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Old 4th February 2021, 18:48   #166
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Originally Posted by Dr.AD View Post
As long as you drive back from South Goa to Karwar to Hubli, you will be fine. Only roads which could be problematic are roads from North Goa to Belgaum via Anmod etc. But if you stick to South Goa-Karwar-Hubli section, you will be totally fine in X1.
Thank you. If I stick to South Goa-Karwar-Hubli section it adds 4 hours to my journey on my way back to Mumbai. That makes it 16 hours of travel as against 12 hours. Is it advisable to head to North Goa and head to Kolhapur via Ajra - Amboli? Not sure of the road conditions though.
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Old 4th February 2021, 19:06   #167
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Originally Posted by RJ2285 View Post
Thank you. If I stick to South Goa-Karwar-Hubli section it adds 4 hours to my journey on my way back to Mumbai. That makes it 16 hours of travel as against 12 hours. Is it advisable to head to North Goa and head to Kolhapur via Ajra - Amboli? Not sure of the road conditions though.
You are right. Since you are going back to Mumbai, it does not make sense to come back to Karwar and Hubli. Sorry I did not realize that you are driving straight to Mumbai. I somehow assumed you still had to come back to Hubli and hence wrote my last post.

You are right that taking Amboli route back makes most sense. Anyways, I see that you have posted this in the Goa route queries thread. That is the best thing. You will get correct information there.

Enjoy your X1 and drive safe!

P.S. My own Goa drive is long overdue, and your questions are motivating to plan my own drive there. Thank you for that!

Last edited by Dr.AD : 4th February 2021 at 19:08.
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Old 4th February 2021, 22:45   #168
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Originally Posted by Dr.AD View Post

Enjoy your X1 and drive safe!

P.S. My own Goa drive is long overdue, and your questions are motivating to plan my own drive there. Thank you for that!
Haha. Thank you doc. You should plan one soon. We will get to see beautiful pics.

I have decided to take the Amboli route only on my way back. I will share pics soon.
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Old 14th February 2021, 20:52   #169
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Originally Posted by Dr.AD View Post
but the roads are good enough and a carefully driven X1 will manage it without issue!

As long as you drive back from South Goa to Karwar to Hubli, you will be fine. Only roads which could be problematic are roads from North Goa to Belgaum via Anmod etc. But if you stick to South Goa-Karwar-Hubli section, you will be totally fine in X1.

Have a good and safe trip!
Thank you Dr. AD for your guidance. I took the X1. I loved the drive and it was truly special. The trip was Mumbai - Mangalore - Coorg - South Goa - Mumbai.

Both, the destination and the journey, turned out to be a fantastic experience. I will write a travelogue at a later date. But for now, sharing a few pictures as promised.

Roads in Karnataka did not disappoint at all. It is a smooth and fast highway. I absolutely enjoyed driving on the lovely roads!

This is the first time I am sharing pics. It includes a halt at Kumta - Cafe Coffee Day and hot fried Vadas at Sai International, few kms before Kolhapur.
Attached Thumbnails
Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-photo.jpg  

Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-photo20210214200300-1.jpg  

Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-photo20210214200300-2.jpg  

Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-dikki-pic.jpg  

Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-goa-scenic-view.jpg  

Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-gokarna-hotel.jpg  

Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-kumta-stop.jpg  

Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-photo20210214200300-3.jpg  

Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-photo20210214200300.jpg  

Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-photo20210214200301.jpg  

Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-road.jpg  

Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-vada-photo.jpg  


Last edited by RJ2285 : 14th February 2021 at 20:53.
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Old 14th February 2021, 21:56   #170
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Originally Posted by RJ2285 View Post
Thank you Dr. AD for your guidance. I took the X1. I loved the drive and it was truly special. The trip was Mumbai - Mangalore - Coorg - South Goa - Mumbai.

Both, the destination and the journey, turned out to be a fantastic experience. I will write a travelogue at a later date. But for now, sharing a few pictures as promised.

Roads in Karnataka did not disappoint at all. It is a smooth and fast highway. I absolutely enjoyed driving on the lovely roads!

