[parrys]

Mod Note : Team-BHP's Review of the 2012 BMW 3-Series has been uploaded at this link. Please continue the discussion on the review thread. Thanks!

The luxury car market in India is growing, and its growing fast.
Today, BMW launched it's much awaited sixth generation 3-Series (F30) in India.
Also present at the launch was BMW's very first brand ambassador in India, Sachin Tendulkar.







Prices below are Ex-showroom across India:

• 320d : INR 28,90,000
• 320d Sport Line : INR 31,50,000
• 320d Luxury Line : INR 31,50,000
• 320d Luxury Plus : INR 36,90,000
• 328i Sport Line : INR 37,90,000

Engine Options:

• 328i : 2.0L TwinPower turbo 4-cylinder petrol engine.
  Produces 254 BHP of power & 350Nm of torque.
  
• 320d : 2.0L TwinPower turbo 4-cylinder diesel engine.
  Produces 184 BHP of power & 380Nm of torque.

High Points:

• The 3 series has been available on sale worldwide since 1975, and has sold over 12 million cars till date.
• One in every 3 BMW's sold in India is a 3 series, making it the manufacturers best selling model (8,656 sold since 2007).
• Growth in terms of dimensions over the earlier generation: Lenght +93mm, wheelbase +50mm, knee room +14mm, headroom +8mm, boot space +20 litres.
• It's a CKD produced at BMW's plant in Chennai.
• Driver and passenger seats are electric.
• BMW iDrive is standard across all variants.
• Full-color Head-Up Display on the 328i Sport Line variant.
• Petrol top speed: 250 kmph & Diesel top speed: 235 kmph.
• 8-Speed automatic transmission across the range. 328i Sport Line also gets steering-mounted paddles for manual gear shifts.
• Sachin Tendulkar owned his very first BMW in 1993 which he bought 2nd hand, followed by the X5 & M5 later on.
• We first brought you scoop pics of the F30 3-series in January this year : Related thread
  

[parrys]

The 328i Sport Line:
The new front design, headlamps reach up to the kidney grille.


Side profile remains more or less the same. No radical changes here.a


The Sport Line variant has the kidney grille in a glossy black finish.


The new headlamps.


Fog lamp cut-outs have a black gloss trim around them.


The rear bumper has integrated reflectors and also a black gloss stripe as an accent.


Badging.


New tail lamps.


Dual pipe exhaust in black does justice to the Sport Line, chrome would have looked out of sync here.


225/45 R18 Gun-metal finish alloy wheels. (The diesel Sport Line gets 17"ers instead)


Puddle lamps on the door handles.


BMW's signature roof mounted shark-fin antennad


ORVM design has changed too.


Sport badging on the front quarter panel.


Reverse parking camera mounted just below the BMW logo on the boot. (Could have been integrated a bit better)


The Sport Line dashboard with its piano black panels and a red stripe running across it.


Steering, audio controls etc.


Infotainment system now sits above the center console.


Gear stick. Notice the toggle for Sport / ECO PRO mode on the right.


iDrive which is now standard.


Notice that paddle shift levers are no longer push-pull types. Left paddle down-shifts, right paddle up-shifts.


Engine start/stop button. Just above is the toggle for the auto start/stop (shuts off the engine when you're not moving).


Center arm-rest with storage.


Front driver side door.


RHS rear passenger door.


The rear windows have sun-shade even on the quarter glass.


Electric seats with 2 memory settings.


The Sport Line scuff plates.

[parrys]

The 328i Sport Line (continued):
The black leather seats. More than adequate lumbar support to keep you in place on the go.


Rear seats have amazing bolstering. Easy for 2 occupants - 3rd would be a little uncomfortable due to the rear-AC vents.


Leg room has increased at the back.


Rear AC vents.


Illuminated glove box. Notice the USB slot provided in here.


The red stitching on the leather on the seats and the door trim enhances the look.


Sunroof.


Cabin lamps with LED ambient lighting.


Boot space of 480 liters.


Gas struts lift the hood. You have to pull the lever on the inside twice to pop-up the hood (its a safety feature).

[parrys]

The 320d Luxury Plus:
Dr. Andreas Schaff, President, BMW group India with the 2012 BMW 3-Series Luxury Plus.


Side profile : Notice the chrome on the window sill.


The front lower-bumper design varies a little from the Sport Line. Also, the kidney grille here is in chrome.




Rear bumper has chrome accent.


Single pipe exhaust in chrome.


225/50 R17 multi spoke alloy.


The cabin looks much more roomy in beige. The beige is not too light so should stay clean for a longer time. Wood panel on the dash.


