[Venkatesh]

BMW has launched the 3 Series Gran Limousine facelift at Rs 57.90 lakh (ex-showroom).



The updated long-wheelbase 3 Series will be available in two variants – 330Li petrol and 320Ld diesel.

Both get the M Sport package as standard

- 2.0-litre diesel, 190hp, 400Nm

- 2.0-litre petrol, 258hp, 400Nm

- 8-speed automatic gearbox

- Redesigned headlights

- re-sculpted kidney grilles

- redesigned bumper and larger air intakes

- BMW Curved Display: 14.9-inch touchscreen infotainment system running the latest iDrive 8 operating system and a 12.3 digital instrument cluster.

- newly designed drive selector lever

The only regular wheelbase 3 Series one can buy is now the M340i.

https://youtu.be/E8h_7VFAz_A

https://youtu.be/IJPGaW-557Q

Source

[84.monsoon]

Good move. The 3 series GL is a very well designed extended wheelbase car, it looks well integrated and there are no unseemly overhangs or disproportionate design elements. One often one has to take a second look to figure out is it is a 320D or 320LD.

On the other hand, the difference is all too obviously for the rear passengers with 5 series levels of legroom. Dynamic abilities are not compromised to any great extent either, with the LWB car being only a fraction of a second slower than the regular 3 series car in reaching 100kph.

The versatility is impressive, a keen driver who owns this car can take the wheel and have some fun when they are in the mood, equally have a relaxing time in the back seat when traffic is bad and the chauffeur is handling the driving duties.

Not launching a regular wheelbase car is a good move, as it pushes the 3-series further up the pricing ladder close to 60 lakhs ex-showroom and gives room for the soon-to-be launched "All new X1" to play in the 45-50 lakh price bracket and the 2 series to play even below that in the 40-45 lakhs range.

Serious driving enthusiasts who want a taut 3-series to corner carve, should not mid spending an additional 12 lakhs to get an M340i which is pretty close to the vaunted "BMW Ultimate Driving Machine".

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by 84.monsoon

Good move.

Serious driving enthusiasts who want a taut 3-series to corner carve, should not mid spending an additional 12 lakhs to get an M340i which is pretty close to the vaunted "BMW Ultimate Driving Machine".

Good move only for BMW and their cash registers. Terrible for driving enthusiasts because the Li/Ld are softer sprung and generally less sharper than the SWB variants.

Additionally, the price delta (on-road Karnataka) will become ~14L between the 330Li and the M340i, which is a lot of money. Further, from most reports, the M340i has a harsher ride and with a lower GC and fuel efficiency, thereby making it much less practical than the SWB 330i.

Hope BMW revisits this decision later on.

[lamborghini]

Not a big fan of this move.

At these prices the higher segment (and status) vehicles are a stones throw away & while some may not be as spacious (5, S90), the status on offer would have many customers thinking about options. Some segment above but heavily discounted vehicles like the A6 may even be cheaper while offering similar legroom, etc. I personally would happily pick up the A6 / 530i over this depending on my use case.

And for the enthusiasts : options are severely limited if you want a fun to drive executive sedan in the 50L space.

[Cresterk]

Barely any price difference. Recent price hikes have pushed well into facelift / next gen territory. I feel bad for the people who bought the older version this year for almost full price. Normally it would have been going for steep discounts but the pandemic was used as an excuse to both cut features and hike up prices of old models to insane levels.

[Harsha89]

For 7-8 Lakhs more, the BMW 530i doesn’t seem to offer much more than the 330Li. Recent revisions include removal of the display key, 360 degree camera, Laser lights on the 5 series. This makes the 330 Li seem value for money.

[Mission_PGPX]

My dream of buying a new German car will now be only dream. Somehow I have failed to increase my earnings at the same rate the prices have increased. Jetta was my last new car purchase it seems. The smell of a new car is a dream unless someone creates that flavour of car fragrance.

Under the hood thing remains same as 4 years ago i believe, it is the same engine with slight modifications / tuning which was launched 4 years ago. The worst thing with this pricing is the increased prices in used car market. I would not be surprised if someone could sell their sparingly used car at almost zero depreciation.

All said and done, M340i is all of a sudden value for money, just 10 lacs away. The car looks distinct and proportionate and expensive as well. I just dont have the money damn!!

[Neelavi]

Understandable move from BMW. Clearly the demand was skewed towards the long wheelbase and it is better for them to optimize the product mix. My guess is that there would have been a larger price than 20k (for petrol) hike if the SWB was also offered. Now they have to keep the pricing for the only option competitive and drive volumes. If we compare to the C class (c200 is only 70k lower), it actually offers good value!

[georgesunnyt]

The on road prices in Kochi for the 3 series long wheelbase is

The on road price in Kochi for the 5 series is


If one prioritises luxury and comfort, isn't the 5 series the better pick here with prices being very close?

