I loved watching this review, particularly at 11:00 in where they use Mercedes' explainer video to show just how sophisticated and complex the drivetrain is.

429HP from a 3.0 inline 6 turbo is amazing, and the 48V system definitely helps too.

 

Not to knock this car but BMW's S58 inline 6, 3.0 Turbo in the X3M/X4M and upcoming G80 M cars has 472 HP stock and 503hp in the competition trims and we all know those numbers are conservative.

PS. looks like your next car will be German eh....

 

I was going to say "But, this isn't an AMG", but then I caught myself. This is badged as an AMG. Though I do wonder if MB consider it to be a bona fide AMG like the 63 models (as well as the A 45 and CLA 45). It doesn't have the hand-built engine, so I assume not.

 

MB and BMW have severely watered down M and AMG when even enthusiasts no longer know which model is a “true” variant.

The “53” models are AMG lite similar to the M340i compared to M3.
There is no E63 coupe unfortunately.

 

And you would have been right, for the reasons you stated.

 

Right. So, comparison with a real "M" product may be a bit unfair. Then again, BMW's M Performance products are also seriously quick these days...

 

it's 'not' an AMG even though it is... either way it's a hell of a vehicle and a fantastic triumph of engineering

 

M340i is not an M...
E53 AMG is not an AMG...
F-sport is not an F

it's so confusing

 

It's not lol, M340 is like an M sport but i would say more since it also has the same LSD from M2. M340i means 340i with M performance bits, it sits below the M3. Nothing confusing there. I hear all the hoopla but i don't get it. Everybody does it, if one doesn't know the different between an M340i and an M3, that person simply is not an enthusiast at least in relation to BMW. I don't buy Audi's but i do know the difference between an S5/S4 and RS4/RS5. There is no confusion, there is a hierarchy and one sits above/below the other while have different driving characteristics or appeals to a different demographic.

This is marketing 101 as at least from my time in business school, it sells cars and that's why companies do it. My M340I doesn't diminish an M3, i think it's more ego than anything else. Some M3 owners tend to get bent out of shape for no reason when M340I have no adverse effect on their cars. We know our cars are not full M since we don't have a bespoke engine for one. Anyhow, M340i is nothing like Lexus F sport, it's more capable on the street and track with the brakes and LSD for one while still being comfortable as a daily. Of course the M3 is superior in driving dynamics and would slaughter it on the track but on the street the M340i has a few advantages mostly in ride comfort. Thus there is a place for both to co-exist and people who buys this aren't necessarily those who would buy an M3 although we've seen a few former F80 guys getting new M340I's after lease maturity.

If you want exclusivity, buy an exotic, no need to buy a mass produced car and gets upset over something as trivial as a trim level, just ludicrous. I got my car for only my enjoyment not even my spouse. I know what it is, if some random ****** mistakes it for the God awful new Sonota, doesn't affect me one bit since I know what I drive. Too bad other car guys don't ascribe to that ideology. Too many rants about how some random stranger mistook their 100k car for something less special.

 

It's all Ego, people are angry that they spent more money on their "Hand Crafted Engine" and some other guy spent not as much and get the same "AMG" badge. So they go and make shirts clowning lower AMG models with the "C43? Do you AMG Bro?". Shows who is insecure and has small hands.

 

Yep ,sure is silly man, M340i doesn't make the M3 less special in any way. Maybe the people that feel that way are the ones that buys for the badge and or to impress strangers which is always a losing proposition.

 

Just watched, that is some Merc!

 

as previously stated, it's marketing and it works! this is the closest thing to an E63 coupe you will get, until they actually make one.

make mine an estate, long roof, wagon - drools!

 

right. i recall reading something like: "some people buy things we don't need with money we don't have to impress people we don't like".

 

Attempting to dismiss it as "all ego" is quite shallow and simpleminded. When I decide to buy a product, and especially when it's a lot of money, I care about where that money goes. I care about what the brand stands for and what it means. I care about the development and the design and the processes and the engineering. I could care less about what other people think about what I buy. What's in my garage right now is quite demonstrative of that.

MB selling out on the AMG brand by introducing BS models like the new 43/53 doesn't diminish what the 63/S offers. But what it does do is demonstrate that MB is more than happy to sell out the legacy of the AMG brand just to make a couple more sales, and I don't find it compelling to support a company like that. It's one of the reasons I wound up not buying a W213 E63S despite that just a few years ago when they first announced the M177, I was dead set on getting the wagon.

I'm not a fan of Audi (or of Lexus really these days), but at least Lexus has differentiated their minor sport tunes with a different name and even logo, and Audi doesn't even try the BS gimmick with RS, leaving the aesthetic sport trim to the so-called S-line. This shows they understand the importance of not selling out just to make a quick buck.