[PlatzdaTurbo]

@ n:core- To answer a few of your questions , The New A6 will be priced upwards of 40 lakhs. They will be introducing the 2.0 TDI 4-pot engine on the new A6 albeit in a higher state of tune with FWD. That will be the entry level A6 for the next generation and hence the cheapest one. I would expect a price of low 40s OTR. The current 2.7 TDI A6 is a 6-cylinder V6 with 190 bhp and 380 NM torque. Not a road burner by any means but would definitely be quick enough when you need it to be. The current gen A6 is also pretty loaded and so on the ergonomics, interior styling and gadgetry front it would keep you pretty satisfied. An extremely practical choice if you can live with the looks (since the new 1 would be out by september and looks just so much better IMO) Finally about the new Passat, to answer your question, yes the New Passat is a seriously good car. Looks ,though not head turning are good enough, the 170bhp oil-burner with the DSG should be an excellent combo and of course ,it has some features that are not even offered of cars many segments above in our market. (read - self park assist, cooled seats etc.) The new Passat is a potent package and should surely considered. Besides, even in its fully loaded Highline guise it fits easily into your budget.

[S350L-E240]

Few inputs from my side,

1. The 520d is a perfect car and why exactly is it around 42 OTR? Would'nt you get any discounts? We have a 530d (Mine) & a 520d (Cozin's) and both of us got free insurance and other stuff.

2. The CKD price hike will not be that high, infact BMW India has recently raised the prices by 1.5 - 2 % if you see the new price list dated 1.4.2011. As of now they still have not decided on any new prices as there is no clear picture from the goverment on the CKD duty, and believe me if there is a hike BMW India intends to absorb quite a bit of it and you will not really be paying 8L more I can vouch for that and you can check my past records I have never really been wrong for BMW or Mercedes-Benz India.

3. Thinking of Mercedes as the ultimate upgrade is a wrong notion, believe me BMW is at par and in a lot of ways a lot better but ofcourse so is Mercedes-Benz, and I come from the part where I moved from Mercedes-Benz to BMW and believe me I don't see a go back even though there are so many temptations and ofcourse personal reasons why I want the star back, but time will tell.

4. If you have decided to downgrade consider the Passat, if not then wait for 2 months and you will have the new facelifted C out in June and Mercedes is planning impressive and an aggressive strategy for it. Or consider the 3 which now has mouthwatering discounts as it is pretty much in it's last leg and also the heat from X1 is making the dealers put in a lot of discounts for it.

5. If you still wish to spend about 42 and if you have a change in mind I would say forget the 520d as the car is now getting too common and in end of May or June you will be able to get a BMW X3 2.0D in similar price bracket, and that would be a wonderful buy too.

Regards,

[androdev]

ncore:
Passat/superb are nearly as good as E/5/A6 except for the 'image'

So it depends on what cars you already have in the garage and for what purpose you are buying a new car. If it is for 'ornamental/family jewel' purpose then there is a huge difference between Passat-class and say E-class. Otherwise Passat/Superb are excellent and IMO more satisfying than 45L 4-cylinder cars.

Don't buy current A6 - 2nd hand new gen E/5 would be better alternatives.

Another sensible option is to postpone the purchase till everyone is ready to spend 45L on a wasteful expenditure like a car

[fre2bpowerless]

Originally Posted by n:CorE

I shall book a TD of the A6 2.7 TDI, lets see how that goes, in the meanwhile.. Guys something in the lower price band ... More details/information/views on this car are highly appreciated

Sahil .. You mentioned the new Passat, is it really good? One of my friends had the Jetta, and he hates that car ..He says VW is a no go

C-Class/3-series/A4/S60 ?

If you plan on going for C/3/A4 segment, the A6 is a better buy. If you don't want a car that would be outdated by year end, my choice would be

1. Audi A4 - Most comfortable interior, spacious, longer and wider than 3/C, fwd
2. Passat - Well priced, more features than any model of the 3/C, good looking in black
3. 3 series - Good discounts on the HL model, good power & rwd handling, model change due next year
4. C - Bouncy ride, expensive than competition, underpowered, less gadgets, facelift due

Originally Posted by S350L-E240

end of May or June you will be able to get a BMW X3 2.0D in similar price bracket, and that would be a wonderful buy too.

Are you sure its launching by June? The dealership say don't know anything about it. I'm waiting for it since so long.

