[Scorcher]

I was plannign on my new car and was confused between the Fortuner and Bimmer 3 series. Being a 6+ footer, I've always been a SUV guy and was pretty bothered about squeezing me into a smaller car. I have already driven some Pre FL 3's, But that was more of a fun kind of drive than to analyze my buying criterias. So,I rang up BMW Kochi and the next time I was in Cochin, they got me a Alpine White 320d High Line(the color I would buy if I'm getting one). Once the car reached my Hotel drive way which is not far from the dealership, the executive began to give me lectures on the car and its pros(only). At last I convinced him to to stop the driving class saying that I have driven all the BMW Range(Including the M's, which is a fact of course!). Then he handed the key over to me and I inserted it in the slot, first time thinking that, ok, It is deciding time. My mind went to recording mode to record every detail of the drive. Presses the 'Start Engine' button and the 2L mill breathes life. No matter how many times I've driven a Bimmer, The feel of going to tame another one always excites me.

Took the car out to the road and there goes a Black W221 S ripping through the opposite lane. The guy suddenly slowed down and took a good look at the car. My mood vastly elated, "Yea, Thats what I'm talkin about". The sudden drift of mood changed the test drive again to a fun drive. I took the car out of the gravel road to the NH and steadily drove past the Merc and Audi dealerships and reached the Traffic Jn. Gladly enough, i was turned on by the clear strech of tarmac ahead me and the thought of gliding through those Black butter and waiting for the lights to turn green, gave me a F1 driver kind of feel. As driving a prev gen laura, i tried to pull the Gear Selector into Sport mode, only to realize there isn't any in the car. Disappointed, yet feeling like a schumy waited for the lights to turn green,and when it did, a auto from out of the blue came infront of me and I started inching forward, after much honking and tries I overtook the guy and floored the pedal for the first time in the day "Damn, it feels " The car catapults itself and all of a sudden I'm doing 120+kmh, Until I reached a bridge and slowed sown. The Innova in-front of me had 2 ladies in their mid 20's and some kids in the rear, seeing the DRL of the Bimmer which was turned on, the children got excited and showed it to their elder sistas. They just looked, and for pure disbelief, waved at me with the children, "Respect for Germans was rising every moment I was in the car". Then after the bridge, i overtook the Innova and my executive was busy waving to the girls. These desperate oldies I say ! Then after a series of gutters and gravel I had to return as we reached a Toll, which incidently lead to trivandrum, My heart did tell me to drive it home. But the executive's stares over powered my sentiments and I pulled by the side for the turn, Looked into the ORVM, no vehicles in the rear, when I almost thought all the fun came to an end, My right foot told me "Gof for it dude!" I twisted the steering to max-right and floored the gas the RWD car ripped like crazy and almost fish tailed into the divider, thank god and my 'not so professional' racing experience, I managed to pull off a great tyre screeching take off. The executive's face was worth watching . We reached the old traffic jn. again and this time the lights were green and I was the first one off the lights, again when i thought it was all over, there lye a free stretch of Black Butter in front of me, This time I didn't wait for my feet's advice and put the 'pedal to the metal' the car again gallops ahead andI couldn't believe there Is no one ahead stopping me. And the 2L mill catapulted me all the way upto 174kmph. Sheesh ! Felt like GOD ! The Audi SR, Merc SR, Whyte Fort(hotel where i stayed), BMW SR, VW SR flied past like a Blurr ! Turned the divider and peacefully drove into the Showroom gates and parked in-front of the building, put the breathing monster to sleep, took out the key and gave it to the Executive, opened the door and stepped out of the Car and wondered "Is it really over yet?"


Pros :
- The Gem of a 2L Mill
- Driving experience
- Really good ICE
- New-Gen iDrive which is a world more user-friendly than the old one. Has 'Back' button too
- Head turning Gorgeous
- The Built and Leather is really good
- Lots of Alloy Designs to choose from(which is a rarity in this segment)

Cons :
- Noisy Engine
- Dated Interior design
- Interior Space
- Service only in Cochin(Kerala).

- Sorry for poor quality pics as I copied it from my Orkut Album. The Original files are in my PD and I don't wish to connected the Virus infested thing in my PC.

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[khan75]

Single exhaust pipe? I thought all Bimmers had dual exhaust pipes at the very least.

