2023 BMW M340i LCI - exhaust sounds - Iconic sounds checkbox - inside or outside??

I play around with my m340i, with a camera inside the cabin and a gopro suction cupped to the rear bumper to hear what happens when you check the “Iconic Sounds” check box in iDrive 8.
- What I initially heard was a LOT of speaker generated engine noise. It’s pretty obvious at first that the speakers are augmenting the sound in Sport Plus, but what I didn’t initially realize was that all the cool pops and bangs on overrun were also fake!
- A few commenters on the channel pointed out that it does indeed open the valves when you check “Iconic Sounds” so I had to see for myself.
- The end result - yes, the car fakes a lot of noise with the “Iconic Sounds” checkbox checked
- BUT - it also makes more noise and a throatier exhaust note as well.
- And, even though the car pops and bangs inside through the speakers, you do get some pops and bangs after the car warms up from the real exhaust, although they are pretty quiet.
Hope you enjoy hearing what the car sounds like. I’ll do some flyby videos - I’m curious if you can tell what’s going on with a flyby…
The car is totally stock. 2023 BMW m340i LCI.

[@DMCarReviews]

3:44 To be fair, there were some really nice pops here on the outside. Seemed to be similar to the pops on the inside.

[@KitsCars]

Yeah definitely sounds ok - it's just not the same as the interior pops which are from the speakers. Made me laugh when I realized

[@m3forty780]

Thanks for the video. Iconic sounds when off closes the valve so you miss out when the passenger-side exhaust is closed. Makes no sense what BMW did.

[@Cars_with_max]

Still does some pops on the outside nice sound

[@drywalljunkie6969]

Either way sounds good ,beautiful car .I have the 2022 ,I think they sound the same .I think the iconic sounds built in in mine .

[@m3forty780]

I had the 2021 and just moved to a 2024. I compared stock and MPE with both. The 2021 (pre-LCI) sounded better stock. But the same MPE on 2021 vs 2024, the LCI actually sounds a little better. I assume once the 2024 is fully broken in, it’ll sound even better.

[@stevenmccoy7096]

Sounds great to me. A little theater never hurt. Mine was ordered with MPE, in final assembly now. Can’t wait

[@Progamer8012]

Just do a resonator delete (you can always put it back) on it and you’ll definitely notice more pops and aggressiveness on your m340. I plan on doing that once I get my 2023 m340. You should post a vid if you decide to

[@EDay340]

I ordered mine with MPE and it has some very nice pops and bangs from time to time on the overrun. Best sounding car over ever had. Had a 2018 340i with mpe and res. Delete. That car popped more than the new one, but maybe it will do it more with time?

[@Progamer8012]

@@EDay340 overtime yes bc it’s a new MPE, but you also had a res delete on your previous one. You can do the same to your new one too

[@anirbano]

Does resonator delete lead to more pops or downpipe?

[@peether1801]

I just figured this out 😂😂 the iconic sound button really opens and closes valve. Which I don’t like cause if im in sport mode I want the valve open even if I have iconic sound off.

[@mixmasterkevan8501]

Thanks for the review,I thought i was going crazy because with the iconic on the valves open in sport and with iconic off the valves remain closed on my 2023 330i.so i thought something was wrong with my car

[@bizzybezz]

2020-2021 models were the loudest lol but I'd still take this because it still sounds great. Just no need to add the fake noise IMO considering what BMW is known for

[@tommytrieu564]

Great video! Disappointed that the pops are pumped in but at least the exterior sounds a little bit better with iconic sound on. It sounds like there is a slight difference between comfort and sport plus along with iconic sounds being on/off so wondering if iconic sounds opens the valve a bit more ?

[@tonyprushko]

Love you video. I also have a 2023 M340i so very helpful. Have you considered getting MPE exhaust? I am thinking about getting but need to hear it in person to be sure.

[@m3forty780]

I have the 2024 LCI with MPE. Much nicer sound BUT with iconic sounds off the passenger side valve remains closed. And the speakers overpower the exhaust sound so it has to be the most annoying feature ever.

[@wuola92]

You can turn off the speaker sound with BimmerCode. The 20-23 330i has speaker injection too.

[@tikitriks5770]

can you code 2023 m340is?

[@wuola92]

@@tikitriks5770 Yes. The scope of what you can code will be less then.

[@tikitriks5770]

@@wuola92 do you know if it is the same amount of coding possibility as pre lci m340is because it is a newer idrive

[@tonijay4639]

I knew it! I was so skeptical when I started hearing pops and burbles w/o an MPE in my ‘23 m340. I wonder, if you turn on iconic sounds but turn your stereo low or off, does it override that and still pump the sounds in?

[@KitsCars]

Seems that the engine sound is separate from the regular stereo. Having the stereo off doesn't affect the volume of the fake pops

[@G20T]

Yeah when I test drove it there were fake burbles I like them but I realized they were fake

[@MrZman0004]

Great vid! So Iconic Sounds affects both interior and exterior. You wanted to code out just the interior but is that even possible afayk?

