 at the tires.
From Livernois Motorsports for the M5ā-
The Supra GAINED power at the wheels from the crank? Usually itās the otherway around due to drive-train loss.
It is because they underrate itā¦The real power output at the crank is higher than at the wheels due to loss through the driveline, friction between the tires and the rollers, etc). The amount of loss between the crank and tires is the subject of significant debate (for any car).