This is the first time I am sharing pics. It includes a halt at Kumta - Cafe Coffee Day and hot fried Vadas at Sai International, few kms before Kolhapur.
Great! Glad to hear that you enjoyed the drive. Yes, roads in Karnataka are awesome! Some of the roads here are very scenic and also smooth.

Thanks for sharing the pictures. The pictures are very nice! The picture of "batata wada" with red chutney is especially mouth-watering :-)

Sai Intentional is my usual place for a food stop too. They have some nice Maharashtrian food, such as "thalipeeth" in addition to wadas.
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Old 21st March 2021, 19:47   #171
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There is not much to report in this thread since I have not done any real drives in February and March. Mostly busy on the work front. Hope to do a couple of drives with this car soon.

In the meantime, the real excitement was about a brand news beast in town, the M340i picked up by my close friend bhpian robimahanta. We decided to do a quick drive nearby with the M340i, and that gave me an opportunity to post a couple of pictures here.

First, it was time for a car wash. Car shining like new again:
Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-img_20210319_1853272.jpg


And then time to pose with the hottest new car in town, the M340i:
Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-psx_20210320_1759162.jpg


It was a short drive to a nearby place with a group of close friends: Zebo's vRS, KarthikK's Ninja 1000, RSUDARSANAN's 320d, robimahanta's M340i, my 320d, and abirnale's XUV5OO:
Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-whatsapp-image-20210320-10.46.12-pm.jpg


And finally, a parting shot of the newest beast in town. The sunset orange looked absolutely stunning in the sunset light:
Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-dsc_17122.jpg


That is all for now. Hopefully there will be some interesting drives soon and I might get to post some more photos in near future.
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Old 31st March 2021, 18:12   #172
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A drive to Kabini River Lodge:



This weekend we did a trip to Kabini River Lodge with robimahanta and got a chance to do a photoshoot with the cars again. We were also lucky to have some good wildlife sightings in our safaris there, but that is a topic for another day.

For now, I could not resist sharing a few photos of my car during this drive. Robi also did a quick photoshoot with my car and captured some photos which are way better than what I could have managed on my own. Sharing those photos as well here with due thanks to Robi.

Onward journey. I took the Bellur-Pandavpura road to reach Mysore this time, and this turned out to be a fantastic road. I thoroughly enjoyed driving on this road:
Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-img_20210327_121416.jpg


At Kabini River Lodge
Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-img_20210328_130633.jpg


In front of one of the buildings:
Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-dsc_23872.jpg



Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-dsc_2391.jpg


And below are the photos taken by robimahanta:
Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-a20i7843weblr.jpeg



Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-a20i7845weblr.jpeg



Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-a20i7858weblr.jpeg


Parking next to his M340i (The M340i looked stunning all the while. We have some photos of that too. But that is for another thread):
Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-a20i7872weblr.jpeg



And finally, a customary photo while on my way back:
Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-img_20210330_123103.jpg

This was a great trip and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Talking about the car, it was a joy as usual to drive this car on those lovely roads you see in the pictures above. On the return leg, I did Kabini to Bangalore non-stop drive in 4 hours and 20 minutes. And this was without excessive speeds or without any stress. The car just cruises so comfortably on good roads that it is amazing how we can cover long distances without getting tired. My wife was peacefully sleeping throughout the journey and that is a testimony to how comfortable the ride quality is. :-)
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Old 31st March 2021, 23:16   #173
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Originally Posted by Dr.AD View Post
Onward journey. I took the Bellur-Pandavpura road to reach Mysore this time, and this turned out to be a fantastic road. I thoroughly enjoyed driving on this road:

On the return leg, I did Kabini to Bangalore non-stop drive in 4 hours and 20 minutes.
Great post.

Could you share the map link or directions for the route that you mention above? Sounds like great options for Bangalore - Mysore runs
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Old 31st March 2021, 23:37   #174
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Great post.

Could you share the map link or directions for the route that you mention above? Sounds like great options for Bangalore - Mysore runs
Thank you.

