[dieselhead01]

Hey. I wasn’t aware that I’d be writing this thread here, such was the decision of bringing this beauty home, it was all unplanned. Long story short, an unexpected purchase turned out to be pretty great.

Coming from a family of competent turbo diesels, we weren’t initially planning for an addition or an upgrade. Our 530d E60 still felt superlatively fast, with all the in-line 6 goodness, but felt a bit too old, and at some point we all thought, it would be nice to replace it with the newer generation of the 530d. But due to a lot of sentiment and attachment to a car that had changed our lives, and had brought me into the field of automobiles, we decided to quit the idea of selling the car after all, and that specific car is going through some major upgrades now, both performance and cosmetic, which I’d be writing about in a thread a bit later, stay tuned.

So in no plans of upgrading or adding any more cars further to the garage, and being extremely happy with all the torque and power my stage 2 Octavia TDI gave me, didn’t want anything more after all. Plus for city commutes, and short trips, we had the Jetta DSG as well, which proved to be one of the best purchases we’ve made. So in short, everything was at peace.

One day, my dad gets a call telling one of his acquaintances have decided to sell off their 320d GT (Gran Turismo (or) Grand Touring) Luxury Line. The car had caught us at the first glance. It was very well maintained, had proper service records, interior/exterior was in immaculate condition, and the engine was smooth as new. It was too sweet of a deal to miss out on. My dad usually is a man who loves taking risks, and he took one this time, finalised the deal and closed it, and brought home that beauty for once and for all. I loved the way it looked personally, I’m really a fan of such unique designs, rather than mainstream sedans. Took the delivery of the car, first thing, had the plates changed and then straight ahead for a proper full body car wash.

Here are some pictures of the beauty, pardon me, I haven’t clicked a lot of them, will upload it soon enough, but for the time being:

[dieselhead01]

WHAT I LIKE.

•The butter-smooth, absolutely refined 2.0 diesel engine from the Bavarians: The engine could barely be heard at idle and it gets a little loud under heavy throttle, and trust me it sounds nice. Very well insulated.

•Amazing suspension: Took all of the undulations/potholes/speed-breakers/patches like a pro. In short, excellent ride quality.

•Fast 8 speed gearbox: Shifts are very quick and smooth, and that too all this is coming from a DSG owner.

•Fast performance: The 190hp/400nm car really comes to its own on the highways, and on sports+ mode the character of the car changes, and the way it builds up speeds, is something else. Despite the weight, triple digits come up in no time. City driving is now easy, as power is always on tap and at your disposal. Nice low end, strong mid range and an exciting top end performance. A small remap on this car would mean ‘madness’. Stock would do 0-100kmph in 7.5-7.7 seconds on a dragy, and somewhere in low-mid 15s for the quarter mile.

•Drive Modes: City commute is easier with the ECO-PRO/COMFORT modes, and on empty straights, SPORTS/ SPORTS+ is right at the disposal for the enthusiast in you, to exploit all the 190 horses.

•The unique styling gives the car a proper road presence and is a head turner. The car is quite long, I mean as long as my 530d, or maybe a cm or two smaller. It really stands out from a sea of sedans.

•Very spacious on the whole, quite a big boot at 520 litres, extremely practical.

•Good right height and ground clearance.

•Loved the 18” alloys from the Luxury Line trim, infact, loved it more than the Sports Line alloys, felt it was a class above.


WHAT I DON’T LIKE.

•No spare wheel, which is a must according to me, I wouldn’t have minded if the boot space was lesser and there was a spare wheel inside instead.

•Although I loved the performance, I wished for a little more punch, maybe it’s because I’ve been driving diesels having north of 500nm on a daily basis, I’ve been feeling that something’s missing. Although not as thrilling or violent as the Stage 2 Octavia, or the 530d, it moves ahead with ferocity and is significantly faster than the Jetta (stock).

•Personally, I don’t think there’s much to dislike in this car, so that’s it.

All the mods and upgrades on this car would be mentioned in detail on this thread, so, do stay tuned. And a thread for the 530d I’ve been mentioning is coming soon and that’s gonna be a killer, so stay tuned for that as well. Cheers.


