5th March 2010, 01:05
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| Senior - BHPian  | BMW 320d : The Expression of Joy JOY. That’s who we answer to. JOY is youthful. JOY inspires works of art. It is collectible, and shapes the future. JOY has a fan club… and it’s contagious! JOY is efficient… dynamic… and unstoppable. What you make people feel, is just as important as what you make. But what does Joy mean to me? The feeling of contentment, the feeling of satisfaction, the feeling of being in possession of – no, in companionship – with something that promises to streak a smile across your face with every passing moment spent together, and the agony of every moment apart. Joy is the expression of the moment that overpowers and overwhelms your senses when you witness, in the flesh, your first Ultimate Driving Machine for the first time ever… and then over and over again, every single morning that it greets you. Joy is the inviting and cosseting fragrance of the interior, the confident, extrovert exterior, and everything between. Joy is the sensation of touch, every instance of which is rewarding in itself. Joy is the ultimate expression. And BMW… makes JOY.  I have attempted to create a list of what the ’10 CorpEd excludes from the Highline’s equipment list : Fully electric seats (the CE’s seats are semi-electric. Seat travel is manual, recline / height / lumbar is electric) Dakota leather seats (There is leather though! Is Dakota a grade? Equivalent to Nappa?) Sunroof iDrive + Bluetooth Bi-xenon Headlamps Wood trim in interior 6-CD changer in the boot and USB (CE gets single-CD in-dash player with aux-in, no USB) Options of interior upholstery (only black / beige available, no oyster / grey / saddle brown) 17” rims (16” standard, IMO these look better than the 17” Highline rims, though the 17” 325i rims are great) That’s a LOT of equipment, I agree, but comparing ex-showroom prices, the CE is a full 10L less than the Highline. Also, most of the above are options that can be opted for, albeit expensive ones. If you’re going to be ticking 3-4 items on the options list, you might as well just get the Highline since it’ll be within sniffing distance with the current discounts going on. And I expect the discounts to go on for the next year because the E90 is in the last ~1.5 years of its product life cycle. OTOH, if you’re fixated with the equipment list and can’t / don’t want to reach out for the Highline, a couple of good options are the Passat / Superb. A.S.S. at your own risk, though. So the why go with the 320d CE ? Several reasons. Ridiculous, and I mean ridiculous power. You are driving one of the most accomplished, rewarding and perfect sports sedans created, and you will be left in no doubt of this fact. And yet, logic-defying economy. The Corolla has clocked 120,000+ km in five years. Read diesel economy, and eventually, better resale. For more, read a great post by GTO. Electronickery or not, the 320d will get you truckloads of brand value, snob value, attention, respect, whatchamaycallit (everyone’s perspective is different, hence pick the appropriate word). Our car is on the road a LOT. And *fingers crossed* quite prone to the occasional incident, as a result. Thinking about it sensibly, xenons are a lot more expensive to fix / replace that halogen lamps. Our Corolla’s had its fair share of coconuts in its illustrious career. Minor dentwork would hardly be a problem, but what about a smashed sunroof? The Bluetooth handsfree function failed to impress my dad, who is mostly chauffeur driven. And if he’s not complaining about the ride with the runflats, then why should I have a problem with it? He was happy with the rear legroom too, given that the previous car (Corolla) had the same dimensions both internally and externally. And that brings me to the biggest factor. The compact dimensions of the C / 3 made infinite sense for us, since most of the driving is within the city and in a lot of traffic. An upgrade without having to unnecessarily buy a big barge. Further, the price difference leaves enough spare change to replace one of the ageing cars in the near future. Somewhere in the back of your mind, there might be creeping thought about the equipment list and yada yada. Take my word for it, all that vaporizes faster than acetone the moment you first glide your eyes over the beautiful lines on your first BMW. And if there’s any miniscule strand of doubt left in your mind, just switch off the traction control, slot the gear shifter into DS and floor it. None of that equipment-list crap will be able to catch up with you then. Or ever. Obliterated. Finito. And at that definitive moment, you will know, without a doubt, why a BMW is a BMW is a BMW. But then a Merc is a Merc is a Merc, an Audi is an Audi is an Audi. Why BMW ? Looks, brand value, compact dimensions, great power coupled with good economy etc etc. But very important, in one word – BSI. Peace of mind. Critical deciding factor for my dad. Same reason why Skoda was ruled out, and the only reason my dad agreed to enter this segment instead of buying an Accord. Case closed. (In any case, TD’s were done. Merc’s interiors and rear failed to impress, while the Audi reliability and A.S.S. were in doubt. Larger car too, similar to the Passat in exterior dimensions). Last edited by GTO : 7th May 2012 at 09:54. Reason: As requested |
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5th March 2010, 01:52
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| Senior - BHPian  | |
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5th March 2010, 09:05
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| Senior - BHPian | Quote:
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5th March 2010, 09:31
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| Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Delhi
Posts: 4,890
Thanked: 8,101 Times
| Congratulations on your 330i  |
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5th March 2010, 09:36
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| Senior - BHPian | Quote:
 Please don't get offended, just kidding dude. It's a 320d. | |
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5th March 2010, 10:10
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| Senior - BHPian  | |
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5th March 2010, 10:19
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| Senior - BHPian  | Oho.... another beemer. Congrats dude. Now its your respo to post lots of pics of the beauty |
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5th March 2010, 10:31
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5th March 2010, 10:50
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| Senior - BHPian  Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Bangalore
Posts: 1,045
Thanked: 207 Times
| Congrats! I'll be hooked to this thread. After having driven it in the Swiss alps, this is the car I'd like to own. I don't know when though Is it a highline model? |
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5th March 2010, 11:07
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| Senior - BHPian  | |
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5th March 2010, 11:18
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| BHPian  Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: BOM | TLL
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5th March 2010, 11:44
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| BHPian  Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Bangalore
Posts: 36
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| Quote:
Last edited by FlyingSpur : 6th September 2010 at 22:02. Reason: Removing quoted video. Thanks. | |
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5th March 2010, 12:11
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| Senior - BHPian  | Well, BMW does make JOY. Congrats on the new acquisition. Nice teaser and waiting for more pics of JOY. |
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5th March 2010, 12:28
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5th March 2010, 13:46
| #15 |
| BHPian Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Calicut
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