[dash2385]

Originally Posted by Tanmay_868

So which car did you final on?
Also can you please mention how much discount Volvo dealer is offering.

I postponed my purchase as there was no car that I felt I did not have to compromise on in some way. Hence instead of replacing my 2nd car I have for the time being decided to replace my 3rd car with a Toyota Hyryder or Honda City Hybrid.

Volvo did not offer any discounts, same for Merc and BMW. Some discounts are available for BMW 330 Li.

[Montee35]

Hello everyone!

Was in identical dilemma, looking out for a luxury 5 seater. My requirements included space (including adequate boot space), comfort, luxury and driving pleasure. No preference regarding SUV vs Sedan. Took multiple test drives. None of the SUVs appealed to anyone in the family. Final choice was between E class vs 6GT. The former, although ultra comfortable in rear seats and also more premium looking, lacked usable boot space and was also dull to drive. 6GT fulfilled most of my requirements. Even 3rd passenger fit in rear row appeared better than in E class. Finally booked a 630i Jahre edition. Conventional 630i lacks following features that Jahre has: comfort access, soft door closure, laser headlights. But still lacks 360-degree camera, which I thought is essential in a car this sized. 630d, although any day more powerful and more equipped, was too much of a stretch on budget.

Can anyone please suggest whether retrofitting of 360-degree camera is at all a sane idea?

[dash2385]

An update here. Finally decided to go for two separate vehicles for work and highway trips - XUV700 and 630i MSport for Personal and holiday drives.

There are three issues with the 630i:
1. Test Drive is not available (Dealer has suggested to do the booking and he will arrange a TD before delivery)
2. Fuel economy - A friend has suggested the average could be as low as 5 or 6, while this is not the most important point, it is concerning. Can any existing owners of 630i please confirm what is the FE they receive in city traffic.
3. Delivery & price hike - Have been told delivery is likely to be in November and there might be a price hike.

Any information/suggestion on the above will be immensely helpful.

[vignesh.cv]

Originally Posted by dash2385

There are three issues with the 630i:
1. Test Drive is not available (Dealer has suggested to do the booking and he will arrange a TD before delivery)

Booking a car and then doing a TD? Sorry, don't understand this. You'll be test-driving the car for the rest of your ownership, no?

Originally Posted by dash2385

2. Fuel economy - A friend has suggested the average could be as low as 5 or 6, while this is not the most important point, it is concerning. Can any existing owners of 630i please confirm what is the FE they receive in city traffic.

While I don't own one, I can guess a combination of a close to 2-tonne vehicle and turbo petrol motor will give you mileage in single digits within city limits. On my 2-liter turbo diesel Laura, I sometimes get single-digit figures in slow-moving Bangalore traffic, which changes to 2 digits only when the traffic is moving a bit.

[dash2385]

Originally Posted by vignesh.cv

Booking a car and then doing a TD? Sorry, don't understand this. You'll be test-driving the car for the rest of your ownership, no?


While I don't own one, I can guess a combination of a close to 2-tonne vehicle and turbo petrol motor will give you mileage in single digits within city limits. On my 2-liter turbo diesel Laura, I sometimes get single-digit figures in slow-moving Bangalore traffic, which changes to 2 digits only when the traffic is moving a bit.

For the 630i there are no Demo cars available for TD. I am quite convinced regarding the purchase unless something dramatically is not up to expectations. Hence have gone ahead and booked the car. The Dealer will arrange a TD before booking. If I do not go ahead with the purchase they will refund the booking amount.

[vignesh.cv]

Originally Posted by dash2385

For the 630i there are no Demo cars available for TD. I am quite convinced regarding the purchase unless something dramatically is not up to expectations. Hence have gone ahead and booked the car. The Dealer will arrange a TD before booking. If I do not go ahead with the purchase they will refund the booking amount.

Fair enough the terms and condition of the booking is what I was worried about.

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by dash2385

There are three issues with the 630i:
1. Test Drive is not available (Dealer has suggested to do the booking and he will arrange a TD before delivery)
2. Fuel economy - A friend has suggested the average could be as low as 5 or 6, while this is not the most important point, it is concerning. Can any existing owners of 630i please confirm what is the FE they receive in city traffic.

1. Even if he's not able to arrange a test drive, can always check out a pre-owned example to get a true idea of how the car will age and perform.

2. Not a 630i owner - but Mumbai traffic being what it is, it is very likely. Our Corolla gives 8-8.5kmpl, and our 328i would hover in the 6.5-7kmpl for pure city driving. Don't expect the 630i to be much better given the added weight, etc. On the highways however, with relaxed right foot - double digits are easily possible.

[Bluebeem]

Originally Posted by muditchawla

Thank you for sharing your views fellow BHPians. I am in the same boat and currently grappling with the decision to go for X3 or XC60. For me going for a SUV is a clear preference over a Sedan. After having driven GLC, Q5, X3 and XC60 it’s a closer call between XC60 and X3 M sport 30i - a call that I am unable to make for many days.

This being my first luxury segment car, I am struggling to come to terms with going for anything other than a Bimmer as like many folks dreaming of owning a German I too am unable to comprehend owning something else (it seems more like heart over mind).