[mdsaab]

If looking for some Jap reliability and low cost of ownership one can look at.
Nissan Teanna ~ though not a hoot to drive, its extremely comfortable at the rear. Has a ottomon in the front driver seat. And is quite exclusive too.
A slightly bland alternative can be the Toyota Camry.
Also to be noted the new Honda Accord has added a few features bringing it a little closer to the superb. A few bein the sunroof now standard across all variants, and you can now close / open all windows and sunroof skoda style by inserting the key in the door and holding either lock or unlock side for a couple of seconds.

[Aroy]

The E250 CDi is slightly less than 41L. The E200 petrol is 38L.

I think that you can get better prices from the dealer.

[PlatzdaTurbo]

Originally Posted by Aroy

The E250 CDi is slightly less than 41L. The E200 petrol is 38L.

I think that you can get better prices from the dealer.

Although not directly comparable i think it would probably make more sense to go for the 520D f10 instead of the 250 CDI primarily because the f10 just has a much much better 8-speed gearbox which helps on the efficiency front and its also a lot more responsive than the CDI's poor 5-speed auto from what i have heard. Another area where the BMW would probably trump the Merc is that with the f10 ,BMW have not stripped any major features off the 520d and so for people not looking for insane power surges, the 520d remains an extremely attractive ,aspirational and more gettable package (compared to its 6-cyl siblings). The 250 CDI would probably have been worth considering if it was a 6-cylinder but its not. So essentially we are comparing 2 4-pot cars. Yes, the Merc with 500 NM torque would surely be a quicker than the 520d and so if the 525d with its in-line 6 is feasible for you, nothing better.

[n:CorE]

Originally Posted by S350L-E240

Few inputs from my side,

1. The 520d is a perfect car and why exactly is it around 42 OTR? Would'nt you get any discounts? We have a 530d (Mine) & a 520d (Cozin's) and both of us got free insurance and other stuff.

2. The CKD price hike will not be that high, infact BMW India has recently raised the prices by 1.5 - 2 % if you see the new price list dated 1.4.2011. As of now they still have not decided on any new prices as there is no clear picture from the goverment on the CKD duty, and believe me if there is a hike BMW India intends to absorb quite a bit of it and you will not really be paying 8L more I can vouch for that and you can check my past records I have never really been wrong for BMW or Mercedes-Benz India.

3. Thinking of Mercedes as the ultimate upgrade is a wrong notion, believe me BMW is at par and in a lot of ways a lot better but ofcourse so is Mercedes-Benz, and I come from the part where I moved from Mercedes-Benz to BMW and believe me I don't see a go back even though there are so many temptations and ofcourse personal reasons why I want the star back, but time will tell.

4. If you have decided to downgrade consider the Passat, if not then wait for 2 months and you will have the new facelifted C out in June and Mercedes is planning impressive and an aggressive strategy for it. Or consider the 3 which now has mouthwatering discounts as it is pretty much in it's last leg and also the heat from X1 is making the dealers put in a lot of discounts for it.

5. If you still wish to spend about 42 and if you have a change in mind I would say forget the 520d as the car is now getting too common and in end of May or June you will be able to get a BMW X3 2.0D in similar price bracket, and that would be a wonderful buy too.

Regards,

The F10 seems to me like the best of what we require, but Infinity BMW, Worli is really getting to my nerves now, I reckon all of what he says is just loose talk to put pressure. I have decided to contact the other dealership which is in Juhu, lets see what they have to say about the rise in import duty for CKD, availability of the 520d and prices. And apparently dad's some friend just happened to buy a 520d himself from Navnit BMW (Juhu) and he apparently got some discount too. Lets see if i do get a better response/service from that dealership and if i can really convince my father to alter finances,

Orelse .. I am really itching to TD the Passat, The gadgets in the car are insane, the 2.0 TDI now gives out a healthy ~170bhp mated to a 6-speed DSG. I am the driving enthusiast in the house, which means if this car comes to the household, I'll be behind the wheel most of the time reasons of it being more practical, relatively cheaper to maintain, and occasional scratches and dents wont rip my heart out and dad's pocket too. The beamer will just be parked in the garage and will be taken out for really occasional reasons only. That reminds me does anyone have any idea if this newly tuned engine would be available in the A4?

We have been Japanese loyalists since almost the past decade, current cars in my garage are Toyota Corolla (2004), Honda Civic (2007), Toyota Corolla Altis (2008), Toyota Innova (2009)(2nd one, face lifted)

I personally love the Accord too, I'd go for the V6 , but after the civic, my family members aren't honda fan's due to low ground clearance.

Camry is frankly a waste, its bland, least powerful, least equipped and too expensive (and still, my family like typical Indians, its a Toyota .. Its ought to be good ) .

Nissan Teana - I quite like the car on paper, thinking of giving it a TD, but then again, brand recognition, after-sales service and resale value.