Steering sans the paddle shift.


The wooden panel on the iDrive slot.


Notice the dead pedal.


Driver door.


Rear AC vents with the arm-rest in beige.


Wooden trim continues on the rear door handle too.

[parrys]

A pictorial evolution of the 3-Series:












Specification sheet attached below.

[Rehaan]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Indian Car Scene section. Thanks for sharing!

[vinj14]

Ah. Mixed reactions about the pricing. I don't see too many going for the 320d luxury line plus when you can get the a4 3.0 Quattro for 1.8 lakhs more. Sportsline and luxury line are priced reasonably and I expect the majority to go for these trims. The basic 320d without xenons and the led rings would look quite sad imho.

[yogeshnagpal]

I was looking out for this launch report today and here it is. Very well covered.

Just cant wait to see how the 320d and the 328i engines feel.

I quite liked the new design except for the squarish head lamps. To the first time BMW admirer the rear design might just pass off as a 5 series without looking at the badge

Any major changes to the engine specs from the E90 ?

Whats your take on the pricing ? Q3 could still eat up into the 3's sales ? People looking for a sedan in that budget could consider the Q3.


Cheers,
Yogesh.

[AirbusA340]

Pricing is decent for the 320d sport and the luxury trims. Maximum buyers for these variants. The base model is absolutely useless unless they come up with a CE and price it much less.

The luxury plus is a little on the higher side I feel for this segment but worth it, if you are desperate for those extra features. It'll surely have more buyers than the 328i.

Happy cornering!

pEaCe

[narchennai]

Excellent review and thanks for that.
The price difference of Rs.5.4 lakhs between luxury line and luxury plus is not justifiable looking at the spec sheet.
And it was wonderful to see all these pictures for now and thanks again.

[negativeH]

I have never been a 3series fan but this one with the meaner front look and the narrow head lamps looks amazing.

The luxury edition does seem a little steep, but if you have the cash then it's worth it I guess.

[princey]

Excellent report with quality pics.
Pity BMW still havent configured the controls for RHD India.
Turn Indicator is on Left side and Start/Stop button left of the steering.
Talk about attn to details.

[miharbe]

Amazingly beautiful pictoral coverage of the launch. It took a while but its definately the most well covered launch report.

This model of the 3 really makes me go weak in the knees. Pricing wise I had hoped for a better price for the entry level variant closer to the Superbs and the Passats. The petrol is really well specced and I think there could have been a similar specced diesel variant as well especially with the HUD (those who have experienced the HUD will definately agree). Also IMHO BMW could/should reduce the number of variants on the diesel.

I dont think Sachin's presence/absence makes any difference to the potential that this car has. I dont think we need to wait long before BMW is again the No. 1 Luxury brand in india.

[Akshay1234]

The looks of the F30 are growing on me. I cannot stand that grille in chrome though. The BMW performance black grilles will really make the car look good.

All in all, the pricing seems ok. The base model now has idrive and full powered seats as compared to the earlier one. Its still missing xenons and angel eyes.

The Luxury and Sport 320D are also priced ok. With the rupee devaluation and the budget the prices would have had to go up. The 320D sport should have also been fully loaded with HUD, full iDrive, paddle shifts, sunroof, etc because many people buying this car drive themselves and they would prefer the sports trim to the Luxury +. Maybe a 320D Sport+ is needed.

The Luxury+ IMO is overpriced by 1.5l if not more. All it has over the normal luxury model is full iDrive, Nav, sunroof and the reversing camera. Not worth the price difference.

Someone said an A4 3.0tdi is only 1.5l more, but that is a CBU and the OTR would be much higher.

As for the 328i, its well specced, and seems to be priced decently too. The OTR would be around 44 which is about 2l more than the E90 330i. With full HUD and the sports transmission this will be a great car.

Good to see the Drive experience control on all variants, even though I heard that the Indian spec car doesn't come with adjustable dampers.

Now the engines, the 320D engine is exactly the same, surprisingly even the 0-100 time is the same as the outgoing model. The 8 speed should make driving a little better. The 328i is a stonker, I would expect a mid 6 second dash to a 100 with Indian fuel. This can also be bumped up to around 320bhp and 440nm with a remap, intake and exhaust.

[avira_tk]

Chrome and beige on the diesel, these guys know that 328i is just a halo model, they are going to mint money on the diesel. The full sun curtain is an awesome idea, considering that car owners with tints are technically criminals now.

The 98 model still has the looks, this one has some melted cheese design elements. I wish they had gone easy on the front, too much of the old Elantra and too little of the current 5 series.