Sure, here is the info with directions and map link.

While going, I took Nelamangala-Bellur Cross-Pandavpura-Mysore road to reach Mysore. Here is the google maps link: https://goo.gl/maps/BfBmuc98DSPAZNdw6

Given the construction in progress on Mysore road and the heavy traffic, the above alternative is considered as the best by many. And that is true. I enjoyed this road. This is a nice fast road with smooth tarmac all throughout. I would definitely recommend this road as an alternative to Mysore road. This makes even more sense if you are in central or north Bangalore with easy access to Nelamangala road. Note that this road is quite a bit longer in distance than the Mysore road, but usually still preferred given the traffic on Mysore road.

Below is the map of my onward route:

Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-map1.jpg
My route from Bangalore to Kabini River Lodge


While returning, we were returning on a weekday afternoon, and the traffic on Mysore road was extremely thin. Therefore, we decided to return by Mysore road. The road work is in progress but the diversions are very good and overall it is a very smooth road too. Given the lack of traffic, we reached quite fast even by using the Mysore road. Below is the map of my return route:

Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-map2.jpg
My route from Kabini to Bangalore
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Old 23rd June 2021, 18:43   #175
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First Short Drive after Two-Months Lockdown



There has been no update in this thread for more than 2 months now. One of the (sort of obvious) reasons was that the car was pretty much parked for last two months, due to the lockdown imposed in Bangalore. I used to start the car once a week and move around a bit in the parking lot itself just to keep the battery charged and avoid flat spots on the tyres. I did not even drive it 100km in the two months from 20th April to 20th June.

Finally, after the weekday lockdown was lifted on 21st June in Bangalore, it was time for a shot drive to recharge our batteries (both metaphorically and literally!), and give the car some much needed exercise. It was just a short morning drive. A few of our bhpian friends also joined the drive. With me were BHPians megazoid in his BMW330i, (wait, what? when did he buy this? I will leave it to him to disclose the full story; it is a great story for sure and I hope he narrates it soon) robimahanta in his M340i and Zebo in his Octavia vRS.

Note: We wore masks and followed social distancing. We were mostly outdoors, and otherwise in our own cars. No rules were broken.

As I mentioned, it was just a short morning drive. Just on some open roads and some open spaces. There was no destination and no occasion. The only purpose was to drive our cars on the open roads, take some photos and come back with good exercise for the cars. Such a simple drive, but one thing that struck me was how much I loved driving my car today. I guess the two-month gap did this. I had an absolute great time today. The car behaved very well, as always, and was a lot of fun to push on the open highway. If you think you are bored of your car, drive it after a two-month gap. Chances are you will love it again :-)

Not just that we had a great drive, but we also got some good photo opportunities and found some nice locations out in the open. Let me share some pictures below.

The three bimmers meeting near a lake:
Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-dsc_3589.jpg


Robimahanta's might M340i:
Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-dsc_3596.jpg

My 320d.
Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-dsc_3607.jpg


Megazoid's F30 330i. Notice that my car and Megazoid's 330i have the exact same wheels. In fact, both are Sports Line trim, both 2017 model year, and have exact same specs and features (except for the engine, of course).
Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-dsc_3601.jpg


And now Zebo's vRS joins us:
Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-dsc_3614.jpg


Our convoy from the front:
Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-dsc_3606.jpg


It was an absolutely lovely morning with great weather, and we loved spending some time out in the open there. Given that we had time and no fixed agenda, we tried some more photoshoot ideas.


The two F30 "Sports Line" (which is a rare variant by the way - it was a top of the line variant launched with LCI in 2016 and was short lived), facing each other:
Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-dsc_3630.jpg


"Same pinch" for the wheels and most of the other stuff:
Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-dsc_3622.jpg


Our convoy parked at a highway restaurant for a quick open air breakfast:
Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-dsc_3640.jpg


I always love the wheels:
Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-dsc_3635.jpg


The three bimmers:
Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-dsc_3646.jpg


Then while returning, we found (by chance), a charming little temple on a small mud road just a short distance away from the highway. We had a great time shooting our cars there.