3-series - I have heard in terms of ergonomics, dynamics, nothing at the price point comes close. Completely driver centric, no space in the back seat. Comfortable for 4, forget about 5 (we are 5 members in the family), and i just disagree with the looks of the car. The tail-lamps of a civic look better (IMO).

A4 - I'd rather strech slightly a little to the 2.7 V6 TDI, 190 bhp, equipment is really lucrative and the on-going discount makes it even yummier. Does anyone have a drive-experience of this car, like how is to to drive, rear-seat comfort etc etc.?

C-Class - The entry level 3-pointed star, Some say its great, some say it isn't, never really had a clear picture of this car.

Is there anything up in the near future to wait for? Like something that can really make me wait for my dilemma? X3 sounds good ..

[PlatzdaTurbo]

Originally Posted by n:CorE

That reminds me does anyone have any idea if this newly tuned engine would be available in the A4?
A4 - I'd rather strech slightly a little to the 2.7 V6 TDI, 190 bhp, equipment is really lucrative and the on-going discount makes it even yummier. Does anyone have a drive-experience of this car, like how is to to drive, rear-seat comfort etc etc.?

Whether the A4 will come with this engine ? -YES it will. When ? Immediate future ? - Well, the Q5 is already out with it and so yes it should not be long before it finds itself in the A4 but then , are you ready for the wait ? About the 2.7 TDI, speaking about rear seat comfort, the seats in themselves are well contoured and corseting and pretty comfortable. That said, being a big car on the outside the A6 is surely not the king of the segment as far as rear space is concerned. Drive experience - being FWD, its far from thrilling but again, if pushed and worked hard, it gets the job done. As i mentioned before, it is far from being a road burner but it will be quick enough when you want it to be. Anyway, the 3.0 TDI is not sold on the current gen A6 anymore so the 2.7 TDI is probably your only choice with the A6

[S350L-E240]

fre2bpowerless,

X3 will be out in June 100%. If lucky even end of may, but June is 100% I've said it many times before.

n:CorE

Trust me between the 520d & E250CDI, stick to the 5. And about upcoming launches like I said new C is the best bet, and of course X3 will be the best in it's segment. Both will be out in June, and X3 is going to be very well priced and will have variants with 2.0 & 3.0 L diesel motors,

While I understand you are in a confused state of mine so am I in a car we need but I'd say stick to this if you are ok with it,

Under 30L

Passat

Around 40 - 45

BMW 520d or BMW X3 2.0D

Regards,

[mdsaab]

For the nissan teanna brand recognition may not be that great.
But on road the car definately stands out. Especially with that black roof.
If i am not mistaken i think it has dual sunroofs. Or i could be wrong mixing it up with something else.
Why not take a TD

[fre2bpowerless]

Like everyone said, 5 over E any day. A6 at a good discount over them if your on a tight budget, not a decision you'll regret.

@S350L-E240
Thanks a lot

[n:CorE]

@S350L-E240 - Thanks a ton for the simplification. I think I do have a clear picture now. Besides, dad is lovestruck by the 520d. Nothing much he can do about it, besides buying it . He says he also made a few calls and found out about the rise in duty for the CKD units and plans of BMW India, he says the dealership is just loose talking to put pressure to increase his sales. BMW plans to absorb quite a bit of the effect of the import duty rise as you said. Dad said its just a matter of time to adjust his finances and books for the new car which will be a course of 1-2 months, he has full plans of buying it.

Now that we have a clear picture of the car another question arises :-P, 520d or 525d ?

[androdev]

Should be 520D or 530D. The debate never ends Depends on the budget to a large extent. Not driven 530D. Except for refinement, 520D is quick, can be driven enthusiastically and you will never feel you are driving something under powered. The other day, we were four friends in the car and on a very tight/narrow/twisty city street I was first off the signal, I gave it the pedal-to-metal! And it pounced and behaved exceptionally well. Passengers gasped, it was meant to be a boring city commute! I can only imagine how 530D would have done it

IMO, the case for 525D is week.

[PlatzdaTurbo]

Originally Posted by n:CorE

Now that we have a clear picture of the car another question arises :-P, 520d or 525d ?

Since you haven't even mentioned the 530, its pretty simple.
525d it is.
We are essentially comparing an in-line 6 vs a 4-pot here. The difference in refinement levels is huge.
While on the inside both the variants are more or less identically equipped the real difference is the 204hp/430 NM 6 cylinder of the 25d as opposed to 184hp/380 NM of the 20d.
If performance is high on the list of priorities, definitely the 525d among the 2