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BHPian kch82 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
Hello Everyone,
This is going to be a lengthy one, request you to bear with me.
After a patient wait of near 10 years, I am ready to buy my second ‘performance/luxury’ car. My first was the Chevrolet Cruze AT that served me well for near 10 years, however thanks to the diesel restrictions in Delhi it is time for her to go. My everyday workhorse is the Creta that has also clocked near 90k km, but I plan to keep it for another 2 years.
My budget, to begin with, was Rs 50 lakh on-road, but cars in that bracket did not tick mark my wish list. The nearest that came was perhaps the Mercedes A200, but I am not really a Mercedes fan and the back seat of the A200 was a bit disappointing.
My main requirements: Good snappy drive, aesthetics, front & rear seat comfort, powerful air conditioning and decent features including good audio. The expected running is approx. 15k per year and I hope to keep the car for 5 years - 7 years.
Then came my obvious choice - the BMWs. I started looking at the 320d Luxury edition, but the car seemed too vanilla for my liking. My heart was on the newer 320Ld (grand limousine) because of the much more comfortable rear seat, Harmon sound, bigger sunroof and a few newer features. But as with all good things in life, this too comes with a significant price jump.
I spoke to a few dealerships and the common ‘advice’ that I received from the sales reps was that given my 15k annual run I should only go in for a Petrol variant. I also did a fairly detailed calculation keeping in mind the diesel vs petrol cost and the car price difference (including the presumed lower maintenance of Petrol) and my conclusion is that at the end of 5 years the total cost between Diesel and Petrol should be near equal. Broadly speaking I will spend in total 1.5 L more on fuel in the next 5 years, in the case of petrol but I save 3 lacs upfront on the petrol model.
During a visit to a showroom, I laid my eyes on a grey 330i M Sport with a black grill. Stunning to say the least. The M kit really stood out. I also tried the 320Ld and 330Li and my observations on the positives (+) and negatives (-) are as follows:
Pros:
Cons:
Pros:
Cons:
For some reason, I seem to be fixated on the M sport add on. To the extent that even if I buy the 320Li I may consider the M Sport variant on that too. Of course, it will all depend upon the final deal and financing option that is offered to me.
To help me clear my mind, I have put together a few questions where I request your expertise and experience:
Again, apologies for the long post and several questions. I will request your view to enable me to make the right choice.
Thanks a lot.
Here's what BHPian gupta_v_kr had to say on the matter:
Being a recent owner of a 330Li luxury Line, I would definitely advise you to upgrade to the 330Li if back seat comfort is your criteria. Answering some of your queries hereunder:-
The real-world mileage that I get with a mix of city and highway drive is around 10km/litre.
I did not wish to pay extra for the Msport trim just because of the Msport kit. Horror stories of the low profile tyres also influenced my decision to avoid this trim.
Given my experience, discounts are likely to be in the range of 2-4 lakhs.
I was fascinated by the new C too but test drove the current generation C and the C just can't hold against the 330i or 330Li in terms of fun to drive criteria.
Overall, 330i will have better driving dynamics but the back seat comfort is far better in the 330Li. If you wish to drive with your family around then should definitely look at the 330Li than the 330i.
Here's what BHPian rag_nfs had to say on the matter:
Going through the same decision-making process as you right now. A few of my thoughts:
- Looking at the price difference between the 330 variants it doesn't make sense to buy anything except the 3GL M sport
- The new C class has better driving dynamics than the previous ones, they have supposedly reduced the gap with BMW, though I doubt in the real world one can feel the difference, especially while driving in Gurgaon, Delhi.
- The discounts on 3 series are around 3 L
- The C class will be a tad expensive and will come with no discounts, launch is 7 days away so I'm planning to wait for that.
Thanks
Here's what BHPian iliketurtles had to say on the matter:
Here are my thoughts in brief for your dilemma.
Do you need the extra space for the kids and family? In that case, the 3xxLi makes a lot more sense for your needs. Only you can say how much it matters.
The 330i will give you about 7 km/l or so in traffic. No two ways about that. The post above yours talked of 10 km/l as a mix of highway +city. That sounds about right. The diesel is far more fuel-efficient that way.
I definitely feel that 15k km a year is approaching the territory where a diesel starts to make sense. But, the 330i is the far better engine w.r.t. fun and the luxury quotient, so would recommend it over diesel IF you don't mind its inefficiency versus the diesel.
I would definitely pick the M-sport trim if I were you, it just makes it look that much nicer, and will make the car "feel" nicer and fresher for a longer time. That said, if you don't like it on the Li, go for the "Normal" trim.
If I were you, I'd go for the 330i M Sport. Besides the money saved upfront, it'll be slightly more fun to drive and the dimensions look nicer. Does the extra toys + space on the Li warrant it for you? Again, that is a deeply personal question, and one only you can answer. Drive both back-to-backs and see how you feel. That will answer your question.
You can definitely skip the service pack and go a la carte (it won't be a big difference for your use case), but definitely get the maximum extended warranty, especially if you plan to keep this for a longer time. Think of it as an extra insurance policy against parts failing (and they will, small and hopefully not big).
Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.