[Turbanator]

Hi, I think there has to be some other differences , I believe with BMW secure claims are cashless , no depreciation for anything at any time , complete Replacement of car in event of theft /loss including registration costs at the market prices , so if the cost of car has increased they will bear the new price including RTO costs - please do check with BMW they will able to offer you reasons for the difference. Unless you don't go for an upgrade of tires ( low profile ) there are very less chances of tire busting especially with limited driving in your case. I think it may not be worth saving couple of thousands say 1-2% on such things , so better u keep things in-house with BMW guys,,

[abishek2222]

Yup!! my 20d has arrived from the bmw Factory yesterday, did a pre delivery pdi.
Sensatec beige interiors - Alpine white

Registration not done yet so probably going to take maybe a few days or even 2 weeks to register the car with a special No.

Billed and invoiced. waiting to get my hands on it!

[agbenny]

Hi A friend of mine is in a dilemma between BMW X1 or Fortuner. He has tested them both. He has inclined towards X1, which is getting phased out now. What attracts him is the discount he gets for this. After discounts both X1 and the Fortuner 5 speed Auto comes within the same price bracket.

However, Fortuner 5 speed is all new, and X1 is manufactured in 2011. Yes, BMW sells only those cars in stock which were kept 13 months idle in the showrooms or some yards.

He wants me to let him know, if he should for BMW. Unfortunately, the seller keeps saying that he has 2012 model, but twice after seeing the WIN number we found it 2011 made, and not from 2012.

What will be drawbacks of buying an idle vehicle especially their tiers were not in job, which are also so priced.

On the other hand, we test driven a 4 speed Auto from Toyota, the only disappointment is the average FE, which was only 8kmph in the vehicle tested. Will there be any improvement (at least marginal) in the 5 speed Auto?

He wants to buy an SUV, But ready to compromise for X1, what keeps him heart away is the manufacturing date. Any guidance will help him much.

[Akshay1234]

If you have checked the date of manufacture from the VIN online it is likely to show an earlier date, on which the kit was produced. Speak to a BMW dealer and get them to check the VIN for you, they will tell you when it was assembled. It may just be 2012.

The Fortuner and X1 are totally different, the Fortuner is an SUV while the X1 is a hatch on stilts. Ride quality over broken roads is going to be superior in the Fortuner, while high speed stability, handling and driving pleasure are goin to be far superior in the X1.

The so called new 5 speed on the Fortuner is nothing great, its something which should have been here from the beginning. The X1 gives you more bhp and torque from an engine which is 1000cc smaller.

Then again, its up to your friend to decide what suits him more depending on where he will use the vehicle.

[dinu2506]

The VIN nos of CKD cars like BMW are sometimes misleading, since it shows when the kit was manufactured. The actual assembly must have been much later at their TN plant. In fact, me too was in the same dilemma when I took the car this month, but I checked at least 10 X1's in their yard and all of them had a Oct / Nov 2011 manufacturing date. You can ask them for a Form 22 issued by the Indian manufacturer which will indicate the actual assembly date. Mine was a Nov 2012 make.
The BMW brand was too tempting to resist and I took the plunge. I would say a good all round car perfectly suited for Indian conditions - compact, good GC, good power etc.

[9thsphinx]

Do take into consideration the A.S.S and maintenance of the vehicle as well! The Fortuner, being a Toyota brand, will be slightly easier on the pockets whereas if you go with the BMW, the parts and servicing costs will be higher. Also, opting in for the BMW secure will bring up the basic cost of the X1.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by 9thsphinx

Do take into consideration the A.S.S and maintenance of the vehicle as well! The Fortuner, being a Toyota brand, will be slightly easier on the pockets whereas if you go with the BMW, the parts and servicing costs will be higher. Also, opting in for the BMW secure will bring up the basic cost of the X1.

This is a very important point. Fortuner effectively costs same to service as an Innova. Its a cheap to maintain vehicle. BMW, unfortunately, like all Europeans will start bleeding you once you 60-70000kms on the odo.
If your friend is a 8-10K kms a year kind of Guy, BMW is okay. However, if he will be doing 15-20K a year, after 2 years are over service will get expensive. If he ready to commit that kind of money to the vehicle, he can go for the BMW

[mayankjha1806]

Fortuner is the one which makes more sense, easy on pocket, go anywhere ability and better reliability. BMW X1 is as big/high as an SX4 and does have that oomph factor as its a BMW.

What kind of usage he is thinking about? Maybe putting some thoughts in that area will help him and others who are suggesting.

[mobike008]

If I was in this dilemma, I would straight away buy the T-Fort Auto for the following :-

a) Majestic Presence and a better looking SUV amongst the two, IMO.
b) Toyota Reliability
c) Way Cheaper to maintain than the Bimmer
d) Comfort of the 5-Speed Auto

Besides the above point, I would be very uncomfortable buying an almost 2 year old (new) X1 when on the other hand I get more car for same price (T-Fort)

Goodluck on his decision

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

If your friend is a 8-10K kms a year kind of Guy, BMW is okay. However, if he will be doing 15-20K a year, after 2 years are over service will get expensive. If he ready to commit that kind of money to the vehicle, he can go for the BMW

You forget that BMW has BSI plans. Why 2 years? It can be upto 5 years or 1l kms. Not a single rupee will be paid, besides the upfront cost of around 2-3l (which is a lot, but can be worked into the deal). Besides for wheel alignment and balancing, no matter what goes wrong you do not pay a single rupee out of your pocket.

