m340Xi or X3M40i

Admittedly going a bit stir crazy …
These are the two cars I am between for once this mess clears up a bit.
For those of you who have driven or owned both, which one would you pick and why?

I have only driven the X3 M40i and really loved it… but I imagine being faster and more nimble the M340Xi is would be unbelievable…

Having leased an S4 and 3 series in the past (before kids), I am bit worried about space inthe M340… It wont be my primary family vehicle, but I will be putting 2 car seats in occasionally for family day trips, strollers / diaper bags etc… all the fun stuff!

Thoughts? appreciate anyone taking the time to share.

Best thing to do would be bring those bulkier items to the dealer and test packing them in the trunk of the sedan. If it fits and you care more about a slightly faster, sportier drive, then I would go sedan. I went the sporty SUV route because the headache of limited storage over the next 3 years was not worth a sportier drive.

Plan on doing exactly that once we all can socialize again :).

Right now i am leaning your way.
I am honest with myself, I am not race car driver! I would probably not be able to extract the difference in performance btw the two. Besides the straight line mash the gas pedal driver skills.

Also, the extra ride height and clearance enables you not worry about some things you do when driving a sedan… bottom out, snowy times etc…

You can always take it a step further and do an X3M which have appeared in broker listings and lease transfers here, for what I would consider very reasonable pirce points. Then you can have your periodic moments of need for speed :slight_smile:

Its funny but not so funny… back when I was uninformed I paid 557 for a 330xi 15k / 36 and 704 for an S4 P+, 15k/39… both of these with taxes and fees DAS, sickening…
You can pretty much get an X3m btw those 2 prices…
but now with 2 kids and another car, im bringing in the budget :(… Makes me sick thinking how much i over paid in the past and what types of cars could be had for the same $.

If kids are even remotely in the equation, get the SUV. I went from a 340 to an X3m40 and the space was much appreciated by both myself and the wife. once car seats are in the mix, the back seat of the m340 is non-existent and you have to juggle space in the trunk depending on what’s in there and where you plan on going. And you can’t go that fast once the kids and the wife are in the car so you might as well enjoy comfort mode in the x3 plus the ride height and visibility.

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Thanks for the rational /logical response… cant argue with the speed when kids are in the car.
I think I am in love with the idea of having a <~4.0 second 0-60 car… but driving at those accelerations will be so infrequent to overcome the inconveniences of the sedan…Hopefully ill have time for that later

I have an M340i and am enjoying it, but if you have two kids, the X3 M40i is probably the way to go. More interior space, more cargo space for the strollers and diaper bags. Plus, the X3 has a ton of incentives right now, while it looks like M340i incentives may have decreased.

yup - although the 3 series is not bad.
X3M40I - $4750 , 3250 lease cash 1500 loyalty.
M340xi - $3000, 1000 lease cash, 2000 loyalty
If you dont quality for loyalty the spread btw the two is $250 more
Hopeful the programs stay strong, not making this move until the things calm down.

I’m curious about if there’s actually more interior space (not cargo space) … is the back seat materially more spacious?

from the listed interior dimensions its all in headroom (~3inches more), maybe +1in legroom and a little extra shoulder width…

But i think perception matters more than the dimensions…for example the new ford explorer has larger interior 2nd row dimensions than a VW atlas… but sit in the two and see which one you think is roomier…

Ford must have manipulated something here… they are the worst at packaging.

Also, the perception of a toddler hardly matters when it comes to interior car space.

Not sure if one guy’s experience is enough to go off of, but this guy is saying it’s $2k combined now. BMW USA site says the same, but in my experience, the site often quotes lower incentives than you’d actually get for whatever reason. Hopefully it’s still $3k, don’t know why they’d reduce it.

If you envision carrying strollers and large items, then X3… otherwise the M340i is more than adequate for occasional hauling of the kids, provided you have a 2nd, larger car for long trips/family hauling. I drop my 2 year old off in the mornings (or used to before everything went to hell) in my M340i with no issues. But for when the whole family goes anywhere, we go in the X5.

that is quite annoying/unfortunate to see differences and not know the truth. I have a broker’s sheet which is still quoting the larger incentives. Either way im holding off so will be subject to new programs.

Thanks for the color. We do have a larger SUV for full family trips but and my wife is set on the ATLAS. So i’d like to make use of the nicer car IMO whenever feasible.