1. EXTERIOR:



The front end of the car doesn’t resemble a 3 series from any angle. The front itself is very wide, and feels more like the 5 or the 6 series, seems much bulkier than the regular 3 series, both F30 and G20. Feels more upmarket and a class above in my opinion, and clearly stands out from the other 3 series as well, which gives it a different road presence altogether.




Another favourite angle of mine would be the sides. The styling and the overall way the car has been shaped is just beautiful, especially the coupe like design and the longer wheelbase just makes me realise how big this car is, at almost 4.83m long, this car is actually a big sedan. The sheer length itself lets the car stand out.




The rear end of the car is what makes almost all the difference I suppose, as this is what totally distinguishes it from a regular 3er. First off, the tail lamps looks absolutely lovely, especially with the full LED tail lamps, and look absolutely stunning at night. And the GT badging alone tells one that it’s not a normal 3 series, and is a ‘Gran Turismo’. The rear of the car is actually quite tall, wide and ends like a proper coupe. I love the chrome strip treatment on the rear bumper, subtle yet ‘nice’. I’m a huge of dual tip exhausts, and BMW have struck the right tone on this one, mixing sportiness with the overall luxury quotient of this car.




The front headlamps are fully LED and functional and comes with the standard ‘BMW Adaptive LED’ and does its duties pretty well. The lights look brilliant during the night, it has pretty decent range and exposure, along with strong high beam/low beam functions, and are adaptive as the name suggests. The fog lamps are also LED, and are functional as well. Overall headlamp design is impressive.



I’m absolutely in love with the 18” alloys from the Luxury Line trim. Usually I’m someone who prefers sporty over luxury, and this is the only instance where it was the other way around. These alloys look rich and perfectly sized, correctly keeping up with the name of the trim, ‘Luxury Line’



Another cool characteristic of this car, would be the frameless windows. It’s absolutely stunning and this alone makes sure that the car stands out from the crowd. Such designs often might have polarised views, but trust me I’m a fan.



Firstly I never felt that a spoiler on a car like this would look good, but this car had completely changed my mind. The cool spoiler open/close feature is something that’s pretty unique, and adds to the appeal of the car, I always prefer driving with that spoiler open.

[dieselhead01]

2. INTERIOR



Firstly, would like to show that great piece of engineering, the ZX 8 speed gearbox. The gear lever is placed at an optimum position, easy to use and shift even during heavy traffic, and the gearbox on the whole is less complicated, which increases the likability factor of the entire setup. Then the I-Drive can be controlled using the typical BMW rotational controller, which is handy and does the job pretty well.




I loved the steering wheel on the whole, the shape and the dynamics were on point, there was a fair amount of feedback from the steering, and for an enthusiast this steering would make him/her feel right at home. It’s not too stiff but just the right amount to operate things smoothly. The car is easy to manoeuvre with the steering wheel, as it’s not too heavy, instead it’s balanced.




The I-Drive is very functional and does a lot of duties and has a huge list of features. The whole I-Drive system is quite ergonomic, screen brightness could’ve been slightly more, but it’s okay for daily usage. On the whole, I felt the system was really informative, showing everything you need to know about the car’s current condition to playing the favourite song on your playlist. Although I wished it had CarPlay. And on the whole the audio quality, was top notch. It was crisp and clear, I don’t think I’ll be needing an upgrade in terms of the audio systems. The I-Drive is easy to use, thanks to the controller placed at a proper position for the driver, making this a driver focused experience.




The sunroof is quite massive, much bigger than my Octavia, or the 530d. The panoramic sunroof is quite big and even with the roof closed, and the blinds/sunroof cover opened, the entire car feels more luxurious, upmarket and more roomier. Loved the way the sunroof has been designed.




The front seats, both driver and passenger seats are quite comfortable, and pretty spacious, as much as a 5 series. This aids in comfortable long drives and cruising for long durations, without any loss of comfort of leg room. Speaking of the leg room, it’s ample, more than enough I could say, to satisfy you and help you stretch and relax.




The instrument cluster is absolutely informative, although I wished it was a digital/virtual cockpit, but I’m happy with what the car has brought itself with. Not too flashy, instead it’s simple, elegant, at the same time easier to read and very informative at the same time, helping the driver with whatever he needs at his disposal.