The problem is that the standard wheelbase used to cost in the ballpark of 60 lakhs and now there's a void there. No, a 2 series or a X1 cannot fill that void because both are front wheel drive. The next option for an enthusiast would be the standard wheelbase 340i which is on road 85 lakhs in Kochi. While the 340i is no doubt the most hardcore 3 series on offer, it's difficult to utilise that power on Indian roads. I hope BMW India brings back the standard wheelbase 3 series.

[techbro]

Originally Posted by Cresterk

Barely any price difference. Recent price hikes have pushed well into facelift / next gen territory. I feel bad for the people who bought the older version this year for almost full price. Normally it would have been going for steep discounts but the pandemic was used as an excuse to both cut features and hike up prices of old models to insane levels.

I'm that guy. Bought 330i M Sport 2 months ago at 50L ex-showroom after a 3L discount. I was hoping I would get at least 7L to 8L off but the chip shortage fiasco screwed it up. Anyways I was not a fan of Li either and wanted a regular wheelbase BMW.

[raj10800]

I think the older 3 series in its original size is a far better package. Its more engaging to drive and a tad faster. Also, I dont care too much about the new Tesla/Mercedes type displays (unless you are in Bangalore where the traffic will give you enough time to play around with the touch screen :-) and removal of the gear handle and manual switches. Voice control is cited as the replacement but more often than not it won't recognize what you are saying. The only new feature I like is the connected drive package which surprisingly was removed from most models and is only now reappearing in new newer models. 3 series is a driver car and I would definitet not like to sit in the backset and let my driver enjoy!

[shibujp]

So for buyers who want a compact yet decently spacious Beemer only the X1 remains in the 50 lakh range. I believe the standard wheelbase 330i was eating into the sales of the 2 series since it was barely 3-4 lakhs away in sport trim.

Now this ensures that the 2 series is safe.

Drive on,
Shibu.

[Cresterk]

Originally Posted by georgesunnyt

The on road prices in Kochi for the 3 series long wheelbase is
Attachment 2402698
The on road price in Kochi for the 5 series is
Attachment 2402710

If one prioritises luxury and comfort, isn't the 5 series the better pick here with prices being very close?

The problem is that the standard wheelbase used to cost in the ballpark of 60 lakhs and now there's a void there. No, a 2 series or a X1 cannot fill that void because both are front wheel drive. The next option for an enthusiast would be the standard wheelbase 340i which is on road 85 lakhs in Kochi. While the 340i is no doubt the most hardcore 3 series on offer, it's difficult to utilise that power on Indian roads. I hope BMW India brings back the standard wheelbase 3 series.

Remember 2-3 years back when people here were getting G30 530ds for 60-70L onroad after discounts?

[84.monsoon]

Here is the spec sheet for the 3 series Grand Limo LCI.

• No head up display even on MSport trims (Was present when pre-LCI GL was launched in 2021)
• BMW Gesture control is no longer available (Was present when pre-LCI GL was launched in 2021)
• 360 degree surround view camera no longer available (Was present when pre-LCI GL was launched in 2021)
• No Sport+ mode even on the 330Li MSport (Was never present in GL, but available of 330i and 340i)
• No M-Sport Suspension on the MSport trims (unlike M340i)
• No Adaptive LED headlights - Just normal LED headlights (unlike M340i)
  

Overall the car looks diluted for the steep price. Many were appreciating the fact that the price increase for the LCI GL is very small, but once you look at how much equipment is stripped away, the pricing does not make sense at all. BMW should have made proportional reductions in price for equipment dropped due to chip shortage etc.

The 330i GL delivers 15.39 KPL ARAI fuel efficiency while the M340i delivers 13.02 KPL. The earlier 330i pre-LCI delivered 16.13 KPL. So the FE penalty of the M340i is not very much when compared to the 330 Li - Just 2.37 KPL. This is impressive for a monster 6 cylinder engine. The reason seems to be the mild hybrid tech added in the 340i LCI version. The FE has increased by around 1.1 KPL in M340i LCI compared to the pre-LCI M340i. The 48V mild hybrid system seems to be available only in models equipped with the B58 6-cylinder engine such as the M340i, the new 7 series etc. This has significantly narrowed the gap between the FE of the 4 cylinder and 6 cylinder petrol's of BMW. The absence of the mild hybrid system in 4 cylinder B48 models is baffling as one would expect more FE conscious customers picking up the 4 cylinder rather than the 6 cylinder.

[msdivy]

This is how the current BMW sedan lineup looks like, as per Bangalore on-road.
2-series: 53L to 57L
3-series: 72L to 74L
5-series: 82L to 95L
6-series: 89L to 1C
7-series: 2.1C

There is a gap in below 50L space. Also, the gap between the 2-series and 3-series is big.

Originally Posted by shibujp

I believe the standard wheelbase 330i was eating into the sales of the 2 series since it was barely 3-4 lakhs away in sport trim.

Wasn't 330i making money? Does it matter whether 2 sell or 3 sells? Isn't it more like dressing up the window so that the portfolio looks good rather than giving what consumers want?