Need advice: Which petrol luxury car on lease on a 65L budget?

He is a proud owner of the BMW 3 series 320d sport line 2015 model he wants to upgrade to a new car.

BHPian mfarhan recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Recently my friend decided to get a new luxury car he has a budget of 65 lakhs however he can increase the budget by 2-3 lakhs. He is a proud owner of the BMW 3 series 320d sport line 2015 model he wants to upgrade to a new car. He wants to lease the car for a term of 5 years then pay the full amount.

So what is he looking out for-

• A good engine (only Petrol)
• Comfort
• Roomy rear seats
• Fun to drive
• luxury
• Reliability
• A good Finance structure

The cars he has on his mind-

• BMW 3 series
• Mercedes-Benz C-Class
• Mercedes-Benz GLA
• Toyota-Innova (no idea why)
• Kia EV6 -GT line rear wheel drive
• Audi A4
• Audi Q3 Sportback

The cars he is not considering-

• Mercedes- Benz A class (He is 6'1)
• Mercedes-Benz GLB ( design not up to his liking)
• BMW 2 series (Same reason as the A Class)
• BMW X1(very poor engine)
• Toyota Fortuner (He does not think It is worth 55 Lakhs. Sorry to all the Fortuner fans I personally think it is a marvelous car.)
• Audi Q3
• Mini Cooper
• Volvo (Poor infotainment system and screen)

He is planning on booking this car by May 2023 so suggestions before that would be very helpful for him.

Thank you everyone for reading this thread.

Here's what BHPian iliketurtles had to say on the matter:

Your friend’s requirements have 330Li written all over it. It’s a roomy car that’s reasonably fun to drive, and given his ownership experience with the 320d, he will now be fully familiar with the ups and downs of owning a BMW. That car will be a true upgrade for him in every sense, be it space, power, features, interiors, or otherwise.

The other car I’d recommend he look at is the A6. I personally don’t prefer Audi’s (I drive myself around, and find their steering too numb for my taste), but the fact is it’s a class above the 3 series, and the interiors will largely feel like it. It deserves to be on his shortlist.

The Kia EV6 is a wonderful car, but it loses out to the 330Li in two key ways; badge value and interiors (I think BMWs new curved display is fantastic). Not that the Kia’s infotainment is bad, it’s just second-best to BMWs. Can he live with the loss of the badge? If he can, it’s a fun car to drive with lots of room. As a left field choice, he can even see the Ioniq 5. It’s nearly identical to the Kia (same platform, sister companies), but it’s down on the Kia by about 100 BHP. Looks the bomb though, and very roomy and practical.

I would not consider the C class because while it has the best interiors of any car mentioned here (IMO), the decision to cram all its controls into the tablet up front along with its high price make it a no-go for me.

Those would be my choices then. Good luck to your friend, and happy shopping!

Here's what BHPian navin had to say on the matter:

I am not sure about the "Fun to Drive" and "Finance Structure" but I would add the Camry to this list. My family has both the 2012 version and the 2019 (hybrid) version. As of 2023, the average cost of maintenance (including tyres and battery) has been 40,000/year for the 2012 version and about 13,000/year for the 2019 version.

Disclaimer: we are almost always chauffeured, so backseat comfort and reliability are our primary concerns. On the occasions that I have had to drive the Camry, it has offered more than enough "oomph" for in-city driving even at 6 am (aka low traffic conditions). Then again I am "officially" a senior citizen so spirited drives aren't safe.

I found the C Class to be cramped in the back. For that matter, I find the 2019 Camry to be more cramped than the 2012 version. No idea why.

Are the 330Li or the A6 roomier than the C class or Camry? I usually like to sit cross-legged in the back seat with my laptop, paperwork and files occupying the middle seat.

The electric cars (EV6 / Ioniq5) have a rather odd seating arrangement where the knees are pushed a bit higher because of the battery. Besides, since I keep my cars for 10+ years, I don't want to worry about having to change batteries after 5-7 years.

Here's what BHPian shancz had to say on the matter:

Voted for the 3 series.

Always have and will be a BMW fanboy, until they decide to move away from the front engine rear wheel drive approach

Lucky enough to get a chance to drive one for a couple of days and unlucky enough to not be able to afford one

But the dream of the twisties and the first love lives on.

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.