[venom_op]

Originally Posted by EP.

Thanks @Venom_op, I'm buying the car in Kerala, they offered me a discount of 7.9L from the on-road price. 6L discount was from the ex-showroom prices.

In your opinion, how much is a "good discount"?

Roughly around 9-10 off the On road. This was easily obtainable when i got my car 2 years ago. With the impending GST confusion/fears, maybe 50k more as well? Give it a shot! Ask a couple of other dealers.

[BeamerBoy]

Originally Posted by EP.

Thanks @Venom_op, I'm buying the car in Kerala, they offered me a discount of 7.9L from the on-road price. 6L discount was from the ex-showroom prices.

In your opinion, how much is a "good discount"?

Kerala has two dealers.

Just walk into each dealer's showroom with a commitment of buying within this month. Between the two, you will definitely get what is best possible. Do check if model year is the same for comparing the offers.

[Sathya_sc]

Got myself a 320D LCI MSport 10K run car (Estoril Blue). Car is as good as new. Taking it for a long spin this and next weekend. This is going to be my first hand experience with a BMW in India! Let's see whats in store. But initial impressions are super good. Solid engineering and it's a rocket - also a leech on road!

[rameshnanda]

Originally Posted by Sathya_sc

Got myself a 320D LCI MSport 10K run car (Estoril Blue). Car is as good as new. Taking it for a long spin this and next weekend. This is going to be my first hand experience with a BMW in India! Lets see whats in store. But initial impressions are super good. Solid engineering and its a rocket - also a leech on road!

Congratulations Sathya.
It looks gorgeous. Looking forward to hear from you on your highway experience with the car.

[anandpadhye]

Took a test drive of the F30 LCI 320d.

Car didn't feel much faster than my 160 BHP TSI Laura. There is initial turbo lag but even after overcoming it, the acceleration is not drastically better than the Laura. And it's not even comparable with the GTI!

Also, had read a lot about RWD and the ZF 8 speed gear box. The RWD did not feel much different from the Laura, may be slight less torque steer but nothing that can be called a "day and night" difference. Also, ZF8 hesitated upon accelerating after every U turn. It shifted back and forth between 2nd and 3rd momentarily! Quite disappointing, especially after all the praise I have read about it. Other than that the shifts were smooth but so are those on the DSG in my GTI. The handling seemed good - took some fast and sharp turns and car held the line very well.

I think the lack of acceleration can be blamed at the 2L diesel, this car deserves a much better engine. A 2L petrol at least. But the 330i was not available for test drive!

The interior is very good, visibility all around is very very good, rear seat space and comfort is also very good. The car feels much bigger on the inside than what it seems from the outside. And the looks are awesome. I don't like the soon to be launched 3 series - they have spoiled the looks.

Overall, a little underwhelming - definitely not much of an upgrade over the Laura.

[Porcupine]

Originally Posted by anandpadhye

Took a test drive of the F30 LCI 320d.

Car didn't feel much faster than my 160 BHP TSI Laura. There is initial turbo lag but even after overcoming it, the acceleration is not drastically better than the Laura. And it's not even comparable with the GTI!

Also, had read a lot about RWD and the ZF 8 speed gear box. The RWD did not feel much different from the Laura, may be slight less torque steer but nothing that can be called a "day and night" difference. Also, ZF8 hesitated upon accelerating after every U turn. It shifted back and forth between 2nd and 3rd momentarily! Quite disappointing, especially after all the praise I have read about it. Other than that the shifts were smooth but so are those on the DSG in my GTI. The handling seemed good - took some fast and sharp turns and car held the line very well.

I think the lack of acceleration can be blamed at the 2L diesel, this car deserves a much better engine. A 2L petrol at least. But the 330i was not available for test drive!

The interior is very good, visibility all around is very very good, rear seat space and comfort is also very good. The car feels much bigger on the inside than what it seems from the outside. And the looks are awesome. I don't like the soon to be launched 3 series - they have spoiled the looks.

Overall, a little underwhelming - definitely not much of an upgrade over the Laura.

If you don't mind the model soon becoming the "old 3-series", the discounts that you will soon see on it might make it worth your while as the new generation has just been launched, and should reach India in a couple of quarters.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by anandpadhye

Took a test drive of the F30 LCI 320d.

Car didn't feel much faster than my 160 BHP TSI Laura. There is initial turbo lag but even after overcoming it, the acceleration is not drastically better than the Laura. And it's not even comparable with the GTI!

Coming from the 1.8TSi engine in the Laura and the GTi, only the 330i M Sport would be an upgrade. The 30i engine + ZF8 sport gearbox combination is a gem. Or you should remap the 320d to a higher power/torque tune.

The only issue is the availability of a 330i for test drive. Most of the dealers keep only the 20d car for TD. I think the 30i will be available for TD only in metros like Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore (not even in Chennai).

As Porcupine suggested, if you can wait till mid 2019, you should see some mouth watering discounts on the F30 330i cars.

Also, you should plan for an M Sport suspension upgrade. I am not sure if the latest M Sport cars come with M Sport suspension, but I know from a 2017 330i M Sport owner that the car came with regular suspensions which are soft.

[anandpadhye]

Originally Posted by Porcupine

If you don't mind the model soon becoming the "old 3-series", the discounts that you will soon see on it might make it worth your while as the new generation has just been launched, and should reach India in a couple of quarters.

Originally Posted by graaja

As Porcupine suggested, if you can wait till mid 2019, you should see some mouth watering discounts on the F30 330i cars.

Thanks Porcupine and graaja.
I am in no hurry, and I love the looks for F30. I would like to test drive the Jaguar XE as well, have heard great things about it's handling and suspension.

