[n.devdath]

Now that's some clarity in thought and decision Doc...!!!

I get to spend quite some time with a friend's F30 LCI and I must say that I find it the perfect executive sedan for India today. BMWs are reliable (relatively), service levels are consistent, offer unmatched driving pleasure and decent space at the back as well.

I was very, very close to buying one myself but given my kind of driving and usage, it would been a torture, for the vehicle and my wallet...!!!

Wish you a million km of Pure Motoring Joy.

[RajBajwa]

Congratulations Doc! I wish you a million happy motoring miles in that cracker of a car. Your prelude in the purchase decision of the thread is something that strikes a chord with me. I had asked myself the question last year, “If not now, then when?”

You have penned down your thoughts in the ownership thread beautifully. Enjoy the car.

The marketing gurus for the Bavarian Motor Works have got it spot on.

JOY!

That one word truly exemplifies the feeling of getting behind the famed wheels with the blue and while propeller!

[tilt]

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

*SNIP*
What I don't like:[list]
*SNIP*[*]Lack of cruise control and lumbar support: These two are key omissions on features front, in an otherwise very well kitted car. These were added in 2018 manufactured 320d, but missing on mine. As it turned out, I miss neither of these since I am happy with the seat support and don't miss lumbar support, and cruise control is something not very useful on Indian roads anyways. However, these omissions are enough for my friends to make fun of the lacking features on a BMW :-)*SNIP

Dr. AD, a very comprehensive review, and as usual per your standards, great story-telling too

Yesssssssssssss! No lumbar support! Tche tche, what a useless car

Good show man. For the first twenty minutes I thoroughly enjoyed the comfort of the passenger seat with its wing-support, and then the lack of lumbar support kicked in. Quite uncomfortable. I felt the exact same in RSUDARSANAN's F30 too!

That said, yes, the car looks beautiful, feels good on the road, and is certainly the cynosure of all eyes wherever it goes!

Enjoy. Wishing you many many kilometres of fun.

Cheers

[RSUDARSANAN]

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

But deep inside, I still wanted a BMW.

“Avid drivers think alike
Cars seldom differ”

AD, welcome to:
UDM ~ the ultimate driving machine
SDP ~ sheer driving pleasure
so unabashedly vouched by you.

My narrative:
It was in early 2010, that a young lad half my age spurred me on to upgrade with his tongue-in-cheek tag line “if not now, when ? ”.
Given my vintage, it was a bolt from the blue
that struck the chord “better late than never”.

Technically challenged, there was no lengthy discussions, only the mandatory round of visits to the three german dealerships by myself, after crossing out Toyota/Honda/VW.

Brochure laden and supplemented by some reviews made a rudimentary assessment.

Audi felt that I did not have the “aukat”, so a test drive (TD) wasn’t forthcoming.

BMW was next and after the TD, fell “hook, line and sinker” for the 3er.
Nothing technical about it, just JOY.

Merc just didn’t have that chutzpah.

Eight and half years and 144k+ kms on the odo…

My erstwhile E90 CE, through AD's lens


…and still counting it was till I accompanied AD to Navnit.

The F30 LCI 2018 ticked all the boxes that was lacking in my E90, except the compactness and steering.

Well, the best way to resist temptation is to yield to it and succumbed I did and how.

Revisited the showroom in May ‘18 with an offer.
Accessories (dashcam/puddle lights/ mats and mudflaps) were separately ordered.

In mid June ’18, the first 2018 car arrived ~ Mediterranean Blue.

“This car has my name written on it” I told the SA.
It took the dealership six weeks to match the offer and the deal was clinched.

Brought her home on 3 August ’18.


Since then we’ve been going places,







having notched up a modest 4k+ kms to date.

In conclusion, to each his own be it the kidney grill / star / bangles.

Cheers

[carmayogi]

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

“I still have the longing and my heart still burns, the passion is no less,
The fire that you have ignited, is still burning and is no less “

If you don't mind me asking, what did you pay for this beauty? Definitely looks like a well taken care of pre owned car.

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by dark.knight

I feel the F30 lost a lot of the magic that the E90 had.. the hydraulic steering replaced with the electric one killed a ton of feel, the E90 felt like a truck and I loved it. The F30 became so ridiculously big that today I mistake some on side profile for a 5 Series, the 5 Series itself is massive today.

