[Vid6639]

BMW was supposed to launch a stripped down petrol named the 320i. http://www.autocarindia.com/News/323...l-variant.aspx

The engine is the same but output is down to 181BHP. You still get teh brilliant ZF8 transmission.

Try and find out more details on the 320i launch. Might be the best option you have.

[sameerg001]

My suggestion for you would be the A4, Since you already own a passat, Superb won't appeal you much. While with the A4, you get class leading interiors, Good rear seat comfort, Awesome engine and not to forget the snob value of an Audi.

Test drive each of your option and then take a call

Good luck.

Cheers,
Sameer

[spinfreak]

Dude, I TD an Accord V6 back in 2011 and it was the best I thought that sort of money could get! I wonder if you will be able to get a TD now, but do consider that! Esp. a TD if not buying! It's a rocket! 240 odd horses, Acres of rear leg room, sun-roof but not German.

1. The ex-showroom for the car CANNOT be more than 25-27 Lacs.

2. The car will be driven by driver bhaiyya, dad or mom in the back seat ~ 85% of the times. The rest 15% will be with yours truly testing driving skills. Point being, the car needs to be a comfortable back-seater (if not a luxo-barge)

3. Dad doesn't like cars where you need to have spare ladder in the boot. Thanks to his age and taste, he has drifted away from being seen struggling to get into his own car.

4. Mom wants a sunroof!

[599gto]

Originally Posted by spinfreak

Dude, I TD an Accord V6 back in 2011 and it was the best I thought that sort of money could get! I wonder if you will be able to get a TD now, but do consider that! Esp. a TD if not buying! It's a rocket! 240 odd horses, Acres of rear leg room, sun-roof but not German.

AFAIK the Accord V6 makes 275 PS or 271 bhp of power, have never driven the V6 but IIRC the 2.4 litre's handling is nothing to write about, I am sure its nowhere close to the way the europeans handle!
But comfor, yes, the Accord is a brilliant car to be driven around in!
If i had that much cash I would buy a Merc C, because the BMW 3, no matter however brilliant it is, looks overpriced to me!

[Omtoatom]

Originally Posted by methecupid

A4 - But it also reminds me of my mechanic when i was in the States; Joe said "Don't be caught dead driving the 1.8T on the Audi". Let's face it (no offence) Audis are not really known for its reliability.

Slightly OT: Strange coincidence but my car mechanic while I was in the US was also a guy named Joe. Gotta say, one heck of a guy. Scarily talented and knowledgeable. I know this is a long shot but where in the US was this?

[methecupid]

Originally Posted by Omtoatom

Slightly OT: Strange coincidence but my car mechanic while I was in the US was also a guy named Joe. Gotta say, one heck of a guy. Scarily talented and knowledgeable. I know this is a long shot but where in the US was this?

Was in Ohio bud. But ya, wouldn't be surprised if Joe's across the US would be petrified of the 1.8 on VW/Audi

[spinfreak]

Originally Posted by 599gto

AFAIK the Accord V6 makes 275 PS or 271 bhp of power, have never driven the V6 but IIRC the 2.4 litre's handling is nothing to write about, I am sure its nowhere close to the way the europeans handle!
But comfor, yes, the Accord is a brilliant car to be driven around in!
If i had that much cash I would buy a Merc C, because the BMW 3, no matter however brilliant it is, looks overpriced to me!

merc.c back seat has as much space as a corolla. see the back seat of Accord it's comparable to e class - they've same space on offer

V6 was a great handler, probably wider tires than the I4 accord. the ease that engine pulled at the press of the throttle, confidence inspiring stability at even 170 odd kmph - i still remember gooseflesh. the earlier 320d and c class were nowhere near as good. my ex-boss bought the V6 after that drive. he still owns it and is one happy nutcase in a V6 - recently was joking for CNG conversion, claims a mileage of 6 kmpl is poor for a v6 lol. i reiterate Rear space and comfort really matches E class.

But it's a sleeper car, the trinity - a star or 4 loops or beemer logo shall attract more attention even if it's less powerful and less spacious in the rear.

[sandeep108]

I am also in a similar dilemma, upgrading from my civic. Since it is for your parents and mostly 2 of them at the rear, in my view the C makes the most sense. The ride quality is the best and there is generally enough room. Also it has a lot more bells and whistles than the cheapest 3 - 320i. The new 3 actually is now a bigger car than the C. The VWs/Skodas/Audis are basically quite similar and since you already own them, a 3 or C would give you a great 'uplifted' brand as it were.

