[vinaydas]

There is no info about the Diesel being BS6 Compliant.

If its true that the engine is still BS4 then the C class has definitely an edge here.

[quickdraw]

Gorgeous M Sport 330i taking centre-stage.

I was invited to the 3 Series launch party that happened here in Gurgaon and oh my GOD! I have to say they truely went all out with this one. There are plenty of videos and media on social media by the many influencers and instagram celebrities that were in attendance so I will not post much.

Some quick thoughts from my side.

• The car looks gorgeous in person, the proportions and angles/shape of body especially from the back and front fenders is to die for. It makes me imagine how sick the next generation M3 is going to look like.
• It doesn't seem that much bigger than the older one, I didn't spend much time in the back seat but didn't notice any difference.
• The quality of finish and materials on inside is a huge leap up over my F30. Dashboard, doors and everything you touch and feel inside feels tactile, premium and very well put together. Fantastic job.
• It has the new crystal knob from the X7 but it's black and has a really cheapo feeling plastic front part. Considering this is something you will be touching often it's a big miss for me. Especially since the other controls and materials on inside are superlative. It really sticks out.
• I'd rather get a used 328i than a new 330i for almost 1/3 the price I'm getting almost everything a petrol head needs. I cannot justify car prices anymore. Almost 60 lakhs for a 3 series? What world are we living in?
• I do not like the new BMW Speedos, I preferred the older analog ones but have not driven any car with the new speedo let me see how it is in real world. My biggest gripe is I hate screens in my face while driving at night.
• BMW has to be lauded for the launches they do, it was spectacular the entire stage and event. The only gripe I would have is the music was too loud.
• The non-M Sport trim G20s had literally 0 appeal to me, I did not even go and look at them.
• I don't like the foamy feeling current gen M Sport steering, the part that you hold is soft and fluffy, the shape and buttons are top notch.

https://youtu.be/HPLXtZZtERs

It was really amazing to see many of my friends cars being displayed at launch and BMW celebrating the various generations of 3er. I am not at all happy that there is no straight 6 3er on sale today and they won't be bringing the 340i to India. If I paying so much I want more cylinders, but guess this is the way of the world now and I am not at all happy about it.

[jassi123]

Test drove the 330i M Sport yesterday and here are a few observations -

Looks far better in the M Sport variant than in Luxury Line, which looks like a Japanese / Korean product with excessive usage of chrome

Get inside, and you sit nice and low - much lower than in C or A4 - makes for a fantastic driving position.

Steering feels lovely to hold; right amount of thickness with premium leather quality

Build quality is top notch - right up there with the best of recent BMW creations

NVH - this is something we have read about since the global launch; cabin feels supremely quiet, robust and rich - barring a few plastics used on the center console.

This 2 ltr engine is an absolute gem. I drive 2015 Audi TT and 2017 Porsche Macan - both have 2 ltr petrol. But the one in 330i sounds the best! It’s exhaust note is addictive, especially in sport and Sport Plus modes.

The gearbox does a fantastic job; no turbo lag at at lower RPMs

Steering - this is where I feel BMW could have done an even better job. It feels great at higher speeds and while cornering hard, but too light off center - it’s hard for modern day cars to please people who were spoiled by cars like E90 - that I owned and regret having sold!

Ride is simply incredible! It feels like a much bigger car. The compliance it offers, with what is a rather taught suspension set up, is unbelievable.

Finally, the price! At 57 lacs on-road, it’s gotten too close to the 530d that’s available at tempting discounts. The gap’s now down to about 14-15 lacs!

BMW has been calling G20 the best 3 they’ve ever made! If only they had been a little bolder with the steering tuning, they would have been absolutely right! Hope they do it with the LCI.

[Viraat13]

Originally Posted by quickdraw

I was invited to the 3 Series launch party that happened here in Gurgaon and oh my GOD! I have to say they truely went all out with this one.

I was supposed to be at the event too, but it was practically impossible to make it to the venue as Ambience Island is so inaccessible from Gurgaon during rush hour. Seems like I missed out!

For the first time in my life, I'm liking BMW 3 & 5 over the C & E Class!

