[MarutiGuy1977]

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

Drive on Countryside Roads, with Friends

It was a lovely drive and a great day we had on the Republic Day! Hoping that this turns out to be just the first of many more exciting drives this year, and looking forward to the next drive now. Thanks to all my friends on this drive for making this a special drive. See you guys soon on the next drive!

Dear Sir, could you kindly provide the route map + any pointers for this drive? Seems to be a great route for a Sunday morning drive with family. TIA.

[anandavinash]

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

Drive on Countryside Roads, with Friends

Lovely to read about these drives. Like the others above, would it be possible to get a route map or at least an idea about the area you guys went into?

[Dr.AD]

Thank you very much everyone for your comments and appreciation! I really appreciate that!

For those asking for the route, unfortunately I do not have the route information. Sorry about that. It was more of an exploration, and we just followed megazoid who was leading the pack. We never set or tracked any specific route. Once again my apologies for that.

Also, for those expecting this to be a family drive, let me say that this may not be an ideal family drive. We often explore unknown roads away from the main grid of highways, and sometimes we get good road, and sometimes bad roads. However, one thing is often common is total lack of facilities on such roads. Therefore, such roads are best if one wants to explore the landscapes and willing to face whatever conditions as they appear. Just wanted to point this out. Thanks.

[Dr.AD]

Drive to Maravanthe Beach:

This weekend, I did a weekend drive to Maravanthe Beach and Kodi Beach (in Coastal Karanataka), along with BHPian robimahanta. Here is our full detailed report of that drive: Two BMWs and a Beach

However, posting a few pictures of my car at those locations here, to keep this thread up to date.

At Maravanthe Beach:



Sunset at Maravanthe Beach:



At Kodi Beach:

[BeMyWings]

Hey Doc,

I hope you are well! I enjoy reading your (and your traveling companions Robimahanta, Megazoid & zebo) travelogues to the extent I can pretty much use my imagination and dream about driving on those roads.

There was a comment that stuck with me, I am not sure who made it. (I think Robi) he said (and I am paraphrasing, so please excuse my inaccuracies) "You know what makes our group special, we drive our cars the way they were meant to be enjoyed"

Thank you very much to all of you, for sharing your adventures and giving us hope that we may be able to do the same some day.

[Dr.AD]

Another weekend, and another Weekend Drive!

If it is a weekend, it is driving time. We have kind of settled on this pattern for last few weeks (except for the lockdown times), and I am glad the streak continued this past weekend too.

Any drive would do. Long or short, solo or with family. Hills or beaches. Jungles or deserts. The destination never matters. What matters is having a fun time driving the car, and then catching up with friends and discussing the car and driving stories again and again. This weekend was just one more weekend of that type.

If the previous weekend was a 1000km drive, this one was a short drive, with just over 350km of round-trip driving. This was so short that I joked with Robi that even his mighty M340i producing close to 400hp can do this drive without refueling!

The destination was Yellagiri, a small hill station in Tamil Nadu. This is just about 160km each way from Bangalore. This was also a family drive. I and my better half in my 320d, and Robi (@robimahanta) and his better half in their BMW M340i was our driving group. And then we joined @zebo and his family at Yellagiri, who were already vacationing there.

Yellagiri is a small town on a small hill, and has all the characteristics of a typical hill station, just on a small scale: a small ghat road to climb up, a small lake with boating, a bunch of "resorts" and homestays located all around the lake, a buzzing local market selling fruits, snacks, food and some other local stuff, and a tiny walk around the lake and through the market. Although it ticks all the boxes for a hill station, it is quite a basic place. The resorts and hotels are basic and simple, and the ghat roads to climb up is very short (hardly 12km or so) in comparison to any other major ghats up a hill station. It is a simple basic place, but still has its own charm. The lake is quite nice and has some nice views, especially during sunset.

Anyways, for us the destination does not matter. We had a fun drive and had a great time together in Yellagiri. This drive is so short that it did not even take a full weekend. We had some work to finish on Saturday morning, and therefore we started Saturday late afternoon and reached Yellagiri before Sunset. And the return drive on Sunday was again around the same time. We did a non-stop return drive. In fact, the return drive felt so short that before we would want a coffee break, we were already in Bangalore.

Given how short and simple this drive was, I did not take many pictures. Just sharing a few pictures here to give a feel of this short weekend drive.