[@brownelijah2017]

Can you turn off the speaker noises? Yes or no? Without affecting the exhaust?

[@puppetw7763]

Sorry too late to comment , because i just get my 340i , does it mean if open iconic sound , the exhaust valve open also ? for my experience , i clearly hear pops when i open iconic sound , when i untick the iconic sound, totally can't hear any pops....im considering keep it open or close for iconic sound .

[@xiangkundai5354]

I notice on my M340 lci that the exhaust flap opens/closes as soon as I turn on/off iconic sound, when under low speed or stop. Do you see the same thing on your car?

[@KitsCars]

Yeah. Same. It always opens at wide open throttle but the midrange behavior is different

[@metalstorm45]

Good to know

[@oman350]

What's overrun?

[@Jennifer-zq2wi]

How you you get the gears to display "S1", "S2" ... rather then the just the "D"?

[@KitsCars]

Pull the gear selector tab back again. Switches from Drive -> Sport for the transmission. Then if you shift into manual with the paddles, it is locked in manual. (Won't automatically go back into drive until you pull the selector again)

[@Jennifer-zq2wi]

Loved your video. If I use "sport Individual" with transmission in comfort would I still get the gear numbers? I should have my 2023 M340i in a few weeks.

[@KitsCars]

@@Jennifer-zq2wi yes you will

[@NeilGalluccio]

Thanks to BMW for creating an experience where you can control how the car sounds inside the vehicle. Brilliant! As far as how it sounds outside... I don't care; I'm inside driving the car.

[@kaleb9174]

you should do pov drives

[@gggthaqi8043]

Is that with opf?

[@Xanned600]

lmao you’d better not rev it like that when the car is still cold, or you’ll end up in the service area

[@ironbolt2678]

yeah… not a good idea to rev a cold engine

[@jaworq]

funniest thing is that the flap closes when you put it in Drive mode. It's only open in Parking and Reverse xD Some who designed it is.... Now my car makes weird sounds when I'm parking in the garage (Drive/Reverse switching a couple of times). The flap is opening and closing all the time.... what a bummer. 5:30 or maybe it opens when you push the car a bit agressive? do I hear properly that the flap opens/closes a couple of times here?

[@KitsCars]

Yeah, it's pretty weird. I'm going to try to get the gopro on the actual flap - the exhaust is maybe 20% louder and throatier with the valve open so it's kind of hard to tell! I bet the difference is really easy to hear with an aftermarket exhaust. But yeah, I think the valves do open when you stomp on it.

[@boomshaker27]

Do the golf tee mod

[@aleksandarvukovic2525]

Good thing that you can code this out. I test drove m340i LCI and i gotta tell that i am disappointed, everything about this car’s sound is fake, which really made me angry. Glad that i didnt wait for the LCI but gladly a downpipe and an mperformance muffler combined with coding out Iconic Cringe should do this car justice! Also idk why if you deactivate Iconic Cringe it also closes the exhaust flap, even if you are in Sport and Sport Plus mode- my take js that they want to fool the customer into thinking that it is a real sound lol. Also that fart when changing gears- also fake 💀

[@lmSteveo]

How does the remote start work? I know you can pay a 1 time fee upfront. Is that for the app? Does it come standard with the key fob?

[@DownsJones]

Press lock button 3 times or use the phone app. Digital key is not available currently

[@koltonthompson2365]

you need to enable a setting in climate control also then you can use the lock button 3 times

[@domcars]

So how do you get pops and bangs for real?

[@boomshaker27]

Get a 2020 M340

[@DonsShed]

@@boomshaker27 My 2020 M340i doesn't have Pops and Bangs 😪.... I read somewhere it's because BMW put out a Software Update which cancelled the Pops and Bangs, so mine must have had that update done to it before I bought it. 😪😭

[@boomshaker27]

@@DonsShed strange. So long as you don’t have the 48v hybrid thing (meaning you have a 2020), the pops should be possible. Maybe prior owner tuned the pops out? Could be dealer update. I’ve avoided those for last few years. Just get a tune done and bring your pops back

[@DonsShed]

@@boomshaker27 yer, I've got to find out if mine just needs a Bench Unlock, compared to a FEMTO Unlock.... as I'm not really into posting my DME/CPU to Finland from Australia LOL.

[@boomshaker27]

@@DonsShed I hear ya. I’ve got an MHD Wi-Fi adapter on the way to start looking into my situation.

[@TheIrfanxz44]

I don’t hear anything different

[@AntLive29]

Pretty sad

[@Carl-Johnson-CJ-GS]

hey nice vid. whats the name of your interior leather color? greetings from switzerland

[@KitsCars]

Hi! This is Cognac - weirdly, it was only available in Sensatec (BMW fake leather) for 2023 in the US. I really like it and the Sensatec wasn't bad compared to real leather.

[@Carl-Johnson-CJ-GS]

@@KitsCars thank you very much for the fast answer. Lookin really good! all the best:-)

[@sbinnala]

Seems like a 2020 is the only M340i worth anything

[@vladimirvojtaml]

So you buy a car and to control valves you need to pay. What asshole corpo thought this is a good idea?

