[androdev]

Originally Posted by nitinmurali

Cons.
1. Service not inclusive and doesn't give peace of mind like BSI. (atleast not for 5 years )

If you do the math, BSI is no longer value for money, esp if you are not going to clock lot of miles. If you want a longer explanation, please PM me.

2. Built?? I might be extremely wrong. But I found BMW better built(?) especially the dash(don't know it was particular to that car)

Looks are subjective but BMW feels like a tank inside out. Mercedes is not far behind but BMW feels more solid inside out.

3. No reverse camera

Yes can be useful but mercedes parking sensors do a pretty good job.

4. BMW had better gear box

Entirely depends on the kind of traffic you deal with. Mercedes is better in slow city traffic. BMW is better if on open roads.

For family use, I would pick Mercedes. It is general all-rounder type of car. Looks pretty good too. For personal enthusiastic driving, I would pick the 5-series.

[nitinmurali]

Originally Posted by lalittalwar

do try the GT 320d. it is a lot of car for the money. compared to 520d
1. it has better rear leg room
2. better boot space
3. slightly softer ride, as it is taller and sprung softer that either 3 series or 5 series
4. other things are at par with 520d, in terms of gear box and seats
but, i read recently that BMW are going to start offering a space saver spare wheel with 3 series and 5 series. not sure if they will do so on the GT. also, it may feel like a downgrade on the badge; 3 v/s 5, and not sure about the discounts on GT.

The merc does have a more pliant and comfortable drive, and post the facelift, looks awesome, but as you mentioned, there are a couple of downsides in terms of service not being included.

The A6 is also better in terms of ride and the interior styling, but the gearbox is a CVT and also it is wider than the other two. on the other hand, you should be able to get substantial discounts on it.

GT is priced 52 lakhs in cochin not very sure of its value for money proposition. But will definitely check it out.
E250 cdi is available for 53.5 lakhs on road cochin(after discounts no exchange bonus available)
520d (modern line)around 55 lakhs( after discounts and before exchange bonus )
Both of them have some kind of IMA plan, offering discounts to doctors. Since the vehicle will be registered in my dad's name I won't get it.

Originally Posted by Turbanator

Most likely it will be due to RFT , I found appreciable difference in ride after switching over to regular Michelin .



It will be better than Audi for sure , Mercedes have some Star program where they commit close to 50 % at end of 3 or 4 year period - check with local dealership . If you have maintained car properly with not very high mileage expect about 40 % residual at end of 5 Year period .



Normally modern BMW's are quite reliable , you should not worry specially with BSI packs - they are giving 4 Year complimentary - have a look at post 4800 , do update thread with the best offer available at your place . There are few variants of BSI packs - I am not aware what is free with car . GT might have a lower resale besides in my opinion its little overprices if we compare with goodies they have given on 5 series even on 4 cylinder models .

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...deals-320.html

Thanks for the info. And will check out the offer.

Originally Posted by androdev

If you do the math, BSI is no longer value for money, esp if you are not going to clock lot of miles. If you want a longer explanation, please PM me.

Yes I have been thinking about it. Saw your earlier posts. And I am convinced that BSI is NOT value for money in my case. So is the mercedes service plan , as my running is only 20k a year.
What is your opinion on 1 year extended warranty?

Looks are subjective but BMW feels like a tank inside out. Mercedes is not far behind but BMW feels more solid inside out.

Were the initial CBUs' (E250 cdi 2013) better in fit and finish? I found my 2007 Skoda Octavia Elegance better in certain departments. Will the E class cause rattles in the long run?

Entirely depends on the kind of traffic you deal with. Mercedes is better in slow city traffic. BMW is better if on open roads.

For family use, I would pick Mercedes. It is general all-rounder type of car. Looks pretty good too. For personal enthusiastic driving, I would pick the 5-series.

Saw your video of your car during Ramzan. You are probably right.
I have one curious doubt. The E250 cdi moves slowly forward in D mode(D1) without pressing the accelerator and brake.
Is it normal? I don't have any experience with automatics and luxury cars, and its the first one we are going to buy.
Thanks guys for your replies.