At our usual meeting spot for what was one of the shortest weekend drives:



Meeting zebo's vRS at our hotel in Yellagiri:



A small lake in Yellagiri, which offers a nice walking path all around:



We walked around and enjoyed views of the lake and trees, like these:



But we missed what was a presumably a very colorful sunset by just a few minutes:



Customary photo of our cars on the way down:



I am aware of the overdose of the red car photos in this thread. Unfortunately I can not do anything about that - I can not change the color of my car. But I can try something else to break the red monotony - maybe a black and white photo:


Well, that is all from this short but sweet weekend drive!

Originally Posted by BeMyWings

I hope you are well! I enjoy reading your (and your traveling companions Robimahanta, Megazoid & zebo) travelogues to the extent I can pretty much use my imagination and dream about driving on those roads.

Thank you very much!

There was a comment that stuck with me, I am not sure who made it. (I think Robi) he said (and I am paraphrasing, so please excuse my inaccuracies) "You know what makes our group special, we drive our cars the way they were meant to be enjoyed"

Yes, Robi said that and that summarizes it well. We drive our cars the way there were meant to be driven, and we drive our cars at every smallest possible opportunity. Even if that means working half the weekend and then still driving away for remaining half of the weekend. This weekend drive to Yellagiri was just an example of that "half-weekend" drive.

[robimahanta]

Nice and short one AD. Couple of images from my side. Looking forward to the next one.

[Splendor]

Mod note: Please Preview post before submitting, post edited for removing [Font] tags. Avoid copy pasting from external font editors also. Thanks.


Hello Fellow Bhpian’s,

Having read the pre-owned threads by GTO, Dr A.D, I have decided to take the pre-owned route. This would be my first luxury car. I have been driving my Hyundai Verna for last 12 years and it is still serving me well. No plans to part ways with it although thought about it couple of times.

This will be my first attempt at a used car, have never gone down the used car route.

Finally, I decided to check out the used 320d available in the market. I have shortlisted few and require your advice and suggestions. Like most of us, I prefer single owner, low mileage on ODO.

1. 320D Prestige – 2016 manufactured, registered 2017 done ~ 35K (it is in a good condition).

2. 320D Luxury line- 2014 manufactured, registered 2015 done ~ 30K but when I opened the hood, I saw rat bites on the insulation part. The dealer says that once the price is decided, I have to make an upfront payment of 50K which is refundable. Post that I can take it to the BMW A.S.C for inspection. My concern is if there is any damage to the wiring and the same was repaired at a FNG, it would not reflect in the service history. Will this be a risky choice?

3. 320 D Sport line ((RED, similar to Dr. AD's car), 2016 manufactured, registered 2017 done ~ 38K, 2nd owner and the ask is 29L


Tire replacement is required for all 3 vehicles. I could TD only the 1st car and absolutely no squeaks or rattles. The assk is almost the same for the other two.

I have read the thread where Dr A.D had pointed about the difference in the quality of leather upholstery between Prestige and the higher variants.

My question, if I go with 320D Prestige, will I be missing the any essential features or is there something that I cannot live without or is it a must to go for higher variants. I would not miss the sunroof.

Of course, I will use the TBHP checklist for buying used cars.Your inputs are highly valuable.

Thanks,

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by Splendor

Finally, I decided to check out the used 320d available in the market. I have shortlisted few and require your advice and suggestions. Like most of us, I prefer single owner, low mileage on ODO.

Good decision! 320d is a great used car. It is available easily and you will get many examples to choose from. It is a very reliable and at the same time fun to drive car with minimal fuss. A perfect car to buy in used market!

1. 320D Prestige – 2016 manufactured, registered 2017 done

2. 320D Luxury line- 2014 manufactured, registered 2015 done

3. 320 D Sport line ((RED, similar to Dr. AD's car), 2016 manufactured, registered 2017 done ~ 38K, 2nd owner and the ask is 29L

First of all, I would say avoid any car before 2016. That was the pre-LCI model. In 2016, F30 LCI was lunched which had several important improvements, especially in 320d (the 328i was already very well loaded even before LCI). In 320d LCI, the power and torque numbers were increased by a small amount. And in Luxury Line and Sports Line models, in LCI, you get several things which were previously only in 328i, such as paddle shifters, full-screen iDrive, Sports+ mode, etc. And most importantly, the suspension all across the variants of F30 was improved in LCI. Therefore, if considering a used F30, my suggestion would be to consider only LCI models.