The rear seats are what makes a huge difference and draws a proper line from the regular 3 series. It’s extremely roomy, spacious and comfortable from the regular 3 series, feels like a 5 or 6 series, like I mentioned a little earlier. Perfect for long drives, but only can occupy 4 people at max comfortably, as the 5th person would find the transmission tunnel to be a matter of hindrance.

3. DRIVE:

This car is powered by the in-line 4 2.0 diesel engine from BMW, producing 188hp and 400nm of torque. This engine is the bread and butter of BMW in India. This engine has done duties on a variety of cars from the BMW lineup, so in other words, it’s a tried and tested engine.

When I first heard of this car, I didn’t have much expectations. First off, i thought it was just a beefed up 3 series, with more space, wheelbase and few gizmos. I thought I’d lose the thrill and agility of the 3, and would be finally driving a car that would be straight up boring. But after all, had some expectations as it was after all at the end of the day, a BMW. One test drive of this car had changed my perceptions of the car entirely. It was fast, fun and very well refined. Felt like a petrol car at lower speeds, I mean the engine wasn’t even heard much until I put the throttle down, and that roar when I pressed the throttle at times, was very nice to hear. The car sprinted to triple digit speeds like it was nothing. The power was delivered very linearly, not like the diesels I own definitely. My stage 2 Octavia TDI DSG is straight violent in the way it pulls and the 530d being a 6 cylinder is a banger of a car, no words. But despite the car being linear, the way it picked up speeds is something else, I’m sure In a dragy run we can best it’s claimed 7.7 seconds figure to 100 kmph with a proper launch.

The car has different modes, which are in turn, for your different moods. For the city, when you want to be economic, you could use the ECO-PRO mode, resulting in better fuel efficiency, and the car becomes very calm, and doesn’t have that punch, which is ideal for city driving. Could further level this up, with the COMFORT mode which is a balance of everything, helps in quick overtakes, and the car has decent punch and oomph to excite. This mode is the best for city imho. Next is my favourite, the SPORTS/SPORTS+ modes, where in the latter the traction control is automatically turned off, and the steering stiffens a bit, and the overall dynamics of the car changes a bit. Now this is when you would feel like you spoiling yourself with the goodness of 190 horses. A open stretch on the highway, slot it to the SPORTS+ mode, and dab the accelerator pedal, and off you go, relentlessly with urgency, the car would end up doing insane speeds before you realise, and the enthusiast boy in you would be satisfied I’m sure.


4. SUSPENSION/RIDE QUALITY:

The ride quality is just supreme. I loved the Octavia diesel, despite the constant criticism of its lack of independent suspension on this forum. It handles the bad roads pretty decently, and does the job for me during day to day commute. And driving my Jetta made me realise how much an independent suspension makes a difference, fell in love with the way the car rides on bad roads, potholes and bumps. My 530d’s suspension felt on the stiffer side but was much better than the Octavia’s suspension setup and was comfortable. But the 3 GT’s suspension is at a whole new league, it’s super smooth and takes care of all the potholes, bumps and bad roads like a pro, and some of them you won’t even realise, given how capable the suspension is. It’s very planted, solid and inspires confidence while you drive at high speeds as well.

5. FUEL EFFICIENCY:

For a car of this size and segment, it has pretty decent fuel efficiency figures. In the city, I managed to quench about 13-14 kmpl using the ECO-PRO mode, sedately driving. I haven’t tested the car on highways yet, i surely am expecting somewhere around 20 kmpl if driven sedately, cruising on the highways.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[gururajrv]

Congratulations there,dieselhead! You're staying true to your handles name

You mentioned you have a E60 530d. Apparently, I was at Engineering Exponent yesterday to get my car serviced and technician mentioned he's working on an enthusiasts' 530d which was parked at the pump. Is it yours by any chance? He also mentioned there's another BMW on the way from the same family. I kind of think now it must be you If it's you, I wish I had met you in person there.

Regardless, car is a looker from all sides. BMWs are usually a keeper, atleast from the owners' thread I've seen on this forum as against Merc or Audis. Have million safe kms with the car.

