[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Try comparing the 2.0TDI with the 320d and it maybe a different story altogether.

True, that's what I thought as well (reading through Devdath's review). The 2.0 A4 with a 140ps engine and CVT gearbox does not stand much chance against the new 3. No dispute on Audi's interior quality, but again the sports line trim may not be upto everyone's taste. For me, its a welcome change from the regular sea of beige in our luxury cars.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by n.devdath

In fact, I could find quite a few components in the cabin poorly fitted and that was a big letdown.


To me, the 3 is only an excellent driver's machine, much like a rally/race car with minimal creature comforts and cabin quality that would otherwise round up the package nicely. Period.

Would you care to elaborate on the poorly fitted components, and what creature comforts the car misses compared to the A4? Besides a sunroof?

[harusadu]

Originally Posted by 275BHP

Congrats on your purchase first of all! Frankly, I don't like adding anything extra to the car because it just spoils the feel of the interiors imo, but guess I don't have another choice (since the luxury line plus is overpriced for what it has to offer) now. The car will be used mainly for outstation drives so I really need navigation. Also, could you please share why you opted for the luxury line trim?

Hi. Thanks very much. I absolutely love my car. Hands down the best upgrade from a civic ever. I completely understand your point of not having any extra gizmos or gadgets added to the car, as it may ruin it for you aesthetically. However, you don't need the nav at all times, im assuming, when you do, just lean it against the idrive or just next to the gear, be careful though. The luxury line plus is completely overpriced. Do i want to be paying $10,000 for a sunroof, nav, and larger idrive screen, not really. I will start my own thread regarding my luxury line in the near future, but I can tell you why i chose it. When I am dropping Rs. 40, I want complete comfort and style. Yes I love the bucket seats in the sports trim, but not everyone who will drive my car will and its not to say the seats in the luxury line are bad, they are great! The chrome detailing far outdoes the plain black detail. The multi spoke rims just look absolutely classy on my car. Besides, with the color I chose, havana, different from the f10 havana, why would anyone take the sports. The sports trim only has one extra mode than the luxury, and thats the sports + which is basically the sport mode with traction control off, which is maneuverable in the luxury as well, just not with one button, but two. The car turns heads from all different directions, which is good at times, because people do tend to get out of the way, but at other times, it scares you because they don't pay attention to the road and slow down and come close to you. I guess that doesn't support the luxury or sport. I've done 1000 km as of today, about 9 days since I got the car, only driving in the city. I'll upload a photo of me with my new car as a teaser. I think you'll understand why I chose the luxury after that. Also, I saw the first other f30 in the city, and it was the sports, and it honestly didn't look that great, but maybe because I didn't favor the color.

[karan561]

Originally Posted by harusadu

Hi. Thanks very much. I absolutely love my car. Hands down the best upgrade from a civic ever. I completely understand your point of not having any extra gizmos or gadgets added to the car, as it may ruin it for you aesthetically. However, you don't need the nav at all times, im assuming, when you do, just lean it against the idrive or just next to the gear, be careful though. The luxury line plus is completely overpriced. Do i want to be paying $10,000 for a sunroof, nav, and larger idrive screen, not really. I will start my own thread regarding my luxury line in the near future, but I can tell you why i chose it. When I am dropping Rs. 40, I want complete comfort and style. Yes I love the bucket seats in the sports trim, but not everyone who will drive my car will and its not to say the seats in the luxury line are bad, they are great! The chrome detailing far outdoes the plain black detail. The multi spoke rims just look absolutely classy on my car. Besides, with the color I chose, havana, different from the f10 havana, why would anyone take the sports. The sports trim only has one extra mode than the luxury, and thats the sports + which is basically the sport mode with traction control off, which is maneuverable in the luxury as well, just not with one button, but two. The car turns heads from all different directions, which is good at times, because people do tend to get out of the way, but at other times, it scares you because they don't pay attention to the road and slow down and come close to you. I guess that doesn't support the luxury or sport. I've done 1000 km as of today, about 9 days since I got the car, only driving in the city. I'll upload a photo of me with my new car as a teaser. I think you'll understand why I chose the luxury after that. Also, I saw the first other f30 in the city, and it was the sports, and it honestly didn't look that great, but maybe because I didn't favor the color.
Attachment 978474

Attachment 978475

Congrats ! I think the color is really suiting the " Luxury Line" Trim level

[androdev]

Originally Posted by Axe77

Very interesting post and I'd really ike to try this. Am using a Samsung S3. Might sound tech unsavvy but is there a specific app you are referring to here for the navigation? Whats the navigation tool you're using?