The four machines on the backdrop of a lovely little temple:
Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-dsc_3651.jpg


The setting was quite picturesque, and although more suited for SUVs, our sedans loved it anyways:
Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-dsc_3657.jpg


A solo shot of my car:
Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-dsc_3675.jpg


The M340i and the vRS:
Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-dsc_3702.jpg


And finally, a parting shot of the two F30s:
Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-dsc_36842.jpg

Last edited by Dr.AD : 23rd June 2021 at 18:49.
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Old 18th July 2021, 17:48   #176
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Three Years, and 40,000km completed!



Just a week ago, I completed three years with this car. Amazing how time flies! She still feels new to me, and thankfully drives just as well even today.

When I got this car in July 2018, the odometer read 14,596km. And after exactly three years in July 2021, the odometer reads 54,577km. I drove a total of 39,981km which we can round it off to 40,000km without much error.

While I am happy that I was able to drive 40k km in three years, I am sure I would have driven a lot more if not for this unfortunate pandemic. For example, in my first year with this car (July 2018-July 2019), I drove 17,331km. I would have most likely continued driving at the same rate if not for the pandemic, and would have probably covered at least 50km km in three years. But anyways, I am happy I could still drive her for about 40k km.

Now coming to the car, she has been absolutely fantastic. In these three years, there was not one moment where I regretted or even doubted my decision to buy this car. Buying this car has turned out to be one of the best car decisions I have taken, and has proven right even after 3 years of usage.

Loved by the Driver and the Family: This car has been an ideal companion for me, and my family. It loves long drives on fast highways. It loves being driven in fast corners and tight turns. It loves being driven hard all day. The numbers 188hp and 400Nm are not awe-inspiring by any standards, but are more than enough for my needs and those numbers meant I had more than enough grunt in my engine whenever I needed that. The ride and handling package is again optimal for my needs. The car rides so well that my wife loves traveling in this car even for long distances, and she is more than happy to join me on my drives now whenever she is free. The car is powerful but yet not violent. The ZF8 gearbox is as good as it gets, and overall offers extremely smooth and fast transitions. This all adds up to the smoothness and comfort of the drive, and my passengers love this car. I do plenty of hilly drives and the handling (with minimal body roll) is again perfect for my needs. My wife had motion sickness and she used to hate hilly drives. But in this car, her motion sickness has magically disappeared, thanks to the flat ride and tight handling with no noticeable body roll. One unforgettable moment for me was once when we were driving around Chikmagalur. We were having coffee at a coffee shop at the foothills of the ghats. After coffee, I thought we were going back to our resort. But it was my wife who suggested a quick drive up and down the ghats before we go back to the resort. This was the ultimate moment for me when I realized that my wife has now been converted into a car and road-trip enthusiast too, just like me. And all the credit for that surely goes to this car!

The only thing I would still call as a problem with this car is the boot space. I have mentioned it enough times already how terrible the spare tyre arrangement in the boot is. As a result of that, this car can never be a spacious luggage carrier. On more than one occasion we felt the lack of boot space. If a family of four plans a long distance trip, the boot space will not be enough. However, if one could pack light and manage with the boot space (or somehow manage without the spare tyre, if they are brave enough), then this is a great car for crunching highway miles with fast pace, comfort, ease and fun.

The Marathon Runner: This car is almost like my exclusive highway driving car - my marathon runner. I almost never drive it in the city (I have a beater car for city use). Almost all of the 40,000km I covered in this car are highway miles. She loves highway drives and on a good road, can easily cover 400km in a stretch before I need a break. She needs a break only after about 650km or so, thanks to the 850km range I get on one tank of fuel. I typically refuel her when the tank goes down to about 25% capacity, and that means I actually get a driving distance of about 650km before refueling. And when I am returning home from long journeys, I usually refuel after 700km. For example, just yesterday I refueled her after 734km of driving on one tank. And she still had a range of about 140km left. Peak range as seen in the MID often goes above 900km. I have once seen a displayed range of 970km when I refueled her mid-way in one Mumbai-Pune drive.