I actually found the C to be the most value for money luxury and a very decent allrounder as compared to the others. As others have said the B class is also very nice, but maybe your parents may not like an MPV type of vehicle.

I am still hung up on the 328i (or bust - will keep driving my old civic) waiting for some reasonableness to the mad pricing and of course none seem to be available. I was considering the mini but the hard ride and my poor back will simply not dance together. Alternately the 250D with the new 7 speed (500 nm of torque!!!) is also quite tempting. If I can get a good discount and dispense with the AMG bits and pieces...

Audi just advertised 32L OTR for the A4 and 42 for the A6.

A friend who is also looking to buy the A6 or 5 was also pretty disappointed in both since he was looking for rear seat comfort (family of 4 with driver) and said he was so spoilt by his Honda CRV (running well for >5 years) in terms of ride and space, he was wondering whether he should even bother.

[imp!]

Originally Posted by Omtoatom

Yup you're absolutely right. The Ultimat3 reverses the trend of diesels being more expensive than their petrol counterparts. IIRC, only the Luxury Plus is dearer than the F30's petrol offering.

Anyway a brand new 328i will come to about 45-48 Lacs OTR in the island city depending on what discounts you manage to extract and where you get the car registered. However I can tell you that there isn't much discount going up front on the 328i. You'll have to bargain real hard. Right now, BMW is quite happy to sit back and let the 320d do the talking for the F30.

What's your OTR cap?

Hmm then a couple of acquaintances must have gotten great deals here. Must be the effect of higher end cars being more difficult to sell in Bangalore versus Delhi, Bombay or Kerala. Income levels in Bangalore are significantly lesser than those cities/states. The dealer must have needed to get rid of stock for logistics purposes. Or just wanted to meet certain numbers before the end of the year.

If the OP can hold out for the 320i, it should be way more fun the drive than the A4.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by spinfreak

V6 was a great handler, probably wider tires than the I4 accord. the ease that engine pulled at the press of the throttle, confidence inspiring stability at even 170 odd kmph - i still remember gooseflesh. the earlier 320d and c class were nowhere near as good. my ex-boss bought the V6 after that drive. he still owns it and is one happy nutcase in a V6 - recently was joking for CNG conversion, claims a mileage of 6 kmpl is poor for a v6 lol. i reiterate Rear space and comfort really matches E class.

But it's a sleeper car, the trinity - a star or 4 loops or beemer logo shall attract more attention even if it's less powerful and less spacious in the rear.

Any Accord, V6 or not is not a great handler by any means. Yes the engine has power, and it is refined. But not comparable as an overall car to these Euro cars. You took the Accord upto 170kmph, if you had to slam on the brakes in that, compared to a Euro car you would've seen the difference.

Sleeper car it is, hell my V6 still manages to surprise me. But its not worth the price at all, and the present Accord doesn't feel much more powerful or any better than the previous one.

Originally Posted by sandeep108

I am still hung up on the 328i (or bust - will keep driving my old civic) waiting for some reasonableness to the mad pricing and of course none seem to be available. I was considering the mini but the hard ride and my poor back will simply not dance together. Alternately the 250D with the new 7 speed (500 nm of torque!!!) is also quite tempting. If I can get a good discount and dispense with the AMG bits and pieces...

328s should be available in a month or two when the new kits get imported. Its a great choice. The c250 cdi with the AMG bits is again brilliant, the only car in this segment with an adjustable suspension.

Originally Posted by imp!

If the OP can hold out for the 320i, it should be way more fun the drive than the A4.

Why 320i or 320d base? Both of these are missing on quite a few features, like real leather, xenon lights, corona rings ( A Bimmer without coronas), hifi stereo, sunroof. He would be buying the car just for the sake of the badge, and the backseat isn't that great either. Rather get a Superb or a Passat.

[46TheDoctor]

Given your requirements, I suggest you to buy Nissan Teana if:
1. Petrol running costs is not a concern
2. You intend to keep the car for a long time period, say 5+ yrs, as the resale value is dismal.

Otherwise, Skoda Superb diesel DSG. Just buy all the warranties, shield, etc. and bargain hard for discounts.