Originally Posted by mobike008

d) Comfort of the 5-Speed Auto
Besides the above point, I would be very uncomfortable buying an almost 2 year old (new) X1 when on the other hand I get more car for same price (T-Fort)

X1 has a 6 speed auto. And its not even close to 2 years old, my guess is almost a year old if anything. And it would still be fine to pick it up, nothing could really go wrong, just that the tyres should be inspected.

[agbenny]

Thank you @akshay1234, @mobike008, @tsk1979,@9thsphinx, @dinu2506 for the great, and informative responses, that too within a quick time frame.

Thanks for clearing the issues with VIN.

BMW has service center in CBE, so servicing shouldn't be a problem. On the the hand, needless to say about Toyota's service, and reliability.

I've given the link to this thread to my friend, and I hope this would help him much to take the decision. I will keep you posted. What might still tempt him is the brand.

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by agbenny

BMW has service center in CBE, so servicing shouldn't be a problem. On the the hand, needless to say about Toyota's service, and reliability.

To sum it all up, if he wants a workhorse/primary car, it is the Fortuner else it is the X1.
What would I pick?

The X1 simply because it gives me that oomph over the Fortuner and the satisfaction of having owned a premium brand. Further I do not see any point in lugging around 3-400kgs of metal and bulk if I do not need it in the first place.

To add to it, like Akshay said, BSI makes it pretty easy to own and maintain a BMW in India these days.

[pganapathy]

Look at the decision in the following terms to make some sense and then depending on your friends needs, pick the better suited one.

The fortuner is an SUV. The BM is an MUV.

If you do need the off road ability, or the better GC (we have enough tar roads that resemble the surface of the moon), then the fortuner makes more sense.

If on the other hand you need the highway cruising ability and better comfort, the BM makes more sense.

The BM is a hatch on stilts and can be likened to a fancy duster or ecosport. The fortuner is a baby land cruiser.

The fortuner is cheaper maintenance and repair wise. The BM is cheap within the warranty and BMW secure period, bit after that start looking at big bills.

If money is not an issue the BM is fine. Otherwise the Toyota makes more sense.

The fortuner is a Toyota and the X1 is a BMW. If your friend is badge and image conscious, the BM works better. It projects a better image of the owner.

Toyota have a wider network of service centers than BMW. If the car is going to be driven to various parts of the country or owned in a smaller town, odds are Toyota will have a service centre there, unlike BMW.

The BMW has been sitting idle for around a year or so, which will have some detrimental effect on things like rubber, plastic etc, especially if the car has been exposed to the elements. Also, there is the risk that the car may have been misused as a test vehicle or by the staff. A brand new Toyota does not have that risk.

As someone already mentioned, please let us know your friends requirements and we can then advise you accordingly.

[nilanjanray]

As many folks have pointed out, get the use cases right, and desires mapped out, the choice will become obvious. Especially since you are comparing two very different types of vehicles. The only common parameter seems to be upfront purchase price.

Here are the factors your friend should be looking at:
1.How he plans to use the vehicle: roads (good/bad, main vs. offbeat), driving style, people and luggage to carry,
2. How long he plans to keep it
3. What are desires - strong feelings (different from rational analysis) e.g. brand, need for speed, look, what others will say etc.
4. TCO and resale (linked to # 2)
5. ASC dynamics: cost, reach, quality etc.
6. Short term affair vs. long term (sometimes boring) marriage

Etc. You get the point.

[.Albatross.]

@akshay1234 @n.devdath I wish to beware the fellow bhpians " Please dont compare X1 and the fortuner." I owned both of them for a good time and i realized how different they are. Roughly the ownership cost of X1 was Rs 35/km whereas the Toyota workhorse costed me Rs 15/km. This includes running costs , insurance , maintenence, depriciation etc. This huge difference of running cost should act as an eyeopener to my friends who are getting too carried away by the brand BMW entry level cars.
I had my X1 with BMW secure and maintenence pack but they had lots of surprises in store for me during the ownership, a simple yet classic example being asked to pay for the car wash on the first service itself beyond asking to pay for alignment and balancing which were not asked for/informed beforehand.
Some knowlegeable guys have been warning about falling into this trap on other threads too.
It might be hard to believe but I got more attention, respect and satisfaction from the Toyota after sales service as compared to the arrogant BMW guys.
I am no miser but paying 800 bucks to BMW for an upper body wash pinched me when i had paid 2 lakhs INR for the maintenence pack for 90k kms.
I drove the X1 for initial 7k kms with a manufacturing defect where the car sharply steered to the left on leaving the steering wheel until one day when one of the experiments worked for the car.
I do not wish to foul mouth more about the brand i was in love with but feel free to PM me to know more if you count every penny before spending and thinking of buying a BMW.