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Why I finalised the BMW 3 Series: Overall experience after 11,000 km

10th March 2024, 14:10 by Utkarsh Chaudhary

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I ruled out the Lexus and Audi A4 and A6. I was left with only two options as per my requirements - Mercedes C Class and BMW 330Li M Sport Gran Limousine.

BHPian Motorhead3321 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

My new BMW 330Li M Sport LCI Gran Limousine

Hi all. Here is a report on my experience with my car.

Date of Purchase: 3 April 2023
Dealer: Deutche Motoren Whitefield Bengaluru
Color: Carbon Black Metallic with Cognac Interiors
Usage Pattern: Daily 25 kms in the city with a Bangalore Cochin Drive once in 2 months.
Kilometers completed as of 29 February 2024: 11000

Likes

The B48 (D) Petrol Engine churns out a whopping 258 BHP and an impressive peak torque of 400 NM. 0-100 km/h could be achieved in 5.9 seconds (BMW claim 6.2 seconds). The car has a marriage made in heaven with the ZF8 transmission.
Cabin is definitely the most spacious in the segment. The rear legroom and seat positions are just perfect for both daily use and highway drives. More than enough headroom for tall passengers despite the panoramic sunroof. The leather and plastic quality is top-notch. Everything is firmly put together.
idrive 8: The LCI comes updated with idrive 8 configured in a curved twin-touch widescreen display and a fully digital instrument panel. Offers connected drive with 'My BMW' app. Resolution is UHD. BMW Navigation is now offered with 3D Maps. (way cooler than Google Maps). I drive touch has handwriting recognition and direct access shortcut buttons. Enabled with remote software update and digital key.
LCI Design update makes the car look more aggressive and sportier with the M aerodynamics package (comes as standard). Front and rear get sport aprons, revised high gloss chrome kidney grill and bumpers. The interior updates also make the car futuristic with a new gear selector and the screens.
16 Speaker 464-Watt Harman Kardon Surround sound system is next level good.

Dislikes

M Sport trim deserves the anthracite black headlining in the interior. This was offered in the pre facelift 330i standard wheelbase M sport trim. Now offered only in the M340i LCI.
Iconic sounds and sports + not offered. But BMW chose to delete it to maintain the limousine characteristic. This was offered in the standard wheelbase pre LCI models.
Rear seat magazine holders deleted in the LCI. However, BMW has chosen to do away with this in all their new models. Even the new 7 series come without it.
No sun blinds for rear and passenger windows.
No ADAS and lane keep assist offered in India.

Alternatives considered and why this car

With a budget of Rs. 75 lacs, I was very clear that the car shall be a petrol, rear wheel driven and German. Which ruled out Lexus and Audi A4/A6 from the beginning. So, my two options were the BMW 3 Series Gran Limousine and the Mercedes C Class.

Here is a quick report on the C Class C200 Avantgarde alternative.

Likes

Timeless and elegant design
The interiors will blow you away. It's modern, state of the art and in all sense a baby S class. (Please do not go by the YouTube reviews and form opinion on the design. I would urge everyone the experience the car in a dealership)
IoT, Auto Emergency braking, ISG and ADAS Enabled.
Wheel design. Though only 17 inch, it gives a turbine-like look when in motion.

Dislikes

The petrol engine in the C200 to me is a confused being. The 1.5 liter 200 bhp unit lacks punch and has poor mating with the 9-speed gearbox. On downshifts, the car just doesn't know which gear to slot into. When you floor it, the car just revs, and not much power is sent to the wheels (more like a CVT experience). I just couldn't establish any relationship with this engine. Also, the EQ boost feature doesn't last long enough to make an impact. MB India should replace the C200 with a C300 petrol in India.
Grabby Brakes as a result of the mild hybrid system. Since the engine was underpowered, I tried light-footed driving, but the brakes were grabby and uncomfortable.
Low ground clearance. Car had to be maneuvered carefully around medium-sized humps.
Rear legroom and cabin size is small and cramped.

Why finalized with the 3 series?

Well, I got all my answers at the ignition of the BMW (the cold start is a pure joy to the ears) and boy the test drive gave me absolute clarity. Me and family had a big smile on our faces thanks to the way the BMW drove. It was pure driving pleasure and yes rightfully the ultimate driving machine. Zero complaints. Absolutely loved the Carbon Black Metallic color with cognac interior and the family had a clear consensus on the choice. The BMW beat the Merc in a 4-0 raise of hands family vote.