Goodness of a BMW, Reliability of a Maruti: This car has all the good things of a true blue BMW (or a true red BMW in this case) - a good engine, Rear-Wheel Drive, 50:50 Weight Distribution, and perfect handling for the driving pleasure that we always seek. However, what is more is that the car is extremely reliable. Touch wood, in my three years of ownership, this car has proven to be as reliable as my other car, a Maruti. Apart from regular services, this car needs nothing else. What a beautiful machine this is!

The Curse (?) of CBS: By the way, on the servicing front, while I am happy with the reliability, one thing that irks me is the inconvenience of needing multiple service visits thanks to the Condition Based Servicing (CBS). This car does not have fixed service intervals of say 10,000km or 15,000km where you service everything together, as in most other cars. Instead, the CBS tracks and detects service requirements, and tells exactly when something is needed. While this sounds great, it means that I might have to visit the service center once for changing brake pads, and then soon again for changing oil, then once again separately for changing brake fluid, and then soon again for something else. A typical service routine is essentially distributed over time as and when needed. This invariably means multiple and usually more frequent visits to service centers than in most other cars. This part annoys me.

Unforgettable Memories: I love my road trips and this car has encouraged me even more to go on road trips. Unfortunately (or maybe I should be thankful and say "Fortunately") I have been very busy on the work front in the last three years. That meant I could not do something like week-long drives and could not drive to the Northern part of our great country. However, I did plenty of drives in Southern states, and I drove pretty much everywhere from Kanyakumari to Mumbai, and most places in-between.

This car has already become a part of my family. We already have so many great memories with her just in the span of three years. My mind starts overflowing with wonderful memories if I start thinking about each driving trip I did in this car. The list is too long to write here. Let me just summarize all the wonderful trips I did in this car and all the wonderful locations I visited, through collages of my road trip pictures.

Below collages summarize the wonderful memories we have with this car.

Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-3years1.jpg
Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-3years2.jpg
Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-3years3.jpg
From seas to the mountains, from jungle lodges to palaces, we had a great time in three years!



A Solo "Anniversary" Drive: On the completion of three years, I took her out for a solo drive. I have written about that in a Travelogue (A Solo with Car, Camera and Clouds!). However, for keeping this thread complete, please allow me to share a few of those pictures here.



Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-dsc_38092.jpg
Black tarmac, green landscapes, and a red car. Kind of summarizes my last three years.


Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-dsc_38622.jpg
In the company of windmills.


Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-dsc_3949.jpg
With green fields and coconut trees.


Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-dsc_4000.jpg
Posing next to a small lake.


Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-dsc_40012.jpg
I hope all future roads are this simple, smooth, and picturesque.


With this, let me wrap up this three years memoir!I would probably request the Mods to move this thread to "Long Term Ownership" section now.

Thank you for reading!

Last edited by Dr.AD : 18th July 2021 at 18:15.
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Old 19th July 2021, 14:43   #177
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re: Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!

A Casual Drive & Photoshoot with Friends



This weekend we did a short drive to the outskirts of Bangalore with a couple of friends. The idea was simple - just do a good drive, enjoy our cars after a long hiatus, and in case we see some scenic locations, do some car photoshoot. With my newfound hobby of car photography, a photoshoot with our cars is always on the agenda no matter where we drive.

This time, my friend and BHPian robimahanta was with me. That meant we had the sizzling hot new launch that is the talk of the town, the BMW M340i with us and that would be my primary subject of photography. To make it even more interesting, our friend BHPian zebo joined us with his fiery red vRS. With these two cars in the group this time, for a change, I was actually least interested in photographing my own car (and I must admit I am finally kind of bored of photographing the same car every time) .

Nevertheless, we still had three red cars in our mini-convoy, and that meant there would always be some interesting red combinations for photoshoot. Although it was all about photographing the other two cars this time, I did end up getting a couple of shots of my car too that I liked in the end.