That is a common school of thought, but once you drive a F30 over a 1000km or so, you will realize that it has lost nothing much. E90 hydraulic steering was heavy, and yes, I loved it too, but heavy and hydraulic steering is just the means to the goal (of having a precise steering with good feedback), and not the goal itself. F30 steering is much lighter, and electric (again, not an end goal by itself), but still manages to be precise and, in sports mode, gives excellent feedback.

So one should not jump to conclusion just because BMW changed the steering from hydraulic to electric. I actually like the steering because it achieves the best of the both worlds - comfort mode and sport mode give you two different steering options to choose from as per your liking.

Regarding size, it is not that much bigger than E90. Look at this beautiful figure given here: https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=715008

But, the most important part is that, regardless of size, it is so nimble and agile, and so precise in its maneuvers that it does not feel big at all. I am more at ease driving this precise F30 than my bulky SX4 with its vague movements, which is actually smaller in size than both F30 and E90. So tiny differences in size mean nothing when you talk about real-world agility and feel of the car.

Maybe I didn't spend enough time with the F30 to understand how it performs.. of course it would be well-balanced, very agile and back-kick happy due to RWD like all Bimmers.

Yes, F30 it is still well-balanced and very agile, while being more comfortable than E90.

The suspensions on F30 (especially in the LCI version after they fixed the softness issue of pre-LCI F30) are awesome. Again, hard suspensions on E90 were means to a goal (of great handling), and not the goal itself. With much more comfortable suspensions, the F30 still manages to handle well and has no body roll in the corners! It is a win-win situation.

So I genuinely believe F30 is a positive improvement over E90. E90 was a great car and I have highest respect for it, but by no means it was the only template for a good BMW. Of course, this is all subjective and your opinions might differ. So in summary, to each his own!

I just wish there was a little bit of the design magic of Bangle retained in modern Bimmers..

Interesting point, but again I beg to differ. The looks argument is very subjective, but I am actually not a fan of Bangled BMWs at all. I am so glad the new designs post the Bangle era are so clean and proportionate, without any quirkiness. I love both the pre-Bangle and post-Bangle BMWs more than the Bangle era.

The F30 3 is indeed a more-rounded car in every sense of the word, in terms of seating, quietness and comfort, much more so than its past iterations, although if I'm not mistaken, its seats are a bit hard compared to the E90? Am I imagining it?

As far as a combination of fun-driving and luxury goes, the F30 3 is it, the C Class panders to comfort and the Audi's steering is ridiculously lifeless. For those who want to feel the road, the Bavarian still has a little magic left in it yet.

I agree with you in general here. And no, I did not feel the seats in the F30 to be harder than E90. Again, this could also depend on body structure and other personal preferences, so our opinions need not match.

Originally Posted by n.devdath

Now that's some clarity in thought and decision Doc...!!! ....

Wish you a million km of Pure Motoring Joy.

Thank you very much Devnath.

Originally Posted by RajBajwa

Congratulations Doc! I wish you a million happy motoring miles in that cracker of a car. !

Thank you very much RajBajwa.

Originally Posted by tilt

Dr. AD, a very comprehensive review, and as usual per your standards, great story-telling too

Thank you very much tilt. I know I have bored you guys to death by telling this story in person too, but I appreciate you guys reading it here again.

Yesssssssssssss! No lumbar support! Tche tche, what a useless car .
Good show man. For the first twenty minutes I thoroughly enjoyed the comfort of the passenger seat with its wing-support, and then the lack of lumbar support kicked in. Quite uncomfortable. I felt the exact same in RSUDARSANAN's F30 too!

Hahaha. I knew this would come from you, just like from deepfreak15.

Actually I can't argue with this at all. I am lucky that I don't miss the lumbar support, but I can very well imagine that lumbar support can be a crucial thing for someone else. So yes, I agree that this is a key omission by BMW in general, although I don't miss it personally.

BTW you guys could also make fun of lack of cruise control. Just reminding you in case you guys forgot. :-)

That said, yes, the car looks beautiful, feels good on the road, and is certainly the cynosure of all eyes wherever it goes!

Enjoy. Wishing you many many kilometres of fun.

