2012 BMW 3-Series : Official Launch Report!

[h@r$h@l]

Full page adverts in todays TOI Ahmedabad edition. The new 3 is a fantastic car and one of the best daily drive lux sedans in India.

[varunlaxman]

Is it true, they don't have paddle shiftier even on the 520D sports.?

[MaserQ]

The 3 just got better in every sense. From the A-pillar backward, the looks are an evolution of the previous model. The front end is just pure aggression. I like the way the headlamps extend to the kidney grille. The sloping hood gives it that shark-like appearance that has become a BMW trademark.

Also worth noting that all models come with i-drive. Space for a CE model in future maybe?

[S@ndy]

Hats off to BMW! They have another successful product in their hands. Seeing this in flesh would be an awesome treat. They've also got the pricing on the right side. After ol, this is their bread-and-butter model, this should receive some special treatment. I feel this car is better than the earlier one in almost all the aspects. By this model, BMW have blurred the line between their 3-series and executive luxury model, the 5-series, which in turn, borrows heavily from 7-series. This game of borrowing is consistently growing between the models of a lot of manufacturers

Read an article of the german trio comparo in Autocar and even without the whole comparo, the 320d was declared the winner in the beginning only. I guess this would be the best-seller in the entire BMW range. Again, a big hats-off to BMW!

Keep revvin'
S@ndy

[Turbo car]

The new 3 series, especially the 320d Sport look great !!! I bet that is the model that is going to really be the darling of the young crowd.

What is still cant figure out is that, how come BMW doesn't adapt the car with ideal positioning of the controls for Right hand drive as in India ? Plus, the lack of a spare in the boot doesn't work well for the Indian users, as night long drives can really leave passengers stranded on empty stretch of roads; 200 km from the place of puncture of the RFT's. We all know that highways in India aren't as safe as we like it to be, and things can really go wrong in a matter of minutes if you get stranded there at the wrong time of night.

How can BMW really ignore such clear consumer feed backs regarding this critical safety matter ?

[dZired]

WOW! She looks gorgeous. So we definitely are going to see more beemers on the road since this is quite competitively priced. The interiors look great and I specifically like that shade of beige in the luxury plus variant. It gives the needed roominess to the interiors and being not too light, it wont get spoiled away quickly.
BTW, I am in love with those alloys on the sport line.

[BeamerBoy]

Heard one of the BMW guys saying "The BOSS is back".

Looking at the pictures & pricing, it sure seems true.

[altius]

The new BMW 3 Series just got bigger, more expensive and more out of reach of most of car enthusiasts. We need a smaller (E36 size?) and affordable BMW!

[Burn_out]

Seems BMW got the styling on the new 3 spot on. Its more mature and aggressive. Definitely has more character then the previous 3. The larger cabin will appeal to the Indian buyer. Glad they listened.
Any news on a cheaper CE (Corporate Edition) being introduced?
Cannot wait for a full review. All said and done a Beemer is always judged by the way it drives.

[mod_to_odd]

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[deetjohn]

Well done BMW. The prices look very competitive indeed.

The interiors of the 320d Sport Line and the 328i will look the same right? I love the treatment inside.

But not a fan of the front. The headlight running to the grille makes the car look too wide. Maybe the looks will grow on me. Off the 3, 5 & 7, it is the F10 which looks the smartest. My favorite 3 is the E46 still. It looks very tight and sporty still.

How different is the Mineral Grey to the Space Grey. That was my favorite colour on the E90.

[kaush666]

Originally Posted by deetjohn

Well done BMW. The prices look very competitive indeed.

The interiors of the 320d Sport Line and the 328i will look the same right? I love the treatment inside.

But not a fan of the front. The headlight running to the grille makes the car look too wide. Maybe the looks will grow on me. Off the 3, 5 & 7, it is the F10 which looks the smartest. My favorite 3 is the E46 still. It looks very tight and sporty still.

How different is the Mineral Grey to the Space Grey. That was my favorite colour on the E90.

Yes but with the exception of a HUD, a bigger iDrive and paddles.

[Sn1p3r]

Beautiful car, love the alloys on sports line 328i. Saw it yesterday at Ambiance Mall, Gurgaon. (bad display- all hands smudged all over the red paint).

Wife was distracted with discounts so she come up to me and says, why have they put 5 series in the box, some new variant? Hmm! I believe many prospects of 5 will convert as leg room has increased or top line 3 owners go for 5 as the difference is not that great.

Personally, I think they have pulled an Ace and competition will be having nightmares if they don't go all out in media. Audi has been doing marketing very well in conjunction with the discounts but they will have a tough time converting 3 buyers to A4. Merc has to do something drastic now.

Gripe: sunroof must be optional for all the variants. Kids love the wind in the face experience and I see it with my nephew and niece wanting/insisting to take the Audi only for that reason (we do it only at slow speeds about 10-20kmph and that too in service lanes not on highway). BMW kids love sunroof (parents are helpless).

[karan561]

Originally Posted by kaush666

Yes but with the exception of a HUD, a bigger iDrive and paddles.

1) The 320d sportline has 17" rims (style 392) , where as the 328i sportline has 18'ers (style 397)
2) & also the 328i has a 8 speed "sport" automatic transmission unlike the 8 speed A/T in the 320d

[Hayek]

Just drove the 328i (part of a long series of test drives I have been doing in an attempt to get a second car). Mind blowing is the only word to describe this car. Tap the gear shift slightly to the left to put it into sports mode and the car goes wild. Managed to get from zero to 100 and back in no time at all. The car pushes you back into your seat like a diving roller coaster. I thought the C250D was good but this car is in a completely different league. Even 2 hours after my drive, I still have an idiotic smile plastered on my face. The car I drove was a CBU import test drive car in Luxury trim, and so did not have the heads up display or the sun roof. Based on 320D pricing, this could potentially have been Rs. 35 lakhs ex showroom Bombay. The Rs. 40 l ex show room tag of the 328i Sport unfortunately rules it out.

The only other BMW I have driven is the 520D, which I tested a week ago. That was good, and did have noticeably better acceleration than the Superb for example, but did not seem worth 2x the price of a Superb. The 328i makes that one seem like a truck. Was not able to test the new 320D. If that car is closer in performance to the 328i than to the 520D, it is going to tempt me sorely to abandon my usual caution with money.