Somewhat similar to my last weekend's solo drive without destination or plan, even this drive was a totally impromptu (literally got decided over WhatsApp messages at the 11th hour) and had no real destination or plan. We had a vague idea of some route in the mind. However, when we drove there we realized that our intended route was nothing special. That meant we had to improvise on the spot, and thankfully, we ended up taking a different driving loop that actually turned out to be fantastic for both driving experience on smooth two-lane highways, as well as some photography opportunities.

Well, let's keep it short and let's go to the photos.

Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-dsc_4043.jpg
The day started with a casual shot of the M340i.


Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-dsc_4055.jpg
This car looks amazingly elegant from all angles.


Then at one place we found a small dirt track that provided a very unique background for shooting these cars.

Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-dsc_4076.jpg
The three cars judging the unfamiliar territory.


Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-dsc_40662.jpg
The M340i looks hot on any background.


Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-dsc_4074.jpg
The amazingly good looking front design of the M340i.


Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-dsc_40792.jpg
The DRLs look gorgeous, just like the rest of the car.


Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-dsc_4090.jpg
The three red beauties posing together.


Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-dsc_40992.jpg
The hottest car in the town, at the next location.


Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-dsc_4096.jpg
The fiery hot vRS!


Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-dsc_4113.jpg
My own humble steed posing too, and I liked this photo :-)


Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-dsc_4118.jpg
The Three Musketeers!


Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-dsc_41222.jpg
Another look at the clean lines and the proportional design.


Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-dsc_4128.jpg
And maybe this is not too bad for clean and proportional design too


Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-dsc_4129.jpg
The Two BMWs.


Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-dsc_4148.jpg
Another shot of my car.


Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-dsc_4167.jpg
The red always goes well on the green background.


Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-dsc_4173.jpg
The two BMWs again!


Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-dsc_4181.jpg
One more shot of the M340i. I would never get bored shooing this car.


Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!-dsc_4178.jpg
And finally, my most favorite shot of the day!

Last edited by Dr.AD : 19th July 2021 at 15:12.
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Old 20th July 2021, 11:24   #178
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re: Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr.AD View Post

A Casual Drive & Photoshoot with Friends



This weekend we did a short drive to the outskirts of Bangalore with a couple of friends.
And finally, my most favorite shot of the day!
Lovely pics doc. So I too ended up buying a red rearwheel drive vehicle, does it qualify for your photoshoot drives/rides ?
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Old 20th July 2021, 12:23   #179
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re: Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!

Quote:
Originally Posted by deepfreak15 View Post
Lovely pics doc. So I too ended up buying a red rearwheel drive vehicle, does it qualify for your photoshoot drives/rides ?
Thank you Deepark. And congratulations on your red RWD machine. That sure looks awesome!

There is no question of qualification. It is the passion of the owner or the photographer towards their vehicle that makes them photogenic, and in that sense every vehicle qualifies :-) The machines you already had in your garage are great for photography too, just that we never got an opportunity to do a shoot together.

Sure, it would be great to do a photoshoot with your machine. Let us plan soon. As I mentioned, we have been waiting too long for the Blue and Red photoshoot, but looks like the Red and Red will happen before we get to the Blue Looking forward to that!
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Old 21st July 2021, 11:54   #180
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re: Red-Hot BMW: Story of my pre-owned BMW 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI). EDIT: 90,000 kms up!

Many cheers, Dr. AD! Actually, because red F30 320ds are not exactly common in Bengaluru, I have actually come to associate them with you. Just this morning I saw one close to my home and thought of you!

"Goodness of a BMW with the reliability of a Maruti" – that is the key line for me from this entire page! Very glad that it's in the hands of someone who likes taking it out so much and using it to make memories (and cool pictures!)

The second highlight is your wife falling in love with the car enough to want to go on drives. How wonderful! A non-motoring enthusiast recognizing the goodness of a car is the ultimate testament to its charm. Kudos to the F30!

Nice weekend drive, too. The rich colours of the German/Czech trio contrast nicely with the monsoon greens. Robi's M340i of course looks the part!

Here's wishing you many thousands of miles more of driving pleasure and memories with your lovely 3.
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