[drmohitg]

Just can't get enough of this car. The thought of it standing down in the garage wants to make you find reasons to go on a drive. Have already driven it 500 kms in 3 days since delivery and a trip to Chandigarh is planned for this weekend.

Few more pictures with some of the interiors too. Will take more interior shots once I get time.

The engine bay looks phenomenal with the BMW logo staring at your face.



The Dash laylout, typical BMW style.


The iDrive screen. Its no longer foldable, would have been really cool!


The iDrive controls. The additon of the iDrive and Xenons has really made the Base variant complete now.


Up close!


Engine start stop and the Auto start stop switch ( really annoying feature in our taffic set up where the car frequently comes to a standstill in everyday bumper to bumper taffic). Is there an option to permanently switch this off?


The central dash


The glove box. Notice the soft touch lining everywhere. Could have been a size larger.


The steering controls for the Audio system and phone. Sadly you cannot stream your music via BT but can only use the telephone function

[drmohitg]

And some more pics:

The 2 best things about this car: Sports mode & the ZF gear box!



The central hump at the back means it can seat only 4 passengers in comfort.


The rear seat leg space has increased now unlike the E90 model and there would be no complains now. This is the space after the driver's seat has been adjusted for 5'11" height.


Dual Zone AC is a nice touch with individual AC controls for both sides.


Traditional Vents with the Hazard light and door unlock switch below. Notice the rotatory control below it. If you put it towards blue you will get cool air and towards red will give you hot air. Couldn't understand the purpose of this since I have already set the desired temperature on the AC. Any idea?


Area for parking ticket etc with the cup holders behind. The cup holder cover feels really heavy with top notch material used everywhere. The top also has soft touch material and one can easily put there phone, wallet and the key fob there without them making a nosie or slipping away.


Car comes loaded with all the safety features and they are standard across all models. The list makes the Fortuner look grossly overpriced!


The key fob looks classy (finally I have a car which comes with a key fob!)


The other key fob with the complimentary BMW key-ring ( MRP: Rs. 1800)

[drmohitg]

The faux wood and the silver strip below look really nice with the beige interiors.


One of the best designed parts of the Interior compared to Merc and Audi.


Phenomenal FE. Kudos to BMW for managing so much power and efficiency from the engine!


Simple looking dials


Its Diwali after dark!


And another day passes! The Imperial blue shade looks different under various lighting conditions.

[sohail99]

Congrats DrMohit.

The pictures of her look phenomenal!
Must be quite intimidating in person!

[getsurya]

Hello drmohitg,

Congratulations on your new ride! Looks fabulous and gleaming. I am glad that you have made the choice which you shall cherish for some time to come.

Happy motoring!

[9thsphinx]

Congrats drmohitg. The 3 looks classy in this shade of Imperial Blue!

Are these the standard alloys offered on the Base variant or do you get a choice? As much as I love 5-spokes, I somehow feel a multi spoke design would suit this car much better!

Wish you many happy miles. Drive safe!

[avira_tk]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

The faux wood and the silver strip below look really nice with the beige interiors.

Congrats on the car, are you sure it's faux wood? The brochure says Burled Walnut, so it must be real wood. Faux wood is usually the preserve of Japanese luxury cars, like the other car you own.

[selfdrive]

@drmohitg

Hearty congratulations on bringing JOY home! Wish you all many safe miles together

I have one basic question about the moonroof, what does it look like at day/ night time? I was not able to spot it in your pictures.

It may sound like a very basic question, just that I have not seen one or been able to tell one when I have seen it!

[sandeep108]

The center red/blue control dial is really meant for cold weather. Sometimes when the heater is very comfortable, one tends to feel drowsy. Turning that dial to blue sends a cold draft of air to 'wake' you up and/or keep you alert rather then reducing the heat for the entire car.

It probably is not very useful in tropical countries like India where one has to have the AC on all the times and turning it to red or even center would reduce the AC efficiency.

[black_rider]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Engine start stop and the Auto start stop switch ( really annoying feature in our taffic set up where the car frequently comes to a standstill in everyday bumper to bumper taffic). Is there an option to permanently switch this off?

From moralfibre's official review :

Originally Posted by moralfibre

The other annoying bit is that the feature needs to be turned off every time you drive the car. For a permanent shutdown, you need to drive up to your dealer.

You can also change the settings to display consumption in KMPL, instead of current L/100KM.

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by 9thsphinx

Are these the standard alloys offered on the Base variant or do you get a choice? As much as I love 5-spokes, I somehow feel a multi spoke design would suit this car much better!

Wish you many happy miles. Drive safe!

No these are the standard design on the base model. Even I like the multispoke design better but these too look good specially with the colour of the car. Won't get permission to spend on new alloys, atleast for now.

Originally Posted by avira_tk

Congrats on the car, are you sure it's faux wood? The brochure says Burled Walnut, so it must be real wood. Faux wood is usually the preserve of Japanese luxury cars, like the other car you own.

Thanks for poitning that out. I was unaware of that.

Originally Posted by selfdrive

I have one basic question about the moonroof, what does it look like at day/ night time? I was not able to spot it in your pictures.

It may sound like a very basic question, just that I have not seen one or been able to tell one when I have seen it!

Buddy this car doesn't come with moonroof at all. The higher variants come with the traditional sunroof. The moonroof I was talking about comes in the Volvo V40 and looks amazing. Basically the whole roof has a glass panel and it looks beautiful from inside.