[zombiedriver]

test drove the 320D on Friday when I had taken my car for service and was immediately blown away. I've had the chance of driving my BIL's F30 quite a few times over the years and was always amazed at how it handled but the G20 is leaps ahead in overall terms and not just the way it handles. Yes it handles as we have come to expect the 3er to but it is a lot more quieter on the inside, infact there is barely a hum on the inside. It accelerates more linearly than the F30 which i must admit can be a hit and miss but it climbs up very quickly. I heard a beep sound and looked at the speedometer to see it was well over 120kmph and quickly took my foot off the accelerator. Apparently all new cars are mandated to come with a speed warning ( Not sure how true that is ) as per the SA. The dashboard is a welcome leap to the modern era and looks more in sync to compete with the C now. The space in the rear is pretty much the same. It handles bumps on the highway a little better than the F30.

The one thing that doesn't make any sense to me is why would someone price the luxury line 4 lakhs over the sport? I really does not offer that much kit and the sport has better front seats too. I just looked at the SA and asked to be honest if people would really buy it for almost 60 big ones on road and his reply was as expected.....a big fat NO. I just told him to let me know once they started the discounting.

One other thing is why BS4 diesel at this point with BS6 coming into effect in a few months and the SA said it is just a matter of an additional filter which can be retrofitted .( again i don't know how true that is)

[vb-saan]

BMW India looks to be quite stringent/rigid when it comes to color options – as per their brochures, the 320d is available only in White, Black and Mediterranean blue, whereas the 330i MSport only in White, Black and Mineral Grey. They have so many exterior color options in their international portfolio but why such lack of options in India?

[Santoshbhat]

It is really disappointing to see that BMW will not be offering the 340i to us. BMW as a brand is always the enthusiasts' choice but this is not the way you treat enthusiasts. If Mercedes and Audi can bring in their C43s and S5s, why can't BMW offer the 340i? Bring in a CBU if need be. Heck, even Skoda brought in the VRS and it did rather well. I am not ready to buy the argument that there is no market for it. If I am an existing 3 series owner looking to upgrade, I would get really excited about a 340i xDrive than the same old 530i.

[dragracer567]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

It is really disappointing to see that BMW will not be offering the 340i to us. BMW as a brand is always the enthusiasts' choice and this is not the way you treat enthusiasts. If Mercedes and Audi can bring in their C43s and S5s, why can't BMW offer the 340i? Bring in a CBU if need be. Heck, even Skoda brought in the VRS and it did rather well. I am not ready to buy the argument that there is no market for it. If I am an existing 3 series owner looking to upgrade, I would get really excited about a 340i xDrive than the same old 530i.

I guess they just don't have the incentive right now and as far as I know, BMW doesn't sell any of their lower tier 'M sport' models in India except for the new X5.

However, based on market demand and how popular the 330i turns out to be, BMW just might launch the 340i xDrive a couple of years down the line. Given that it's not a full fat M, they could even assemble it here if they priced it around 70 - 75 lakhs on road, they might actually find some takers.

[kartavya]

Originally Posted by vb-san

BMW India looks to be quite stringent/rigid when it comes to color options – as per their brochures, the 320d is available only in White, Black and Mediterranean blue, whereas the 330i MSport only in White, Black and Mineral Grey. They have so many exterior color options in their international portfolio but why such lack of options in India?

Agree with this. What I don't understand is they are using the Estoril blue in their brochures but they havn't listed that color at all for the 330i ! Why not offer that color when it was always an option in the 320d M sport.
On a side note I do feel that they have missed out on that color option in the brochure and they might just be selling it (just a calculated guess).

[ethanhunt123]

Originally Posted by zombiedriver

The one thing that doesn't make any sense to me is why would someone price the luxury line 4 lakhs over the sport? I really does not offer that much kit and the sport has better front seats too.

Sport is really a renamed Prestige from F30 days. It missed out on so much kit - smaller idriver, Apple CarPlay, Ambient Lighting, New Digital Dash, Leather upholstery. Totally worth the premium being charged given the overall scheme of things.

Does buying the 3-series at ~60L worth it ? You will get the answer in 3-4 months when BMW starts throwing in 4-5L discounts atleast to move inventory.

