[jacobvarughese]

Many thanks all- I have changed my mind, and would now stick only to brand new vehicles in the luxury realm.

These are the options I have narrowed down to:

a. Mercedes Benz CLA Style CDI- getting it at 30 lakhs ex-showroom (awaiting further discounts). OTR- circa 37 lakhs
b. BMW X1 sDrive 20d Expedition- similar price (30 lakhs), OTR- circa 37 lakhs
c. Mercedes Benz GLA Style- at 31 lakhs ex-showroom, and complimentary insurance for a year. OTR- circa 37 lakhs
d. BMW 320i Prestige- 32 lakhs ex-showroom price, with OTR of 39 lakhs

Please take note Audi hasn't been giving promising offers thus far for 2016 models (Audi A3 begins north of 30 lakhs).

Welcome your thoughts and suggestions on the aforesaid- I need to sell my XUV to go for one of these vehicles, and either BMW/Mercedes Benz has to agreed to purchase it.

Thanks much in advance.

[Sahil]

Jacob - I am in exactly the same boat as you. Test drove all the above options to get for my sister. I personally liked the BMW 3 series prestige the best of the lot as it is well priced, well discounts and well loaded. I would recommend you go for this model, you should get it for the same price as the CLA style if you push hard. Also you should be able to get the CLA200 petrol sport for a similar price ex-showroom.

Although I am going to have to with my sisters choice and freeze on the CLA200 Petrol sport, if it were left to me I would get the 320d prestige.

[jacobvarughese]

Originally Posted by Sahil

Jacob - I am in exactly the same boat as you. Test drove all the above options to get for my sister. I personally liked the BMW 3 series prestige the best of the lot as it is well priced, well discounts and well loaded. I would recommend you go for this model, you should get it for the same price as the CLA style if you push hard. Also you should be able to get the CLA200 petrol sport for a similar price ex-showroom.

Although I am going to have to with my sisters choice and freeze on the CLA200 Petrol sport, if it were left to me I would get the 320d prestige.

Many thanks Sanil- a couple of factors against my choice of 320i prestige is the low ground clearance, prone to hydrostatic locks(as you're aware most roads in Kerala get waterlogged 80% of the time), runflat tires, and lack of Bluetooth or reverse camera capabilities

Re: reducing prices, my guys aren't budging at all- they stated I could get more if I were a doctor or an advocate(apparently several discounts for these professions)

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by jacobvarughese

Many thanks Sanil- a couple of factors against my choice of 320i prestige is the low ground clearance, prone to hydrostatic locks(as you're aware most roads in Kerala get waterlogged 80% of the time), runflat tires, and lack of Bluetooth or reverse camera capabilities

Re: reducing prices, my guys aren't budging at all- they stated I could get more if I were a doctor or an advocate(apparently several discounts for these professions)

I would recommend the 320d. I doubt the ground clearance of the CLA is more than the 3 series.

I have always switched from runflats to tubeless next day after delivery but in the Prestige 3 series I was surprised how comfortable they were.

Bluetooth with audio streaming is standard on the prestige model. No reverse camera and no front parking sensor, but these shouldn't be a deal breaker really.

[jacobvarughese]

Originally Posted by Sahil

I would recommend the 320d. I doubt the ground clearance of the CLA is more than the 3 series.

I have always switched from runflats to tubeless next day after delivery but in the Prestige 3 series I was surprised how comfortable they were.

Bluetooth with audio streaming is standard on the prestige model. No reverse camera and no front parking sensor, but these shouldn't be a deal breaker really.

I just confirmed on their website and the sales personnel that Bluetooth doesn't come as a standard item on the prestige model.

Here is the link to their brochure :

http://www.bmw.in/content/dam/bmw/ma...es_Petrol_.pdf

[Fstlndrive]

Originally Posted by jacobvarughese

I just confirmed on their website and the sales personnel that Bluetooth doesn't come as a standard item on the prestige model.

Here is the link to their brochure :

http://www.bmw.in/content/dam/bmw/ma...es_Petrol_.pdf

Sahil is talking about 320d and you are talking about 320i. Both of you are correct. 320i also does not come with the spare wheel, but you can negotiate for free. Bluetooth module cannot be retrofitted in 320i prestige by BMW India.
My Honda city scraps the speed bumps, not the BMW 320i, may be due to the suspension.
Also, the launch price of BMW 320i prestige is 29.9 lakhs in Delhi NCR. Please verify the price in Kerala with some other dealer also.

[pganapathy]

@jacobvarughese - have you considered going with the D segment cars which are similar or probably better in comfort levels but have price tags considerably lower than the holy trinity. Depending on service where you are, cars like the Skoda Superb, Hyundai Sonata, Toyota Camry etc. fulfill all the criteria except badge and image

[Abhi_Automobile]

Originally Posted by Fstlndrive

Sahil is talking about 320d and you are talking about 320i. Both of you are correct. 320i also does not come with the spare wheel, but you can negotiate for free. Bluetooth module cannot be retrofitted in 320i prestige by BMW India.
My Honda city scraps the speed bumps, not the BMW 320i, may be due to the suspension.
Also, the launch price of BMW 320i prestige is 29.9 lakhs in Delhi NCR. Please verify the price in Kerala with some other dealer also.