Thank you very much for your wishes. And nice that you said many kilometres instead of the proverbial miles. This world would be a better place if we all use SI units.

[jsanket]

Great article. I also intend to go via pre-owned car route (and a Bimmer at that)some time but worsening traffic in North and extraordinary service costs of these cars are holding me worried!

[Varun_HexaGuy]

Brilliant review of an equally great car, Doc! That line, "If not now, then when?" is ringing fresh in my mind. We were about to get a used 2014 BMW 530d M-Sport last year at a very great price with relatively lower miles (22k clicks on the odo). Somehow when we were about to complete the deal with a handshake, we dropped and got a new Tata Hexa XTA instead!

Only if I had told myself this, I'd have been lurking with the Bimmer in my porch. For obvious reasons, I discouraged my dad for this. Now, even we're tempted for one. But we can't afford one at the moment. Maybe a used 3'er or 5'er a few years down the line (3-5 years from now).

Enjoy your Bimmer to the core and keep munching miles while I sit back and enjoy this ownership report of yours (subject to regular updates from your end)!

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by RSUDARSANAN

“Avid drivers think alike
Cars seldom differ”

AD, welcome to:
UDM ~ the ultimate driving machine
SDP ~ sheer driving pleasure
so unabashedly vouched by you.

Thank you very much!

My narrative:
It was in early 2010, that a young lad half my age spurred me on to upgrade with his tongue-in-cheek tag line “if not now, when ? ”.

Thank you for sharing this story here. This has been an inspirational story for me, not just in buying a car, but also in more important decisions in life such as career changes. "If not now, when?" is really the most powerful motivational statement I have ever came across.

Nothing technical about it, just JOY.

Very well said. This statement summarizes it so well. Once you drive the "JOY", you realize that there is something magical about the whole experience which you can't attribute to technical details. The whole experience is almost spiritual.

My erstwhile E90 CE, through AD's lens

Thank you for sharing this photo which always rekindles fond memories. This is one of my favourite photos, which I shot during the "inaugural" Ooty drive, in 2013. The car looked so beautiful, and it still is a very beautiful car.

Please allow me to share one more picture of your car, which I shot in 2016 Hampi drive. That scene is still fresh in my mind. The car looks majestic on the backdrop of the famous boulders:

Well, the best way to resist temptation is to yield to it and succumbed I did and how.

Heartiest congratulations on your brand new 2018 F30 too, and as always, looking forward to the company of you and your BMW in many more memorable drives. BTW the pictures of your Blue BMW are beautiful. She looks so elegant!

On this note, could not resist sharing this picture of RSUDARSANAN's brand new 320d, along with mine, and robimanahanta's 3-ers. Three F30 in one frame! This picture was shot literally the next day after RSUDARSANAN got his new car.

Originally Posted by carmayogi

If you don't mind me asking, what did you pay for this beauty? Definitely looks like a well taken care of pre owned car.

Thank you. However, my apologies but I would not like to discuss the price here.

The reason is that I want to keep this thread clear of the financial discussions and resultant biases. Too many times, we judge a car by its price. We call something overpriced, something underpriced (well, that we call never, right?), and we start looking at cars through those lenses.

I want this thread to be about the car, as it is, without any financial prejudices. This is the reason I did not even mention cost, price or any other financial term in my entire review.

I will be more than happy to elaborate on any question you have about the car itself, including the technical details, features or my driving experiences.

Originally Posted by jsanket

Great article. I also intend to go via pre-owned car route (and a Bimmer at that)some time but worsening traffic in North and extraordinary service costs of these cars are holding me worried!

Thank you. Traffic worries are real worries, but service costs are no issues if you get a car under BSI. Wish you all the best in your search.

Originally Posted by Varun_HexaGuy

Brilliant review of an equally great car, Doc! That line, "If not now, then when?" is ringing fresh in my mind. We were about to get a used 2014 BMW 530d M-Sport last year at a very great price with relatively lower miles (22k clicks on the odo). Somehow when we were about to complete the deal with a handshake, we dropped and got a new Tata Hexa XTA instead!
...

Enjoy your Bimmer to the core and keep munching miles while I sit back and enjoy this ownership report of yours (subject to regular updates from your end)!