However, I would be lying if I say that I didn’t like XC60. The interiors, the nappa leather seats, the sweet and amazing sound of the B&W system, the massage seats and the safety features that are not even present in the segment above on Germans is making my decision tough.

The sheer joy I experienced driving a X3 was somehow missing in any other car I drove. The suspensions on the MSport with adaptive dampeners were pretty good too. That one feeling is constantly stopping me to go ahead with the XC60. While XC60 was great, the low speed ride and the lack of a Sports mode made me wonder if it’s really worth moving up several notches above my Creta and still don’t experience that feeling of out n out Joy?

Currently with almost no discounts on either I am also wondering if X3 is worth shelling close to 80L including the BRI and BSI packages? The last I went scouting for a deal just before Covid struck it was costing around 62L and I am unable to comprehend that 18L increase over 2 years!! 8L discount vs 1.25 L now is certainly not making great sense. RFTs as you all rightly pointed out are another cause of concern as the current size on X3 245/50/R19 is not available on tubeless easily and even if available would cost another lac to upgrade and RFTs may not fetch any real value due to its “reputation”.

XC60 with 235/55/R19 Pirelli tubeless seems like a far better deal and will not give sleepless nights when out on longish drives.

Finally resale is another aspect that worries me. So far I have always believed that a Bimmer will always fetch far better value and demand in secondary market than a Volvo. However, @bluebeem’s personal experience of getting a better value for a Volvo is very reassuring and makes me wonder if I should simply go with XC60.

XC60 is almost costing 5L cheaper with the service and extended warranty and closing in at 75L in Gurugram compared to X3 touching 80L.

It’s just about listening to your mind (Volvo) iver heart (BMW) or is it still the heart’s call??

Any enlightenment will greatly help friends!

Consider 2 things when you think resale.
Desirability
Usability

Now a mix of the 2 will fetch insane resale values - For example LC/G Class, GLS, BMW X5 & X7. An S class while highly desirable is doomed with the deepest depreciation numbers in the industry because its not usable across states/hills/floods etc.

Have you ever seen an ultra low mileage land cruiser/Innova for sale ? I think not. Have you ever seen an ultra Low mileage Volvo XC60/90 for sale? I think not. Lets safely presume for a minute that people who own these do not want to sell these because they have no reason to.

Have you ever seen an ultra low mileage BMW 6 series/X3 for sale. Lets just say you'll see many more of these on the second hand market compared to Land Cruisers/Innovas/Volvo SUVs etc.

Consider the flip side. I have almost never seen a 6 Series/5 Series/X3 on the second hand market with more than 50,000 Km on the ODO. Most of those available are in the region of 20-35k. That's because these cars never end up being the cross country driving pleasure machines that we initially bought them for. The owners end up giving up. If I've bought my dream car, I wanna take it everywhere.

Now think what is going through the owners head who's willing to sell his new car at a heavy depreciation within a few months of buying his dream car in the first place. Why is almost nobody driving these for 80k-1L km?

Consider this : You will always get a much heavier resale value for an SUV with the same sticker price and same mileage Vs a Sedan.

Lastly - After my own experience of owning everything other than an Audi in the last 10 Years, I can say this very confidently. In the second hand market amongst europeans, Only Mercedes commands. Everybody else is a distant second, be it BMW, Volvo or Audi. Somehow The level of disirability that the Mercedes Star has in tier 3-4 Towns (Or people who are from these places but now live in the big city) where most of these resale cars end up is not even close to the others.

The Volvo has high Spare Costs but its built like a tank. So you won't need many spares. Ive never needed any repair/updation in the 1.2 Lac KM that I've driven it. My BMW 3 series started troubling me for very little things like sensors etc after it crossed 50k KM. The volvo has been abused in ways you would not imagine in the 4 years Ive had it. The BMW 3 series was kept like my baby. Never once did I let anybody touch it.

I've Owned an Innova Crysta for 5 years. its done 1.2L KM. I've owned an XC60 for 4 years and its done 1.2L Km. That should tell you which out of these 2 is more useable.

Having said all of the above. If it's your first big car, always go with you heart. Try and keep that car as long as you can, even If you don't need it anymore. Coz you will never feel the same way about any subsequent cars that you buy. My first car was a Bmw. My Second one was a faster more impractical BMW. I bought a volvo only after i had had my share of exciting driving for a few years. I ended up selling my BMWs a couple of years after I bought the Volvo, because I almost never used the BMWs for practical reasons. Selling the 530d is the only thing I regret about owning the BMWs.

My father always says that if you want to consider practicality/resale, buy a crysta or a scorpio or something. If you're buying a car for 70-80L its only to finally realise your dream. So buy what your heart says, Everything else is just details.

[AIDROOS]

W206, practical, comfortable, logical, and design ages well (historically speaking).

Your point about comfort for 5, is only available in V class. Even a Sonder Klasse, A7, S90, 7 series, XJ, Arnage (old), or a Phantom offer comfort to only 4 occupants, in reality to only 1 rear opposing driver passenger with full reclining seat.

How you define comfort in entry level luxury is up to you and your remaining 4 occupants. Try out all sedans and SUVs to compare and make your purchase.