Originally Posted by sandeep108

The center red/blue control dial is really meant for cold weather. Sometimes when the heater is very comfortable, one tends to feel drowsy. Turning that dial to blue sends a cold draft of air to 'wake' you up and/or keep you alert rather then reducing the heat for the entire car.

Thanks for that information. It took me by surprise on day 1. As the knob was towards the red side and even though I had made the adequate temperature adjustments, the car was still throwing in hot air. Given the history of AC issues in my Altis, I was really anxious for a minute. Finally figured out this knob but the SA couldn't explain me the purpose of the knob in the first place.

Originally Posted by black_rider

You can also change the settings to display consumption in KMPL, instead of current L/100KM.

Ok will probably get it deactivated for good. I feel it does more harm than good as it constantly puts a load on the battery and engine in stop go traffic. Also even under ideal circumstances like when standing at a signal, it doesn't really work that well. Because of our hot climates with the AC off in this mode, the temperature rises within less than a minute inside the cabin and the engine starts again even though the signal is still red and I haven't released the brakes or touched the steering. Probably needs some more fine tuning for our country.

Know about the kmpl change. Already made it but reverted back to ltr/100 kms just for the change as all our traditional cars give the info in kmpl mode only.

Query about the AT box:
What is the best way to work this AT box? According to the manual the position "N" should be used when vehicle is getting towed. Otherwise its never to be engaged. What I want to know is what is the best position when you come to a stop at a signal? Do you just allow it to stay in "D" with the brakes pressed or shift to position "P" or shift to position "N"? Also does the "P" mode ensures that the car doesn't move or are you supposed to engage the hand break too along with the "P" mode.

[sandeep108]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Query about the AT box:
What is the best way to work this AT box? According to the manual the position "N" should be used when vehicle is getting towed. Otherwise its never to be engaged. What I want to know is what is the best position when you come to a stop at a signal? Do you just allow it to stay in "D" with the brakes pressed or shift to position "P" or shift to position "N"? Also does the "P" mode ensures that the car doesn't move or are you supposed to engage the hand break too along with the "P" mode.

Not too sure about the 'N' part. But I do not think that these new BMWs can be towed under any conditions. They have to be lifted onto flat beds. I have been driving AT cars since quite a few years, using the N position and hand brake when I get tired of holding the brake pedal. I have not noticed any issue regarding this. Maybe a google search may help you decide. I believe in some countries it is the law that the brake pedal has to be held down so that your brake lights are on whenever at a signal. The P or park position is generally not supposed to be used for signal / short duration halts.

From Rospa:
"When stationary in traffic, even for many minutes, it is not necessary to move the gear lever into neutral because the torque converter absorbs the engine’s propulsion force but does not transmit it all to the gearbox. No wear is taking place. In fact, more wear will take place if you engage neutral then engage a drive gear when it is possible to move off. Most gearboxes will automatically select first gear when the vehicle becomes stationary. Stops in traffic, at junctions and at traffic lights leave the selector in D. There is no need to move into neutral, as no damage will result."

From another site, they recommend that since torque converters generate heat, on hot days (or for tropical climate) it is probably better to shift to N even if it results in some wear for the AT as then it reduces the transmission oil temperature, resulting in longer life.

I do know that for my Civic AT I started getting slight clutch type burning smell sometimes after 3-3.5 years even with low running in Mumbai traffic. Changing the AT fluid helped a lot (and probably prevented a AT failure).

So now your call. In my view I think either way will not materially affect anything. From my manual days, I do have the habit of engaging the handbrake after putting it in N.

However in the case of DSG autos it is highly recommended to shift to N to prevent clutch wear and premature failure of the transmission.

For my AT cars when parking I always shift to N, engage the hand brake and then put it into P. This removes the load on the transmission lock. This is especially required to be done at inclines. As otherwise sometimes the transmission resting on the pin/lock may refuse to shift out of Park.

[Somu2009]

Hey Mohit, while researching I stumbled across this pic from team-bhp review of the 3 series. The iDrive controller seems different in the review car than yours. Is there any difference in iDrive's on base and luxury models ?

Image from Team-Bhp Review


Image from your thread

[narayan]

Congrats Dr Mohit

Just one question - I have noticed most premium cars dont come with mudflaps. Why ? Dont the dealers provide this or is it removed for aesthetics ?

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by Somu2009

Hey Mohit, while researching I stumbled across this pic from team-bhp review of the 3 series. The iDrive controller seems different in the review car than yours. Is there any difference in iDrive's on base and luxury models ?

Nice catch. Even I didn't notice that. The only difference I know is absense of navigation. The pic from the official review is of the 328i sportsline I think which comes with navigation. Other then that no difference AFAIK.

Originally Posted by narayan

Congrats Dr Mohit

Just one question - I have noticed most premium cars dont come with mudflaps. Why ? Dont the dealers provide this or is it removed for aesthetics ?

Thanks for the wishes. No these days most cars do not come with mud flaps and all these are made part of packages comprising of mud flaps, floor mats, chrome stuff etc etc and sold at an additional inflated price by the dealer. Even my Sunny didn't come with mud flaps.

Regarding this car, I will get the rubber ones. The plastic ones break off very easily especially if the GC of the car is low. Again might not opt for mud flaps at all this time as the car wouldn't go through slush and water for 99.9% of the times.