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by anandpadhye

Took a test drive of the F30 LCI 320d.

Car didn't feel much faster than my 160 BHP TSI Laura. There is initial turbo lag but even after overcoming it, the acceleration is not drastically better than the Laura. And it's not even comparable with the GTI!

For those spoilt by the 1.8 TSI, no 4 cylinder diesel will feel like an upgrade. Only 6 cylinder diesels will satisfy you now. And that too only at highway speeds. The way diesel engines deliver power, at city speeds you really don't feel much difference. I can hardly exploit the power of my lusty X3 in the city. Whenever I see a big open stretch, I am more likely to gun it in my GTI, than the X3. (Same statement would be true for Laura Vs. X3) The 1.8 TSI begs to be revved and feels so comfortable in doing it. On the highway this gets reversed. The diesel feels relaxed in delivering oodles of torque, whereas the petrol has to be kept in high RPM range.

I have a feeling the new G20 3 series is going to be much nicer to drive than the F30. BMW copped a lot of flak for going too soft and losing the crown for the best handling sedan to the Jag. They would have worked a lot on the suspension set up to regain this title. Also there would be weight saving to further improve handling.

[anandpadhye]

Originally Posted by anandpadhye

Took a test drive of the F30 LCI 320d.
...
Overall, a little underwhelming - definitely not much of an upgrade over the Laura.

Drove my Laura on the same stretch and just as spiritedly as I had driven the 320d. Laura is faast, really faast, even after 9 years she pulls cleanly and better than the 320d. And the TSi engine note is lusty, the 320d engine sound qualifies as "noise". And the brakes on the Laura are really awesome, she stops so quickly and sure-footed, in a straight line, the 320d didn't stop as cleanly and deviated from the line. The 320d brakes were good, but not as good as the Laura.

As I mentioned before, the hesitation of ZF-8 accelerating after a U turn was a big downer and now after driving the Laura, I can now say that even the brakes aren't up to the mark.

I can't help but think - why would someone pay 45/50L for the 320d?
What does she really offer over and above the 14L rupees TSI Laura from 2010 (or the 30L rupees vRS that's on sale today)!

I think there is clearly a hype associated with these brands and all reviews have to be taken with a pinch of salt.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by anandpadhye

I think there is clearly a hype associated with these brands and all reviews have to be taken with a pinch of salt.

I think it is all relative. For someone who has driven the 1.8TSi in the Laura, the 320d may not be exciting. But for someone who comes from a different car (say a C segment car, or even a D segment car with a less powerful engine) which is not as powerful as the Laura, the 320d can feel quite powerful. Also, add to this the brand value, and the overall build quality, I am sure 320d can be very exciting to many.

Also 1.8TSi and 320d are not apple to apple comparison. One is a high revving petrol engine and the other is the diesel. If you really want to compare, you should drive the 30i engine and the ZF Sport gearbox. You may even feel that the 30i is not that much of an upgrade, but it will definitely not be as boring as the 20d.

[petroguzzler]

Originally Posted by anandpadhye

I think there is clearly a hype associated with these brands and all reviews have to be taken with a pinch of salt.

The key takeaway is, there is no substitute to a detailed test drive.

Originally Posted by anandpadhye

Also, had read a lot about RWD and the ZF 8 speed gear box. The RWD did not feel much different from the Laura, may be slight less torque steer but nothing that can be called a "day and night" difference.

The difference of a RWD car could generally only be felt on a track whilst close to exceeding its dynamic capabilities.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by anandpadhye

Drove my Laura on the same stretch and just as spiritedly as I had driven the 320d. Laura is faast, really faast, even after 9 years she pulls cleanly and better than the 320d. And the TSi engine note is lusty, the 320d engine sound qualifies as "noise". And the brakes on the Laura are really awesome, she stops so quickly and sure-footed, in a straight line, the 320d didn't stop as cleanly and deviated from the line. The 320d brakes were good, but not as good as the Laura.

As I mentioned before, the hesitation of ZF-8 accelerating after a U turn was a big downer and now after driving the Laura, I can now say that even the brakes aren't up to the mark.

I can't help but think - why would someone pay 45/50L for the 320d?
What does she really offer over and above the 14L rupees TSI Laura from 2010 (or the 30L rupees vRS that's on sale today)!

I think there is clearly a hype associated with these brands and all reviews have to be taken with a pinch of salt.

I think there was something wrong with the TD car, because there is no way the Laura has better brakes than the BMW. The brakes on the BMW feel far more powerful and a better feel under hard braking.

And while the Laura may feel quicker, the 320d is faster. Lets not compare the handling.

My point is, the 3 is a far more dynamically sorted car than the Laura. I would suggest that you drive another car.

[AMG Power]

Originally Posted by anandpadhye

What does she really offer over and above the 14L rupees TSI Laura from 2010 (or the 30L rupees vRS that's on sale today)!

Spoken like a true enthusiast.

The answer - for the true enthusiast - very little if nothing at all. The price to power / handling / driving pleasure ratio of the BMW 320 d is beaten several times over by the current Octavia and Laura when compared with the G20 and the F30. You couldn't say this of the E90 however.

For the non enthusiast - the BMW offers brand equity, fit and finish, image etc etc which don't matter at all to the true enthusiast.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by graaja

I think the 30i will be available for TD only in metros like Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore (not even in Chennai).

Do any of the BLR dealers have a 330i for test drive purposes? Need to slowly plan am upgrade from my Octavia TSI. Mid-2019 timeframe with some delicious discounts sounds doable.