[dieselhead01]

Originally Posted by gururajrv

Congratulations there,dieselhead! You're staying true to your handles name

You mentioned you have a E60 530d. Apparently, I was at Engineering Exponent yesterday to get my car serviced and technician mentioned he's working on an enthusiasts' 530d which was parked at the pump. Is it yours by any chance? He also mentioned there's another BMW on the way from the same family. I kind of think now it must be you If it's you, I wish I had met you in person there.

Regardless, car is a looker from all sides. BMWs are usually a keeper, atleast from the owners' thread I've seen on this forum as against Merc or Audis. Have million safe kms with the car.

Thank you so much brother. I’m always hellbent on being a dieselhead, I just am a sucker for all the low end torque the diesels offer, often spoilt by it.

Guess you caught me there, yes that’s my 530d at Engineering Exponent, waiting to be a weapon I’d say. They’re pretty good friends and always have surprised me in the way they build my cars and my friends cars, they’re the best in the game. Never mind, I hope to meet you real soon at Engineering Exponent, will catch up there.

And yes, the car is absolutely a head turner from all angles, initially I wasn’t a fan but the looks grew on me very quickly. Thank you again brother for the kind words.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by dieselhead01

But the 3 GT’s suspension is at a whole new league, it’s super smooth and takes care of all the potholes, bumps and bad roads like a pro, and some of them you won’t even realise, given how capable the suspension is. It’s very planted, solid and inspires confidence while you drive at high speeds as well.

Congratulations ! I nearly picked up one of the last BS-IV ones when BLR dealers were giving obscene discounts trying to move their own committed stock. But my plans got postponed and I picked one of the first G20 330i Sport variants in June 2020 during Unlock 1.0.

Intrigued by your satisfaction with the suspension though. Is it not a little soft at the back, and more tuned for comfort rather than corner carving? It is good for 90% of situations though.

[sunilch]

Originally Posted by dieselhead01

The unique styling gives the car a proper road presence and is a head turner. The car is quite long, I mean as long as my 530d, or maybe a cm or two smaller. It really stands out from a sea of sedans.

.............

Firstly I never felt that a spoiler on a car like this would look good, but this car had completely changed my mind. The cool spoiler open/close feature is something that’s pretty unique, and adds to the appeal of the car, I always prefer driving with that spoiler open.

Congratulations on the car. Like you, I too personally like the looks and road presence of this car than any other 3-Series (current or past). I had seen one sometime back in a shade of green (very similar to British Bottle Green color) and my God , that was super good looking on this model. I am not sure if that color was available officially in India but perhaps the owner had it specifically for himself only.

Keep adding miles or KMs or .... you get the gist

[rithu]

Amazing car to drive, looks stunning. Still waiting to see the crazy mods you install on this car ��.

[dieselhead01]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Congratulations ! I nearly picked up one of the last BS-IV ones when BLR dealers were giving obscene discounts trying to move their own committed stock.
Intrigued by your satisfaction with the suspension though. Is it not a little soft at the back, and more tuned for comfort rather than corner carving? It is good for 90% of situations though.

Thank you so much. I’ve driven and spent enough time with the regular 3er, and yes that feels noticeably more agile, and takes corners like a piece of cake, meanwhile the GT isn’t a cornering expert, but does pretty well for a huge sedan when I throw it around, but in no way is as good as the regular 3er, but imho it’s more comfortable in day to day driving.

Originally Posted by sunilch

Congratulations on the car. Like you, I too personally like the looks and road presence of this car than any other 3-Series (current or past). I had seen one sometime back in a shade of green (very similar to British Bottle Green color) and my God , that was super good looking on this model. I am not sure if that color was available officially in India but perhaps the owner had it specifically for himself only.

Keep adding miles or KMs or .... you get the gist

Thank you so much. The car is a looker, and stands out from the crowd. And yes the road presence, basically the car is a 3er which is almost as huge and bulky as a 5er, so the road presence is justified. More than the driving pleasure, I prefer the looks of this car

Originally Posted by rithu

Amazing car to drive, looks stunning. Still waiting to see the crazy mods you install on this car ��.

Thank you so much brother. I hope you liked the car when you drove it last time. Well at first I would need a beefed up remap at most, just for the extra punch, if you know what I mean

Can’t wait to see the mods on your car too, like we had planned.