Thanks

Well, Android now officially supports navigation in India. Makes it even more compelling.

[Tats07]

Originally Posted by Axe77

Very interesting post and I'd really ike to try this. Am using a Samsung S3. Might sound tech unsavvy but is there a specific app you are referring to here for the navigation? Whats the navigation tool you're using?

Thanks

Google maps it is, comes pre-installed in high-end Samsung android phones. As of yesterday, Google has enables traffic updates on maps. Try using the navigation feature on the map, and make sure you have Location access and GPS enabled.

[gaurangsaini]

Almost a year of lusting after the F30, and one Rosenthal Auto's review later, I've started questioning the whole concept of buying a luxury sports-sedan in India.

A maxed-out 335i Sports costs about Rs. 31.5 Lakh on-road in USA. (see attached thumbnail)

Umm if I'm not mistaken, even after paying Rs. 40L in India, I will not get a sunroof. Or Bluetooth connectivity. Or 360-degree park-assist. Or for that matter, just a high-end ICE with navigation.

We lack the quality roads that such cars deserve, and what do we really have? Taxes, flawed company strategies, and then some more taxes

< / rant >

[AirbusA340]

Originally Posted by harusadu

Hi. Thanks very much. I absolutely love my car. Hands down the best upgrade from a civic ever. I completely understand your point of not having any extra gizmos or gadgets added to the car, as it may ruin it for you aesthetically. However, you don't need the nav at all times, im assuming, when you do, just lean it against the idrive or just next to the gear, be careful though. The luxury line plus is completely overpriced. Do i want to be paying $10,000 for a sunroof, nav, and larger idrive screen, not really. I will start my own thread regarding my luxury line in the near future, but I can tell you why i chose it. When I am dropping Rs. 40, I want complete comfort and style. Yes I love the bucket seats in the sports trim, but not everyone who will drive my car will and its not to say the seats in the luxury line are bad, they are great! The chrome detailing far outdoes the plain black detail. The multi spoke rims just look absolutely classy on my car. Besides, with the color I chose, havana, different from the f10 havana, why would anyone take the sports. The sports trim only has one extra mode than the luxury, and thats the sports + which is basically the sport mode with traction control off, which is maneuverable in the luxury as well, just not with one button, but two. The car turns heads from all different directions, which is good at times, because people do tend to get out of the way, but at other times, it scares you because they don't pay attention to the road and slow down and come close to you. I guess that doesn't support the luxury or sport. I've done 1000 km as of today, about 9 days since I got the car, only driving in the city. I'll upload a photo of me with my new car as a teaser. I think you'll understand why I chose the luxury after that. Also, I saw the first other f30 in the city, and it was the sports, and it honestly didn't look that great, but maybe because I didn't favor the color.

Hearty congratulations on your new buy. You sure are excited and who wouldn't be..

Sport has its unique stance on the road and so does the luxury trim. The F10 Havana was darker and better looking in sun and at night I feel. Otherwise, Havana with beige is unbeatable. You've got to maintain it though.

Spending the extra bucks for a handful of features is a personal choice and you can do away with them. At least you are a proud owner of a bimmer. The iDrive with the smaller screen is the only serious downer though and is really sad looking IMO. BMW India should have thought about this and the features list at a lower price when Indians have given them very good business since their launch.

Nevertheless, Enjoy your ride

pEaCe

[Tats07]

Originally Posted by gaurangsaini

Almost a year of lusting after the F30, and one Rosenthal Auto's review later, I've started questioning the whole concept of buying a luxury sports-sedan in India.