[Turbanator]

If you do the math, BSI is no longer value for money, esp if you are not going to clock lot of miles.

If I recollect , BMW were not offering extended warranty without these plans previously & this was one of reasons to opt for BSI packs . Going by my personal experience I have been able to save much in service costs primarily due to Lower costs of BSI packages in Past . I am sure they must have increased costs of components & might be having higher costs to service the cars in India given condition of our Roads due to which they had to increase costs of BSI packs .

Money aside its more peace of mind that these BSI packs offers that I will always recommend to everyone . Many a times I have been able to burn my brake-pads of 530 in less than 10,000 Km & I continue to enjoy my spirited driving without any worries on costs involved .

[275BHP]

@nitinmurali- Having been in a similar position as you are currently, I can say that as far as service goes Platino Classic is not at all as good as Rajashree motors. Yes the sales guys may leave you with a totally different feeling but that's what they are trained to do. I ultimately went with the BMW just because the car was much more fun to drive (compared to the old gen merc). To stay safe (extended warranty) and in an attempt to reduce my interactions with the dealer I have purchased BSI. Please note that you CANNOT buy extended warranty as a stand alone package. Finally, I would strongly advice you to get a merc considering your priorities, the dealership in Kochi and the much better re sale value you can expect at the end of 5 years (the e class being the newest car currently). Anyway do keep us informed about your final decision

[androdev]

Originally Posted by nitinmurali

Yes I have been thinking about it. Saw your earlier posts. And I am convinced that BSI is NOT value for money in my case. So is the mercedes service plan , as my running is only 20k a year.
What is your opinion on 1 year extended warranty?


Were the initial CBUs' (E250 cdi 2013) better in fit and finish? I found my 2007 Skoda Octavia Elegance better in certain departments. Will the E class cause rattles in the long run?



Saw your video of your car during Ramzan. You are probably right.
I have one curious doubt. The E250 cdi moves slowly forward in D mode(D1) without pressing the accelerator and brake.
Is it normal? I don't have any experience with automatics and luxury cars, and its the first one we are going to buy.
Thanks guys for your replies.

Definitely go for 1yr ext warranty which in my opinion is an advantage of Mercedes compared to BMW where warranty is only possible if you buy their most expensive BSI package. I like warranty :-) because that's where things can really cost you for no fault of yours. Service costs are usage based so I am not that upset with those expenses. Mercedes warranty can be bought before standard warranty expires or some such policy, cheap and flexible when compared to BSI.

I like the BMW's build. Feels like it's carved from a single block of steel. You press any trim in the cabin, you get zero flex. Mercedes is more likely to develop rattles sooner compared to BMW. Interestingly I too owned a Laura and it shares a bit of BMW feel. Mercedes is more cosy and appeals to a broader customer base (think mom, dad, sister ) I also like the ergonomics of Mercedes.

Your experience with Mercedes AT is normal. It can slowly crawl (without A pedal) and come to stand still (without B pedal). It never ever jerks in a slow moving traffic. I am a huge fan of Mercedes transmission. I have been in crazy traffic jams in Bangalore and the transmission handles it really well. I suspect they make their own ATs to provide this exact characteristic. Of course, on open roads, BMW AT is amazing.

While the cost and other factors definitely matter, just pick something that you will enjoy everyday. At this budget, it is all 'feel-good-factor' and very little financial wisdom. No matter what you pick, you are looking at massive depreciation and high ownership costs :-)

Originally Posted by Turbanator

Money aside its more peace of mind that these BSI packs offers that I will always recommend to everyone . Many a times I have been able to burn my brake-pads of 530 in less than 10,000 Km & I continue to enjoy my spirited driving without any worries on costs involved .

I agree with your points and I don't mind buying BSI again in future but my local dealer messed up the experience for me. They cleaned and replaced the air filters, etc. during my first BSI service. I was really mad, but I was told that is the BMW standard procedure, etc. One advantage of BSI is that the dealer won't carry out all the unnecessary services to milk the customer. Our 5-series sees very little use so I sort of regret my BSI purchase, thankfully it wasn't crazy expensive back then.