Rear end of the FL looks much, much better than the earlier E90, although it's still miles behind the E92.
Thank God they got rid of the horrible eye brow effect. The new headlamps look quite classy.

Are the parking sensors part of the standard kit?

[CliffHanger]

Is the engine that noisy? I have heard only great things about BMW's NVH levels!

[Scorcher]

Originally Posted by khan75

Single exhaust pipe? I thought all Bimmers had dual exhaust pipes at the very least.

Rear end of the FL looks much, much better than the earlier E90, although it's still miles behind the E92.
Thank God they got rid of the horrible eye brow effect. The new headlamps look quite classy.

Are the parking sensors part of the standard kit?

Dual Pipes in Chrome - Optional(Standard for 325i)
Parking Sensors - Standard

Originally Posted by CliffHanger

Is the engine that noisy? I have heard only great things about BMW's NVH levels!

It ain't noisy from inside, But the engine noise is quite irritating for the 320d from outside. In Speedy's words "Sounds like a tractor"

[recshenoy]

waw that was a nice TD report dude.

So what have you decided? A TD of Fortuner or book a 320D What is the OTR in Kerala for this?

Are these alloys standard on 320D or you can choose some other. The one resembling turbine (more spokes) look too good on a BMW

[McLaren Rulez]

Nice report. So plonking in for one of these beauties?

[Scorcher]

Originally Posted by recshenoy

waw that was a nice TD report dude.

So what have you decided? A TD of Fortuner or book a 320D What is the OTR in Kerala for this?

Are these alloys standard on 320D or you can choose some other. The one resembling turbine (more spokes) look too good on a BMW

Originally Posted by McLaren Rulez

Nice report. So plonking in for one of these beauties?

Not decided yet. Lots of factors to consider bros.

The Fortuner got extensive waiting period and and skeptical reports from owners(ex-owners too). Got serious braking issues. no discs in the rear. etc

Only factor keeping me away from the 3 is the Interior space. As i said, i'm a 6 footer and feel pretty squeezed in the 3.

320d HL sells for 31L OTR in Kerala.

Here is my thread having my other options. Do check it out and give your suggestions.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/luxury...d-bigtime.html

[cyqed]

I would suggest a Fortuner. Since you metioned you are 6 ft+, 3 series would really be bad choice. If you are ready to stretch your budget, get a 5 series. It got power and it got that awesome road presence and none of the issues you had highlighted in a 3 series.

If 5 series is not an option, I would go for a Fortuner. I have never had any issues with my vehicle and I can suggest this vehicle to you without any hesitation. The brakes are soft as it gets and that is the only problem with the Fortuner. It doesn't mean it is comes with bad brakes. Waiting period is a problem and you might have to wait for another 6 months. Book Fortuner from Kottayam - Moopans or something is the name of the showroom. Turning at high speed is a problem with Fortuner and you will see this problem is every SUV other than Lexus ().

[jagxf]

get a jag xf diesel, it should be out soon! it would be a brilliant everyday drive as well!

[khan75]

Originally Posted by cyqed

Turning at high speed is a problem with Fortuner and you will see this problem is every SUV other than Lexus ().

Huh? Is this some kind of an April Fools joke? A RRS or Cayenne will more than turn at high speeds. Try doing that in a Lexus GX or LX.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by jagxf

get a jag xf diesel, it should be out soon! it would be a brilliant everyday drive as well!

lol but that will be priced much higher than a 320d h/l.

[jagxf]

yes but for a v6 diesel with a 242bhp,600nm of torque! its very good VFM. it has a lot of space too.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by jagxf

yes but for a v6 diesel with a 242bhp,600nm of torque! its very good VFM. it has a lot of space too.

but its still pretty expensive. completely agree about it being vfm but the fact remains that scorcher will probably not want to spend that much at the moment. of course if he does, then there is also the 530d at a brilliant price and the forthcoming 5 series will probably be in the same price bracket as a jag.

[jagxf]

point taken! it was just a suggestion from a guy who wanted to get the 5 but got the jag instead!

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by jagxf

point taken! it was just a suggestion from a guy who wanted to get the 5 but got the jag instead!

OT - good choice i must say, much more exclusive than the bmw. 4.2 v8 i presume?