Dealership experiences

In order of visitation. Date of Visits 20 and 21 February 2023.

Sundaram Motors Bengaluru

I had a very good experience with Sundaram Motors and sales advisor Mr. Faiz. He is thoroughly knowledgeable and spent at least one hour with the family explaining the product. Went in with prior appointment (always recommended) and did a good 8 km test drive. Was also offered a highway drive in the Bengaluru airport road.

Mercedes no longer works in a dealer format apparently. Since 2020 all dealers have been converted to franchises. You buy the car directly from MB India and the franchise will execute the delivery on its behalf. Sundaram Motors sounded helpless when it came to price as the final price is system generated and discounts are given through coupons only.

Navnit Motors (Now KUN Exclusive)

Sales Manager Avinash Mammen was very courteous. The car was launched just a week before our visit and hence there were no test drive cars available on that day. There were not willing to go offer any discounts other than insurance. (Navnit Motors transferred their Bangalore business to Chennai/Hyderabad based KUN Exclusive sometime in late 2023)

Deutsche Motoren

To my surprise, they had test drive units available already unlike Navnit. The sales team at Deutsche Motoren is very aggressive. Over and above test drive, we were also offered a visit to the stockyard to see color options on the same day. My sales advisor Ms. Preetha could undercut Navnit Motors and closed the deal in our very first meeting. Very strong and energetic team.

To our surprise, the entire first lot of 20 units delivered to Deutsche Motoren was sold out within a week. We had to wait for the second lot with a tentative delivery for 1st week of April 2023.

Price

Final Negotiated (On the road Karnataka with 1% TCS)

Sundaram Motors C 200 Avantgarde- (Rs. 70.57 lacs) with Star Platinum Insurance
Navnit Motors- (Rs. 73.3 lacs) with BMW Insurance and Tyre secure
Deutsche Motoren- (Rs. 72.8 lacs) with BMW Insurance and Tyre secure and BSI 3-year Maintenance Pack

Review points

Overall build quality, fit & finish, paint quality and panel gaps- BMW has not left any stone unturned when it comes to these aspects. Full marks to them. I have no complaints or negative observation to date. Very proud that such strong finish is offered from their assembly line in Chennai.
Wheels & Tyres- 18" inch wheels double-spoke style twin tone with mixed low-profile tyres (Front 225/45 and Rear 255/40). Michelin Pilot sport 4S run flat Tyres offered as standard. The tyres make the ride plush and offer enhanced grip.
Interior design & quality (plastics, upholstery, fit & finish etc.) - Top notch plastics and quality in the BMW. The Mercedes has a more futuristic design but has a lot of cheap plastics going on. Would recommend everyone to get a good touch a feel of all plastic parts before buying. The Mercedes has better seats in the front and offers ventilation and massage which the BMW misses out on. Instrument panel is wrapped in sensatec leather which adds to the premium.
Driving position, ergonomics, controls & MID - Front seats are electrically adjustable with memory function for driver. Front seats are sports seats with extension for thigh support. Misses out on Lumbard adjustment. Car is enabled with launch control and cruise control.
Visibility & size of mirrors- Electrically adjustable and heated. The automatic anti dazzle function helps cut out strong headlamp beams from rear. It misses out on blind side monitoring. The passenger side exterior mirror has parking function (automatically folds to give curb side view). Much needed to save the alloys from scrapping.
Air conditioner cooling & effectiveness - Offered with 3 zone air conditioning with rear air vents. Have no issues as it offers max cool and auxiliary ventilation for parking in hot sun. Aux ventilation can be accessed through phone as well through my BMW app.
Audio system & sound quality- Harman Kardon Surround Sound system with 16 speakers and 464 Watts is clearly from a segment or two above. The music system works best with Apple music Hi res lossless.
Interior storage, practicality & boot space - Decent size glove box. Good bottle holders' spaces which can hold two one-liter bottles comfortably. Boot is compromised because of the space saver spare wheel. Tailgate has an automatic function (do remind the security guards to use the button else the motor may wear out). Wireless charging is seamless with both my iPhone 15 Pro and Samsung S24 ultra. No overheating issues faced.
Drivability in the city - For bumper-to-bumper traffic better to switch to eco pro mode and turn off the automatic engine on/off. Have averaged 12 kmpl (lifetime) in a mixed blend of city and highway drive. It Returns a mileage of 10kmpl in the city from mostly comfort mode usage. Car is very peppy and will not overwhelm you at any point with its size. The ground clearance is more than adequate and have not faced an issue so far.
Drivability on the highway - Sheer driving pleasure. Planted drive at high speed and enhanced cornering stability. No turbo lag whatsoever. Engine is refined, loves to be revved and is at the heart of this beast. All kinds of overtakes are easy and can take on anyone.
Gearshift & clutch- As mentioned above, the ZF8 single torque converter gearbox and the B48 is a match made in heaven.
Overall NVH levels (including engine, wind & road noise) - Completely cut off from the rest of the world when in comfort mode. No wind or road noise. The Michelins do an incredible job of keeping road noise to a near nil. Acoustic glazing on windows adds to this. The beast comes alive in sports mode. I do miss iconic sounds.
Handling, on-road behavior, grip levels, stability, body roll & turning radius - Stout and steady. No body roll even in hairpins. W.r.t turning radius, the M sport steering wheel is enabled with BMW servotronic assist and does the job very well for you in U turns especially.