I would say wait and keep looking. 320d is available in plenty and you will find the right car eventually if you are patient enough.

I have read the thread where Dr A.D had pointed about the difference in the quality of leather upholstery between Prestige and the higher variants.

My question, if I go with 320D Prestige, will I be missing the any essential features or is there something that I cannot live without or is it a must to go for higher variants. I would not miss the sunroof.

The things that you will miss out on in Prestige variant compared to Sports Line variant are: Paddle Shifters, Sports+ mode, Sports Transmission, Full-screen iDrive (Prestige has a smaller iDrive screen with thick black strips on both sides), sunroof, real leather (instead Prestige has Sensatec which is artificial leather), A nicer instrument cluster (Prestige has a basic instrument cluster), Larger 17" wheels (Prestige has 16" wheels which do not look that great, and also offer softer ride than the 17" wheels due to higher sidewall height) etc. Whether these features are important to you or not is your call. Thankfully, engine specs are exactly the same in all variants, and so is the suspension and the gearbox (except for the Sports+ mode). So mechanically speaking you do not lose out on much. But you do lose out on some really nice features (e.g. the paddle shifters).

Hope this helps. All the best in your search!

[Splendor]

Thank you for your valuable input Dr. AD. The red vehicle which the owner claimed as 2016 manufactured is actually 2015 manufactured and I was able to check that using Vahan website. I guess I will have to be extra cautious while dealing in used car market. As you mentioned, I will have to wait patiently for the right car.

[Dr.AD]

Weekend Drive to Mahabalipuram

This weekend, we did a relaxed casual drive to Mahabalipuram. It was just I and my wife. Sort of a relaxed family drive. Again, there was no specific agenda as such. Just a drive with plans of relaxing there in a beach resort. We have been there multiple times in the past. And therefore, we were not too keen on any sightseeing.

The drive itself was nothing special. Bangalore to Mahabalipuram is mostly a national highway section with lot of truck traffic. The road conditions are mostly good (except for heavy truck traffic in some patches), and it is mostly a fast six-lane national highway. Although the road is good and fast, it is not scenic as such, and there is nothing that would justify a photo of this road or journey. So, no car photos in the journey this time (for a change!). In fact, this report has only one car photo (that too to make sure this report is eligible to be in this thread). Maybe this is my attempt to break away from the monotony of the red car photos.

We took the Bangalore - Krishnagiri - Sriperumbudur - East Coast Road - Mahabalipuram route. It took about 5.5 hours of driving time to reach there. We stayed at "Welcomhotel By ITC Hotels, Kences Palm Beach Resort", a resort with a really long name. This is a nice upscale resort, and the main reason for choosing this was that it is located right on the beach. One can enjoy watching the sea and the sunrises from the resort, sitting next to a pool which is next to the beach, and enjoying refreshing breeze from the sea. That was the reason for choosing this resort.

Our "Garden Bungalow" in the resort, which was quite nice and spacious:



And had this spacious sit-out opening into the garden:



This was the highlight of the resort. A large, clean swimming pool overlooking the beach, and a nice area to spend time:



We visited the famous "Shore Temple" at Mahabalipuram. However, it was too crowded and it was too hot to spend much time there. Besides, we have visited this temple multiple times before. So it was just a quick visit this time:



A parting shot of the temple before we returned to our resort:



After that, we spent the evening relaxing here, watching the sea and enjoying a very pleasant breeze from the sea:


Next morning I got up early and came to the pool and beach area to view the sunrise. I was hoping for a beautiful sunrise given the relatively clearer skies this time of the year, and I was not disappointed.

The sunrise view at the pool area:



Sunrise over the beach:



Sunrise reflected in the pool:



Another shot of the sunrise at the poolside:



Silhouettes on the beach:


As I walked around in the resort after enjoying the sunrise views, I could not resist taking photos of the so many lovely flowers in the resort area. This was a food opportunity for me to practice some macro photography with my telephoto lens, and I did not let it go waste. I walked around randomly clicking some photos.

