Congratulations GTO.
From a used City VTec > Used Civic > and now to a 530D MSport, you are climbing the ladder of life with style!
I'm a bit late to the party. Was reading the thread from mobile yesterday, loved it and hence decided to take some time off weekend and reply. Most people in this forum (including me, I'm sure
) will live through their whole lives and never get to own such a ferocious beast of a car. Hence it was a treat reading your personal upgrade experience, and with such an amazing attention to detail. Quite a well researched decision on the car, and happy that you did not have to compromise on your 'pre-worshipped' policy. Unfortunately, this doesn't work quite as well for the salaried class who rely more on loans for their purchases.
I do agree with you on the design. It sure feels timeless, especially in black and white colours. Speaking of which, the carbon black shade is brilliant. I thought its black till I scrolled to the picture with your brother where it suddenly feels like blue. Nice indeed. However, you have mentioned that the 530D gets the 'shadowline' treatment - but I see chrome on the other contender you had considered. Pardon my ignorance, but I think it is only on the M-sport 530D. Also, speaking of the looks department, I believe the change in DRLs are more due to the fact that the current generation gets LED headlamps instead of xenon projectors.
I have used 3M services extensively and can confidently say that I am not going back there anymore. BHP'ians who have taken up detailing as their passion and secondary work do a much better job than the 3M centers. Trust me, the passion really makes them pay extra attention to the details, and the materials used by these guys are superior to the 3M products more often than not.
Was a delight to read your annecdotes on the performance of the car. And the smile on ajmat's face says it all!
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Originally Posted by GTO What's interesting is that, in 'auto' mode, the system even decides where the airflow should be. When it's too hot, you'll notice it sending cold air to your feet for a short while. If you so prefer, you can also set the desired fan speed in 'auto' mode.
'Auto recirculation' is a cool feature. It automatically keeps switching between 'recirculate' and 'fresh air' modes. You don't have to remember to 'refresh' the cabin ever so often...let the computer handle it for you. That said, the system isn't perfect. Even in 'manual / full recirculation mode', pass a stinking area and a little stench from outside does enter the car (I noticed this on the roads next to the Worli & Bandra sewages). |
Not sure I get what you mention for the auto a/c controls though. I thought the auto air circulation and air flow direction control are part of all ACC designs, even in smaller cars like my Punto
Quote:
Originally Posted by GTO Another safety feature = the front neck restraints / headrests cannot be removed. They are locked in place. |
Dont quite agree that this is a safety feature. May be, only in the Indian context where owners tend to remove the neck restraints for various silly reasons.
However, a removable neck restraint is a very useful safety feature if you are locked inside your car during an accident / emergency situation. Attaching the below youtube video that explains this -
The bad:
- Shocked by the absence of pure keyless entry. As you said - its a halfway there approach. Damn, even my Hyundai Xcent has one.
- Same goes for height adjustable seatbelts.
- The legroom is nothing like what I expected to see. Talk about packaging - some sub 4m cars compact sedans have a 400L boot along with more rear legroom. Of course, they dont need to account for a 6 cylinder diesel engine under the hood.
- Integrated blinkers which are considered 'premium' by the Indian crowd. However, frankly a BMW does not require a blinker for the premium feel.
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Originally Posted by GTO Quite a balanced garage, wot? Accompanying the 530d is a high-revving petrol MT, an offroader and a comfy chauffeur-driven beater. Each ride has a unique purpose: |
Personally, I would like to see the Civic make way for a real "hot" hatch. The Abarth Punto or if it sounds too tame for your tastes - the VW Polo GTI should fit the bill just fine.
PS - Rudra Sir has worked his magic yet again.