A maxed-out 335i Sports costs about Rs. 31.5 Lakh on-road in USA. (see attached thumbnail)

Umm if I'm not mistaken, even after paying Rs. 40L in India, I will not get a sunroof. Or Bluetooth connectivity. Or 360-degree park-assist. Or for that matter, just a high-end ICE with navigation.

We lack the quality roads that such cars deserve, and what do we really have? Taxes, flawed company strategies, and then some more taxes

< / rant >

Exactly my thoughts, I was navigating through the US site yesterday, and came up with a similar price while configuring a 335i. If it's launched in India, the ex-showroom is not going to be any less than 43-45 Lacs IMO. Even if the car is CKD. The question is why?? A price of 55K USD is by no means considered any less luxury in the US!

That doesn't change the fact that I continue to lust after the current 328i, and would've had one in my garage by now if I had the doe! :-)

[irulee]

On my quest to buy a new personal car, I finally reached BMW. I was keen on buying either the New 3 series or the Mercedes Benz C Class. On my visit to Navneet motors, I was informed of a new variant that they will be introducing in September - The corporate edition. I absolutely despised corporate edition cars as they dont offer even the standard features that you should expect out of these luxury sedans. Infact, I have been looking to purchase a car since last year. That time as well, I came across the then 3 series corporate edition. My dad's Merc in 1992 was better equipped and gave more luxurious features then that car. However, this time it was different.

Once home, I was going through the specification sheet. I came across a base trim the 320d. It was for Rs 28.90 lacs (ex showroom) and Rs 2.6 Lacs (ex showroom) cheaper then both the 320d luxury and sport line. I immediately enquired about the car and was informed this was the same "corporate edition" that the sales man spoke about. The corporate edition with iDrive and all the gizmos of a normal BMW. The only thing really missing, atleast for me, is the Xenon light. Most of the missing features can be bought separately through BMW, such as the Bluetooth and usb device connectivity which will come on my car. All this for a car with the exact same specification and almost all the same features as the 320d Sport & luxury line. Yet, with a massive discount between both the cars. I immediately booked the car and am currently awaiting delivery (Anytime between 20-25 september). Depending on availability of my chosen colours, I might be the first owner of the variant. The car costed Rs 34.75 lacs (On road, Mumbai) and is a massive discount from the Rs 39.37 lacs of both the Sport or luxury line. Below is a list of what's missing in this variant.

What's missing:

• Xenon headlights for low and high beam, including headlight washing system as well as four LED light rings
• Lights Package
• Roller sunblind
• Connectivity, Bluetooth and USB devices (optional)
• BMW Apps
• Hifi Loudspeaker system
• BMW Navigation
• Music interface for Smartphone
• None of the special BMW Line offerings
• Park Distance Control (PDC), front and rear
• Glass roof, electrical
• Heads up Display (not even optional)
• Rear View Camera
• Only interior trim available is fine wood trim burled walnut with accent trim in Pearl Gloss Chrome
• Sensatec Black or Veneto Biege Upholstery only

What's available:

Everything else including iDrive with CD drive

[urajkumar]

This is the same version they released and not the corporate version if i am not wrong...these were the version they released at start and i doubt if its something new...Corporate editions are close to 23-24 lakhs and does not come with idrive etc..anyway may be i am wrong..

A BMW is a BMW & the new 3 is supposed to be brilliant car! have fun mate!

[AirbusA340]

Very true guys. But no point, I guess. Nothing is going to change here, ever! Neither the policies nor the public looting through insane taxes.

I'm proud of my country. Saare jahaa se achchaa, xxxxxxxan hamaaraa...

P.S. no offence people. Just my opinion.

pEaCe

[n:CorE]

Moderators, can anyone please shed light on when can The Official Team-BHP Review be expected? Have been eagerly looking forward to it. All the other reviews around have been all-praises for the car, but the T-BHP review is always the one I swear by

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by AirbusA340

Very true guys. But no point, I guess. Nothing is going to change here, ever! Neither the policies nor the public looting through insane taxes.