Thank you very much, and congratulations on your Hexa! It is a very nice vehicle in its own rights. Enjoy the Hexa. But I hope you go get your BMW dream fulfilled soon. Wish you all the best.

[deepfreak15]

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

BTW you guys could also make fun of lack of cruise control. Just reminding you in case you guys forgot. :-)

BMW has the right idea with omitting this useless feature. So kudos to them.

[shrjun]

A succinct review.

Doesn't BMW get any manual cars into India

[quickdraw]

Congratulations on the F30, lateral is the way to go and it can reap immense benefits if one does their research. Thank you for sharing the wonderful in-depth review and pictures with the community.

You can easily activate Cruise control if you have a LIM button on the steering, Bimmer Code app and a cheap Bluetooth OBD dongle to the rescue, just remember to backup your setup before you go tinkering. You can even disable auto start/stop by default and a host of other fun things. I'm sure there are threads on coding do look it up!

Since you are using the mobility kit, I'd recommend on your next change go for tubeless tires. The ride is good even with RFT I agree, but after you put tubeless it will feel like RFT's were made of stone and dynamics, grip and ride quality will see a huge improvement. I went tubeless on the 328i and MCS both and its made a world of difference.

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by deepfreak15

BMW has the right idea with omitting this useless feature. So kudos to them.

Actually I wouldn't give them kudos for this. I think cruise control would always be good to have, even though it is very rarely required. So although I don't miss it during my drives, I would definitely not mind having the option of using cruise control should a situation arise where it would be useful.

Originally Posted by shrjun

A succinct review.

Doesn't BMW get any manual cars into India

Thank you. No, manual transmission is not available on any of the BMWs sold in India. In fact, I think none of these luxury brands (including Audi and Mercedes) offer any manual transmission cars in India.

As much I like the ZF-8 transmission, I do miss the fun of manually rowing the gears. I would have loved to have a manual BMW. But sadly, that is not available in India. Inline six cylinder petrol engine with a 6-speed manual gearbox is the ultimate BWM configuration to drive. Sadly, not anytime soon for me.

Originally Posted by quickdraw

Congratulations on the F30, lateral is the way to go and it can reap immense benefits if one does their research. Thank you for sharing the wonderful in-depth review and pictures with the community.

Thank you very much.

You can easily activate Cruise control if you have a LIM button on the steering, Bimmer Code app and a cheap Bluetooth OBD dongle to the rescue, just remember to backup your setup before you go tinkering. You can even disable auto start/stop by default and a host of other fun things. I'm sure there are threads on coding do look it up!

Thanks. I am aware of this. However, I don't want to take any chances of warranty being void due to such modifications. Further, as I said, I don't really miss these features at all. So at least for a while, I will enjoy the car as it is.

Since you are using the mobility kit, I'd recommend on your next change go for tubeless tires. The ride is good even with RFT I agree, but after you put tubeless it will feel like RFT's were made of stone and dynamics, grip and ride quality will see a huge improvement. I went tubeless on the 328i and MCS both and its made a world of difference.

Thanks for your feedback and suggestion. Yes, I agree with this. In another 10k km or so (which means in 5 months) it will be time for me to change the tyres. I would definitely consider regular tubeless tyres at that point.

[carmayogi]

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

I want this thread to be about the car, as it is, without any financial prejudices. This is the reason I did not even mention cost, price or any other financial term in my entire review.

Ah - didn't see this earlier - my bad. I can understand your decision, but only asked because I wanted to know what one should be paying for something like this. Ideally, if I returned to India, this is what I'd rather buy than a Honda City sized car.

Wish you many thousands of trouble free and fun filled kilometers!

[RSUDARSANAN]

Originally Posted by deepfreak15

BMW has the right idea with omitting this useless feature. So kudos to them.

Am using this feature on the hi'ways, as much as possible, i.e. when in sedate mode, which is more often than not these days.

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

Actually I wouldn't give them kudos for this. I think cruise control would always be good to have, even though it is very rarely required. So although I don't miss it during my drives, I would definitely not mind having the option of using cruise control should a situation arise where it would be useful.

Concur with AD.

A Platinum Silver F30 2017 car had caught my eye in the dealership with AD. Almost went for it and then dropped because it didn't have cruise control.