[@kc2213]

wow this is so muted compared to the 2020 m340i's

[@vincentchim]

Wow, what a day to be living in where pops and bangs are played through the speakers 🥲

[@why8410]

I thought I heard some in the exhasut clips. However still not as crazy as the 2019 models

[@KitsCars]

Yeah, the exhaust does make a few pops and bangs naturally, but they are not associated with the ones that come through the speakers. The speaker ones are very regular...

[@Criminelsoyeux]

@@KitsCars thanks for your video. I bought the 2023 240i and returned it the day after. This issue was one of the problem

[@sbinnala]

The GT-R does it also on 2020+

[@richlili]

Don’t care about the fake pops. Sounds amazing from the outside. Love the 340i. Been enjoying it ever since i purchased this year. Best car ever.

[@DownsJones]

Still a win for me since I drove a '20 and it sounded way better than 21 or 22, and this seems like a step up from the '22

[@DownsJones]

Would be nice to have an option to mute speaker sound and just have the exhaust flap open

[@drywalljunkie6969]

Not a step up really, sounds the same as my 2022 beautiful car but really a step down in quality ,they obviously saved some cost .

[@blakeenichols]

@@DownsJones You can turn off the sound generated in the speakers and sport opens the exhaust valve.

[@zscore219]

22+ with MPE fixes everything. No need to worry about piped in audio and the exhaust just pops naturally which you hear inside and outside. Honestly all M340i models should just ship with MPE as standard given the emphasis on the M branding.

[@MrE.888]

​@zscore219 not all countries allow it. The dealer won't even sell it to you if it doesn't comply to local restrictions.

[@MusicRoxz23]

10:43 Has anyone coded out iconic sounds with bimmercode, is it just an option in there? I know you can force the valve open but I'd like to maintain open/close function from comfort to sport.

[@nothingspecial4510]

honestly i got my 23 340i it doesn’t pop as much, but once i hit that 12k km milestone, it pops a lot more 😂. I usually just turn off the iconic sound

[@wallie004]

I had a feeling they weren’t real in my car. Oh well it still sounds good.. the BMW pumped in audio is deceptively good. For me it adds to the driving experience and makes it fun

[@KitsCars]

Yeah as far as fake sounds, they're pretty convincing. :).

[@Demoxx1]

not nearly as many pops as a pre lci g20 or lci f30 generation. What are you doing BMW?

[@jasonvitagen]

Great video, really appreciate it

[@kilobak2297]

This is the kind of video that I give sub for :D

[@robingupta23]

Wow, i so wanted to upgrade my 23 330i to 340i for the sound. Had no idea about them being fake. Bmw certainly did a good job, but it does demotivate me. Oh, and that mpg for a 6 cylinders is impressive!

[@mosh2697]

It’s not even pops and bangs. The term you need to use is burbles. Not everyone wants pops and bangs.

[@Michael-hd2gq]

do u think the sound change between arman and normal speaker?

[@codemywheels]

Can you tell me how to enable the iconic sound

[@m3forty780]

Does anyone know if the LCI has both Iconic Sounds and ASD?

[@KitsCars]

Iconic sounds controls the ASD

[@jeetdeshmukh]

Great video and what an observation

[@slayx9193]

Do you know if the front bumper is the same as previous years? Trying to add a front lip but I don’t know if it’ll fit

[@koltonthompson2365]

here is the specific link : www.shopbmwusa.com/product/14774/BMW-M-PERFORMANCE-FRONT-ATTACHMENT-IN-CARBON-FIBER Note: BMW M Performance Front Attachment in Carbon Left (51 19 5A4B369) and Right (51 19 5A4B368) are only compatible for the MY2023 G20 LCI (all variations). Installation of these parts is also only allowed in combination with the M Performance Rear Spoiler in Carbon (PN 51 19 2458369)

[@kevinrush4411]

Is there a setting to prevent any random extra pops and bangs from both the inside and outside? A setting to prevent all of the pops and bangs? I just want a smooth deep "finely tuned and geared acceleration sound" with no random rattles.

[@dariopeceljdp]

Comfort mode, sport on a shifter

[@jojonokimyonabouken7615]

Everybody say it with me: Muffler delete and down pipe! That thing will sing

[@ViewsfromVick]

Oh My Lord, I been wondering the same thing about my 2023 BMW. Does Iconic sounds have an impact on the sound from the outside of the car. Seems like turning off the Iconic sound also closes the exhaust valve. I feel the pops and bangs stop shaking through the floor panel when they are Iconic sound is off. :( I leave fun mode on! Thank you for shooting so many angles. P.S. I always know that gap in the dash had some sensor looking at my Smiles Per Gallon. I hate that creepy tech. (No self driving sports cars. BMW please omits those damn sensor on M or M-lite cars)

[@areufkingkiddingme]

Have you considered the M performance exhaust?

[@KitsCars]

I did! But most of my car parts budget is going to the Supra :)