Safety & related equipment

Airbags for driver and passenger, head airbags in front and rear and side airbags for driver and front passenger.
ABS with brake assist and auto emergency braking.
Cornering brake control. Plays a good role in hair pin bends.
Dynamic stability control and Dynamic traction control.
Vehicle immobilizer with crash sensor. (great feature in case of crash to avoid getting locked up)
Side impact protection with absorbers and railings in architecture.

Other particular likes

Heat protection glazing over and above the acoustic glazing helps contain UV damage to the interior.
Welcome carpet lights from the side mirrors will wow you all the time.
BMW LED Automatic headlights come standard and the daytime running lights look much more cooler now compared to the pre LCI variant.

Other particular dislikes

No wooden trims offered in India unlike other markets. In fact, no option to customize the trims and options at all. However, the same scene with Mercedes and Audi so can't complain.
No more 12V charging points. Only USB C offered as standard across.

Delivery Experience

Delivery date was 3 April 2023. We did not perform any PDI as the car was produced after our booking and we took delivery within one day of its arrival at the dealer.

Deutsche Motoren picked us up from home in the afternoon. Pooja was arranged for us in the showroom. Documentation was followed with cake cutting and unveiling the car. They had 43 deliveries on that day. Overall, a very smooth and pleasant experience executed to perfection by Deutsche Motoren. 10/10 for their management.

Accessories purchased at the time of delivery:

Leather Key fob
All season floor mats (highly recommended). Very easy to maintain interior with these mats.
Fuel additives

Refueling

In Bangalore city, I only use shell normal petrol. Costs 12 rupees/litre more but gives great peace of mind.
When consistent with Shell I use the BMW fuel additive once in 2500 kms only.
During Bangalore Cochin drives I plan refuel at Shell Coimbatore Avinashi Road.
In Cochin, I refuel from IOCL Kadavanthara, IOCL Edappaly and BPCL COCO Koonamthai but for every refuel, I finish one full bottle BMW additive (being extra cautious).
Chennai, Mysore and Hyderabad Highways are enabled with Shell so no worries.
I am avoiding Jio BP and Shell V power to avoid non-OEM additives in the engine. IOCL 95 octane is very inconsistent on quality so never used in this car.

PPF

PPF offered by Deutsche Motoren is fulfilled by H1 Car detailing at their service center. Quoted Rs. 1.75 lac for Max decal PPF (Indonesian brand with no proper website also). Unless you are very keen on getting PPF done at the BMW facility itself I would say avoid it. H1 Car detailing offered the same at Rs. 1.1 lac at their Sahakarnagar facility.
I did a lot of research and finally stuck to XPEL PPF at Carsbuddy RT Nagar for Rs. 1.5 lac.
H1 Sahakarnagar has become really popular now and is offering PPF from XPEL and Stek but was not available at the time of my purchase.

Rodent entry

No case of rodent entry till date, touchwood. However, no solution to the threat. BMW service advisor clearly advised against getting 3M rodent entry engine coating as it would interfere with AC system. I go to bed every day scared. Hope a solution comes by soon. Praying to God.

First service

My first engine oil service was completed in December 2023 in Deutsche Motoren itself. I had no complaints or issues. Was charged Rs. 28000 for wheel alignment, wheel balancing, fuel additives, wiper fluids, engine cleaning, interior cleaning and AC cleaning. Rest all covered under BSI Maintenance pack. Had a very good support from service advisor Mr Jatin. Car was delivered to me within 6 hours. Went in with a prior appointment (always recommended).