I thought that the launch price of 320i was 36.9 all across India. And dealers had unofficially started dolling out discounts (I presume by lowering the ex-showroom price) since the sales are very poor. AKAIK dealers were marking this as 'Special price' of some sort. If this is the official price, why is it not well publicised? Is it BMW itself who has lowered the price? It's abot of circus with this one - each state bloke giving his own version of ex-showroom price

Whatever be the case, you got a super deal. Now, what's holding your ownership thread dude?


I personally think there is even more juice to be had on these ones. Wait till the year end and in case they have any more units left..then it is Christmas and new year at the same time for potential buyers

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by Abhi_Automobile

I thought that the launch price of 320i was 36.9 all across India. And dealers had unofficially started dolling out discounts (I presume by lowering the ex-showroom price) since the sales are very poor.

The 328i was the top end petrol motor and that was launched at 37L ex-showroom. The 320i was launched later as a separate model at a launch price of under 30L ex-showroom.

See the price table from the official F30 review.

Originally Posted by jacobvarughese

Many thanks Sanil- a couple of factors against my choice of 320i prestige is the low ground clearance, prone to hydrostatic locks(as you're aware most roads in Kerala get waterlogged 80% of the time), runflat tires, and lack of Bluetooth or reverse camera capabilities

Almost all the luxury German cars are prone for hydrostatic locking and have a very negligible tolerance for water logged roads. So if you plan to drive them through that then you are better off buying something else.

The current 320d prestige edition (base edition) also comes with Bluetooth music streaming now (it earlier had only bluetooth call facility). So are you sure that they didn't make the same change to the 320i?

[Abhi_Automobile]

[quote=drmohitg;4029056]The 328i was the top end petrol motor and that was launched at 37L ex-showroom. The 320i was launched later as a separate model at a launch price of under 30L ex-showroom.

See the price table from the official F30 review.
Attachment 1538409

But, this is the price list from the launch, which happened way back in 2012. The prices list from BMW website (for the May, 2016 launch of 320i)says 36.9: http://www.bmw.in/content/dam/bmw/ma...ice%20List.pdf

The reason I am being particular about the official price thing is simple. If the official price itself is 2x.x, it leaves a lot more scope to negotiate with the dealer v/s if the price is 36.9. If BWM itself prices a model at the lower end of price spectrum, it takes most of the price hit, not the dealer. Deep discounting eats dealer's margin as well as manufacturer's.

Its a comedy of errors though

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by Abhi_Automobile

The reason I am being particular about the official price thing is simple. If the official price itself is 2x.x, it leaves a lot more scope to negotiate with the dealer v/s if the price is 36.9. If BWM itself prices a model at the lower end of price spectrum, it takes most of the price hit, not the dealer. Deep discounting eats dealer's margin as well as manufacturer's.

Its a comedy of errors though

My bad. But the current ex-showroom for the 320i has to be around the 35L mark only. The 320d base model was priced at around 36L ex-showroom. This was for the pre-facelift version. The new post face-list version would have possibly seen a slightly higher price tag than that.

[Fstlndrive]

Originally Posted by Abhi_Automobile

I thought that the launch price of 320i was 36.9 all across India. And dealers had unofficially started dolling out discounts (I presume by lowering the ex-showroom price) since the sales are very poor. AKAIK dealers were marking this as 'Special price' of some sort.

Since the dealers could not sell these imported cars in good numbers, in July they started giving the discounts in the name of special launch price, special discounts, etc. (What you had mentioned is correct) Hence, the name or the amount of discount may vary city to city. Thats what I had mentioned in my post to check with another dealer. The official launch price is 36.9 lakhs.

[jacobvarughese]

Thanks guys- what's your take on the new X1 base model(the expedition one) vs CLA 200 CDI Style? The CLA is almost a lakh costlier than the new X1(30 lakhs). I have a family of 4 with 2 small kids and sometimes venture out on long drives.
Re:320i, I spoke to 2 BMW dealers in Kerala where one gives me at 32 lakhs whilst the other at 33.

[zulfi hansi]

Originally Posted by jacobvarughese

Thanks guys- what's your take on the new X1 base model(the expedition one) vs CLA 200 CDI Style? The CLA is almost a lakh costlier than the new X1(30 lakhs). I have a family of 4 with 2 small kids and sometimes venture out on long drives.
Re:320i, I spoke to 2 BMW dealers in Kerala where one gives me at 32 lakhs whilst the other at 33.

Both are not suitable for a family of 4+2. Both are in completely different segment, and have very different qualities. You know your usage better. One is a low slung sedan and the other is a crossover. If you really want entry to the badges I suggest you look at 3 year old ML or X5 and in your budget you will get excellent low run examples.

[jacobvarughese]

Thanks Zulfi- just to be clear, My family is a total of 4 members(with 2 small children). I'm also not that keen on used cars as I had a sub-optimal experience with a Bimmer 320d.