Here are some results of the macro flower photography that I attempted there:

















And finally, one car photo to make sure this report is eligible for including in this thread. There were not too many spots for car photography there. The beaches there are generally not accessible by car, and that means no chance of a car photoshoot with beach in the backdrop. However, while exploring Google Maps, I noticed a small road in the map leading to a beach, right next to our resort. I went there and tried to take that road. It was small, narrow road that indeed took me to the beach. But it was a very small opening where I could barely fit in my car for a photograph. Therefore, all I could manage was one "tight shot" in that narrow space and had to drive back.

A solitary car photo from this drive, at a tight, narrow spot:


Well, that is all from this simple and short, but yet a memorable weekend drive. Thank you for reading this!

[XDriver]

Hi Dr AD, looks like a wonderful short trip. I loved the pics of the pool and the sit out. So relaxing just to look at! The final pic of the car with the sea as backdrop is lovely too. Thanks for sharing.

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by XDriver

Hi Dr AD, looks like a wonderful short trip. I loved the pics of the pool and the sit out. So relaxing just to look at! The final pic of the car with the sea as backdrop is lovely too. Thanks for sharing.

Thank you very much!

By the way, with these back to back weekend drives and hectic weekdays, I had not got a chance to wash the car properly in a long time. The car was just carrying the dirt of multiple places.

Finally, today evening, after wrapping up my evening office calls, I got a chance to take my car for a proper car wash.

Car getting a nice high pressure water wash, followed by a foam wash, followed by another round of high pressure wash:



This much dirt came out from my car . This is the dust from west coast (Maravanthe beach) to East cost (Mahabalipuram), and today finally I got a chance to wash this off:



Finally, a clean car after a long time (but forgot to take a final picture after drying the water):


Talking about the car, at the end of that Mahabalipuram drive when I refueled the car and filled up the tank, this was the estimated range on full tank:

Range of 927km on full tank:


Of course, I love the car for its handling as well as ride quality. I also love the engine with the power and torque which are more than enough for my needs. But in addition to that, getting such a nice range on highway drives is certainly an added bonus! And I was not babying the car or trying to extract good mileage. Just my normal driving style and yet I get such range. In most of my weekend drives of around 700km or so, I can do the entire drive on one tank of diesel.

[Dr.AD]

Weekend Drive to Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary and Mysore

This weekend, we did a casual weekend drive to Srirangapatna and Mysore, with my BHPian friends. The main attraction of the trip was a visit to Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary at Srirangapatna, and then stay at Lalith Mahal Palace hotel in Mysore. This trip is covered in this travelogue.

Sharing a few car pictures from that drive here:

My car with RSUDARSANAN's 320d and robimahanta's M340i, parked at our resort on the banks of Kaveri River at Srirangapatna:



A group photo of our convoy this weekend:



Parting shot with graaja's 3GT:



And finally, one photo of my car at Lalith Mahal Palace hotel:

[Dr.AD]

Drive to Bijapur

Last weekend I did a solo drive to Bijapur. Why Bijapur? Because I wanted to explore something different than the usual hills and nature resorts and coastal drives that I had been doing over last few months. I wanted to enjoy the fast, flat highways (a change from the hilly roads), and explore the historic monuments and architecture at Bijapur.

Although it was a solo drive, robimahanta joined me only for a short Saturday morning breakfast drive and then he returned back to Bangalore and I continued to Bijapur. We took a detour to visit Devarayanadurga that morning, before we continued on to our separate weekend plans that weekend.

Here are a few car photos from that drive.

With robimahanta's M340i at Devarayanadurga:












A solo shot at Devarayanadurga



After I continued by solo drive to Bijapur, at Hampi Expressway (NH50)



Driving by Tungabhadra Dam near Hospet:


From Tumkur to Bijapur the roads are great (as you can see from the above picture of NH50), and the drive was quite fast. It took just about 5 hours of driving time to cover this stretch both ways. However, I got stuck in heavy traffic from Tumkur to my home in Bangalore (typical Sunday evening returning traffic), and then I got stuck at a traffic jam in Hosur road too. But ignoring the time spent to and from Tumkur, the rest of the drive was fast and totally enjoyable. These are some of the best roads to enjoy a fast sedan! The car behaved quite well, and I totally enjoyed the ride and handling of this car in this drive. Just the perfect car for such fast highway drives.

Overall trip stats for the return leg:


For architectural photos and more details, please check out my detailed travelogue on this drive that I just wrote.