I'm proud of my country. Saare jahaa se achchaa, xxxxxxxan hamaaraa...

Originally Posted by gaurangsaini

Almost a year of lusting after the F30, and one Rosenthal Auto's review later, I've started questioning the whole concept of buying a luxury sports-sedan in India.

A maxed-out 335i Sports costs about Rs. 31.5 Lakh on-road in USA. (see attached thumbnail)

Umm if I'm not mistaken, even after paying Rs. 40L in India, I will not get a sunroof. Or Bluetooth connectivity. Or 360-degree park-assist. Or for that matter, just a high-end ICE with navigation.

We lack the quality roads that such cars deserve, and what do we really have? Taxes, flawed company strategies, and then some more taxes

I was recently introduced to this guy from Saudi who is here on vacation. We love cars and discuss them all the time! So naturally, the topic on petrol-prices came up. He said that a liter of petrol is worth the equivalent of Rs. 7. That's cheaper than drinking water!

He also said that clothes and food are obscenely expensive and you can't even begin to compare the prices. And that got me thinking.

We here in India complain so much about cars like the 328i being more expensive than it should be. @ nearly 45 lakhs OTR Bangalore, the 328i is very expensive. And when you compare it to the prices abroad, we begin to cringe. But that's the thing. We shouldn't compare.

We are in a country where one can avail a lunch for as little as Rs. 5 (Katayani Mantap in Ankola / Aversa) 5-Star Hotels would charge you no more than 5k per head for a meal that consists of more courses than the number of Union Territories in India. And it's quality food too. The same meal would cost you ten times more in a similar restaurant in the UK. It may sound like I'm going off-topic, but I'm certainly on to something here.

We shouldn't be comparing prices for commodities, especially when the difference is apples and oranges. The priority here is not to sell a BMW for 20 lakhs. The priority here is to ensure that people don't go hungry. We're still a growing economy and we have a long way to go before our priorities as a nation change.

Besides, the Indian automotive scene and the market in Europe are as different as chalk and cheese. I'm not sure if it would be fair to compare them.

EDIT: For further information, please refer to post #92

[AirbusA340]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

I was recently introduced to this guy from Saudi who is here on vacation. We love cars and discuss them all the time! So naturally, the topic on petrol-prices came up. He said that a liter of petrol is worth the equivalent of Rs. 7. That's cheaper than drinking water!

He also said that clothes and food are obscenely expensive and you can't even begin to compare the prices. And that got me thinking.

We here in India complain so much about cars like the 328i being more expensive than it should be. @ nearly 45 lakhs OTR Bangalore, the 328i is very expensive. And when you compare it to the prices abroad, we begin to cringe. But that's the thing. We shouldn't compare.

We are in a country where one can avail a lunch for as little as Rs. 5 (Katayani Mantap in Ankola / Aversa) 5-Star Hotels would charge you no more than 5k per head for a meal that consists of more courses than the number of Union Territories in India. And it's quality food too. The same meal would cost you ten times more in a similar restaurant in the UK. It may sound like I'm going off-topic, but I'm certainly on to something here.

We shouldn't be comparing prices for commodities, especially when the difference is apples and oranges. The priority here is not to sell a BMW for 20 lakhs. The priority here is to ensure that people don't go hungry. We're still a growing economy and we have a long way to go before our priorities as a nation change.

Besides, the Indian automotive scene and the market in Europe are as different as chalk and cheese. I'm not sure if it would be fair to compare them.

EDIT: For further information, please refer to post #92

My lord, it's my holy opinion. Unfortunately, it has been, it is & it will be the same. Food is something some people splurge on and some people work for. Your topic is about a parallel universe. No offence sir & let's not get into it. Let's leave hunger issues and economy to our honourable politicians. Unless they do something, nothing's happening in our democracy. I'm just blindly paying my taxes and waiting for a miracle hahaha. I was in Australia for a few years. Food was not expensive, clothes were not expensive, cars were not expensive and the wages were decent. Still not a reason for me to live there away from parents, cousins and cheddi friends.

And by the way,...,I'm still proud of my country

pEaCe