[imp!]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

Any Accord, V6 or not is not a great handler by any means. Yes the engine has power, and it is refined. But not comparable as an overall car to these Euro cars. You took the Accord upto 170kmph, if you had to slam on the brakes in that, compared to a Euro car you would've seen the difference.

Sleeper car it is, hell my V6 still manages to surprise me. But its not worth the price at all, and the present Accord doesn't feel much more powerful or any better than the previous one.

328s should be available in a month or two when the new kits get imported. Its a great choice. The c250 cdi with the AMG bits is again brilliant, the only car in this segment with an adjustable suspension.

Why 320i or 320d base? Both of these are missing on quite a few features, like real leather, xenon lights, corona rings ( A Bimmer without coronas), hifi stereo, sunroof. He would be buying the car just for the sake of the badge, and the backseat isn't that great either. Rather get a Superb or a Passat.

I agree about the accord. 328s are around already. Yes there are features missing when compared to the Superb or Passat, but the OP has a Passat and he's only interested in the diesel superb which is not worth the 6 lac premium over the petrol superb, you don't get any additional kit with it. He could of course consider the V6 superb which IMO is a better buy than the diesel superb unless you are running 3000-4000 Kms a month. Bookings for the 328s are open. Dunno about delivery dates though.

The 320d or 320i is not about features so much as it is about driving experience. That is the only reason to consider it. The A4,C class donor offer anything over the Superb/Passat except for the badge. The bimmer offers a driving experience that is par excellence. The F30 may not be as revolutionary of a drive experience as the E30 and E36 but it still drives like a dream. I would love for BMW to go back to the leaner meaner machines of the late 80s and early 90s but the only car they do have that is like that is the 1 series, and there is little hope of getting one of those in India for quite a while.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by imp!

I agree about the accord. 328s are around already. Yes there are features missing when compared to the Superb or Passat, but the OP has a Passat and he's only interested in the diesel superb which is not worth the 6 lac premium over the petrol superb, you don't get any additional kit with it. He could of course consider the V6 superb which IMO is a better buy than the diesel superb unless you are running 3000-4000 Kms a month. Bookings for the 328s are open. Dunno about delivery dates though.

The 320d or 320i is not about features so much as it is about driving experience. That is the only reason to consider it. The A4,C class donor offer anything over the Superb/Passat except for the badge. The bimmer offers a driving experience that is par excellence. The F30 may not be as revolutionary of a drive experience as the E30 and E36 but it still drives like a dream. I would love for BMW to go back to the leaner meaner machines of the late 80s and early 90s but the only car they do have that is like that is the 1 series, and there is little hope of getting one of those in India for quite a while.

He hasn't mentioned which Passat, if its the old one then looking at the new one may make sense. The V6 Superb is discontinued. 328s will only be delivered once the kits come in Jan and are assembled here.

My friend when the usage of the car is 85% in the back seat, driving experience should not really be a criteria. And the F30 is certainly not par excellence, it is pretty good though. But just for that I don't see the point in compromising on the back seat that much for the 15% of the time spent self driven. That too for a basic car without something like xenon lights. The Superb and Passat back seats are good, while the 3 and C and A4 are acceptable but certainly not comfortable.

Also the 1 series will be here next year.

[methecupid]

Just to clear the weather, we have the older gen Passat, hence the new one could be considered. Having said that am sure that will mean we need to dispose that off too. Just a personal view that having the same dynamics doesn't work all that well.

Had the opportunity to check out the new C again this weekend, must say the 'feel' of the car is a league ahead of the Audi A4 (again a personal view). To add to it, it does have the latest 7G transmission to tap the 180 odd horse power under the hood.

Maybe the next weekend a tryst with the new 3 and Superb will clear the air further.

As for the Accord, frankly not comfortable with the fact that Honda has not done much to revive its flagship inspite of the appalling sales figures. I remember drooling over the shape and drivability of the earlier generation. Any news of Honda looking to get the Acura to India anytime soon? That could definitely be a game changer.

[VW2010]

Maybe the next weekend a tryst with the new 3 and Superb will clear the air further.

The 3 and superb will give more car for money. The C class is the car you want post the 3 and superb for its just a Merc in the first place

If you can afford the C class, go for it

A superb is great but still its not a Merc to me.