[lalittalwar]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

They are offering space saver on GT , for 3 & 5 I am not sure - do update thread in case you are positive on this .

here's the link for the same http://www.team-bhp.com/news/bmw-3-a...ver-spare-tyre

[Turbanator]

Yes its included in 5 , just rechecked with Local Dealer . for GT its also included .

BSI / Low Interest EMI is only on 4 cylinder models , not on 530D

[lalittalwar]

Checked the 520d Luxury and GT 320d, which also comes in Luxury trim only. There is very little to differentiate the two in terms of specs, and there a couple of things which are equally desirable, at present only in one of them. e.g. 5 gets LED headlamps, but GT gets extendible spoiler!

And IMO, the GT looks much fresher that 5. But on looks alone, I would ditch both of them and go for the Merc. It's a stunner!

Btw, were you able to confirm from the dealer if BMW have made some space in the boot to hide the spare, or are they still strapping the spare in the boot, which eats up the boot space and looks ugly?

[Turbanator]

Checked the 520d Luxury and GT 320d, which also comes in Luxury trim only. There is very little to differentiate the two in terms of specs,

Did you not checked the info. display on 5 or have they started giving this on GT as well ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Qv4ZBZBZWU

BMW have made some space in the boot to hide the spare,

Nowhere in world BMW offers spare tires so no possibility of having any space to hide , Mercedes Front profile specially after upgrade looks fresh but rear is a big let down in my opinion .

BTW I booked 530M Carbon Black today and will be getting delivery by Friday

[nitinmurali]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

BTW I booked 530M Carbon Black today and will be getting delivery by Friday

Congrats.
Waiting for the pictures and review.

[lalittalwar]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

Did you not checked the info. display on 5 or have they started giving this on GT as well ?


BTW I booked 530M Carbon Black today and will be getting delivery by Friday

Congratulations on your new 530. it is a beast

nope, the GT gets regular instrument cluster, not a full digital one. as I mentioned, there are some pluses and minuses in both cars. ofcourse, on the 5 series, there would be more pluses than minuses in equipment list but in the 520d, there isn't much difference, but the gap does get wider when you go where you are.

Nowhere in world BMW offers spare tires so no possibility of having any space to hide

So, on the spare front, what BMW are advertising is just the fact that they are giving a 20k accessory for free, considering the spare was already available as an accessory.

[Turbanator]

what BMW are advertising is just the fact that they are giving a 20k accessory for free,

Yes , but I believe it's more like 35

Congratulations on your new 530. it is a beast

Yes , I drive one already . Wanted to have an upgrade bought a 4,2 Q7 and sold in 10 Days . Did best to negotiate for 7 but unfortunately BMW is in no mood to pass any offers despite still having 2013 in stocks . In my opinion using a common factor on International pricing 530D-M is relatively well priced than 730D . So maybe I have to wait a little longer for rear seat comfort of bigger one

[ishlinea7260]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

Wanted to have an upgrade bought a 4,2 Q7 and sold in 10 Days.

You sold the 4.2 TDI in 10 days flat?
But why?

[Turbanator]

that's a long story , I bought the car just because of 8 Cylinders . Unfortunately my 6 cylinder X6 has far better pick up then this 4,2 . When I used to Brake at 100 -120 whole steering would kind of shake & dealership told that this is becuase of Quatro which actually reminded me of my Old Pajero . I found overall quality of material they have used far inferior to any of BMW's that I have bought ...

[lalittalwar]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

Yes , but I believe it's more like 35

that must be inclusive of the car jacking kit. I believe the X1 spare wheel 135/80 R17 was available for about 20-21k. the same could fit 3 series. the one for 5 series 5 series could be more expensive.

Wanted to have an upgrade bought a 4,2 Q7 and sold in 10 Days

ouch!!! that must have hurt