[iliketurtles]

Originally Posted by kartavya

Agree with this. What I don't understand is they are using the Estoril blue in their brochures but they havn't listed that color at all for the 330i ! Why not offer that color when it was always an option in the 320d M sport.
On a side note I do feel that they have missed out on that color option in the brochure and they might just be selling it (just a calculated guess).

In what I can only think is a very bizarre decision, the Mineral Grey is exclusive to the 330i and Estoril Blue is exclusive to the 320d M Sport. Go figure. Someone else pointed out it's a very drab color palette on offer, and I agree completely, save for that brilliant blue. Where are all the exciting colors gone?

[jassi123]

Originally Posted by dean5545

Hey,
Wanted to know whether the M-sport 330i comes with M-sport exhaust as standard ?
How does it sound?

Not sure about the m-sport exhaust, but it sounds supremely throaty and satisfying - especially in Sport and Port Plus modes. While the sound is amplified through the speakers, it’s not a spoiler at all. BMW has got the tuning spot-on, as the snarl through the speakers doesn’t feel isolated from what the rest of the car is doing. It feels wonderfully in sync with the steering response, chassis stiffness, throttle response etc. - you feel one with the car and won’t find it artificial.

[zombiedriver]

Originally Posted by ethanhunt123

Sport is really a renamed Prestige from F30 days. It missed out on so much kit - smaller idriver, Apple CarPlay, Ambient Lighting, New Digital Dash, Leather upholstery. Totally worth the premium being charged given the overall scheme of things.

That was my first guess too but the prestige didn't come with sporty seats like the sportline... This one does. The screen size is the same on both luxuryline and sport. The SA said the major difference is lack of ambient lighting, alloy design and chrome bits. That's why i don't think the difference of 4 lakhs is justified. The 330i on the other hand comes with gesture control and wireless charging etc.

[ethanhunt123]

Originally Posted by zombiedriver

That was my first guess too but the prestige didn't come with sporty seats like the sportline... This one does. The screen size is the same on both luxuryline and sport. The SA said the major difference is lack of ambient lighting, alloy design and chrome bits. That's why i don't think the difference of 4 lakhs is justified. The 330i on the other hand comes with gesture control and wireless charging etc.

As usual the SA was making up facts. Check out the official brochure -

https://www.bmw.in/content/dam/bmw/m...ury%20Line.pdf

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by ethanhunt123

Sport is really a renamed Prestige from F30 days. It missed out on so much kit - smaller idriver, Apple CarPlay, Ambient Lighting, New Digital Dash, Leather upholstery. Totally worth the premium being charged given the overall scheme of things.

Yes, agree. Sad to see that the "Sport" brand is so downgraded by BMW.

Back in 2016 when they launched F30 LCI, The Sports Line and Luxury Line were both top of the line variants, with Prestige being the base line. That time, Sports Line had all the features of the Luxury Line, and Sports Seats as an additional bonus! It was the perfect trim to have!

Slowly they started removing features from Sports trim by calling it "Shadow Sports", and now, they have made it a base variant - the new Prestige.

Out of all the things missed out on this new Sports trim, lack of leather seats is in my opinion the biggest loss. In my test drives of 3 series in the past, I never liked the Sensatec (artificial leather) seats in Prestige. Not that the Dakota leather used in the F30 Sports Line was of much higher quality, but it was still way better than the Sensatec used in the Prestige.

Now they have the same Sensatec in the Sports variant. This means that if you want Sports Seats in genuine leather, that choice does not exist in 320d at all. Luckily, it still exists in 330i!

Oh, and another difference. Earlier, the Prestige did not have sunroof too. Now they have added Sunroof in the new base (Sports) variant. And they have added 17" wheels too, whereas the earlier Prestige has 16" wheels.

So in summary, yes, the Sports is the new Prestige now, although not as basic as it was back in 2016. It now gets Sunroof, 16" alloy wheels, and many other features lacking in the earlier Prestige.

Originally Posted by jassi123

Test drove the 330i M Sport ... Looks far better in the M Sport variant than in Luxury Line, which looks like a Japanese / Korean product with excessive usage of chrome.

I completely agree. 330i M Sports is the variant to go for in G20 in my opinion. If I were looking for G20, I will not even consider 320d any more.