[neo007]

I was thinking of getting a family car for highway runs next year, but ......
When a friend wanted to get a used or new performance car I tagged along with him to test drive a M340i as it was available again. Needless to say was blown with the performance of the car.
Got super tempted to get one but it was too small for my immediate requirement , didn't feel 3 people could feel at the back.
So had to give up the thought of getting a 340i, but decided it was time to buy a new car.

The cars that we use for highway runs are now more than 10year old (2012 Skoda Superb 1.8tsi & 2013 BMW X1 20D)
We are a family of 5.
3 adults & 2 kids ( both are 10).
We travel a lot between Surat & Mumbai & mostly we take a driver along.
Also once a year we do take a road trip , many a times with a lot of luggage & it's a big struggle to fit all the luggage in a boot of the
superb.

So space constraints & cars getting old meant it was time to look for a large car.
A more practical one with comfort for 5 /6 & boot space.
Since boot space was a big factor I travelled with 2 medium & 2 small size suitcases ,to understand boot space

My test drive impressions/ observations:

Hyundai Tucson
* Test drove the Tuscon as i had thought maybe i could buy a 340i as well ) , but it i was not a practical thought.
*Good engine and suspension. Decent driving position, very light steering
*Busy styling, but looks better in real life than the pics.
*Very light interior will get dirty easily.
*Decent interior & boot space & but it may not seem to take more than 3 medium & 3 small suitcases. ( did not have suitcases on hand to check)
*Could not figure out how useful the ADAS features will be in our erratic traffic conditions.
*Great parking camera.Video assisted turn indicators seems like a useful feature
* Seat ventilation is quite average.
*Didn't try the connected features.
*Head lights are quite low set. Guess it will be difficult to keep them clean and might get damaged often.

Toyota Fortuner.
*High commanding driving position. Gives you an all is well feeling.
* A few dents & scratches might add to the appeal
*Quite a torquey engine, but noisy, Think it will be quite noisy on the highway compared to German cars.
*Acceptable comfort in the 3rd row for people less than 5'.5" , taller passengers might feel ok for short distances. For kids it seems quite adequate.
*The media player is quite basic with no wireless apple or android connection & no 360 parking camera
* Could not figure out if the 4x4 will help during spirited driving on ghats or twisty roads.
*The ac seems decent.
*The seat ventilation was quite average.
*Love the big orvms
*Boot dimensions H=56 cm, width = 85/110 depth 115
*The boot can fit 4 cabin bags even with all 3 rows up.
*When the 3rd row is folded it eats into the boot space, also there's a weird niche behind the 2nd row But one can easily fits 3 medium & 4 checking bags + more

Skoda Kodiaq
*Was very difficult to get a test drive , as not dealer in Surat or Mumbai had a test drive vehicle, so got to a test drive from a friends friend.
*Very car-like to drive.
*The ride is on the comfier side and the steering is a bit too light , compared to the Fortuner
*Good features. ( parking camera, google & apple car play, ride control etc)
*The third row seats are much tighter on space & is good only for the kids, not sure even if teenagers will be happy. The Fortuner is better in this regards
*The second row is quite comfortable ,although the lumbar is average.
It also does not have as much leg room as a Fortuner but you have space for your feet below the front seats. Also not as wide as the superb or the Fortuner.
*Boot dimensions H=40 cm, d=105, w=100/120
*With all rows up the boot can hold 4 cabin sized bags just like the Fortuner
* The 3rd row folds flat which is an advantage, although the Fortuner boot seems a bit large. It can take 3 medium & 4 small bags


Kia carnival.
*Jittery ride
*Not a very smooth engine,
*average braking.
*Size is a challenge especially while reversing & parking. The width can be a challenge as well, especially on narrow roads.
*Not having a second row bench makes it a compromise for us when we need to fold the 3rd row & you need more luggage space.
*When you fold the 3rd row it eats into the luggage space as it fold in to the niche

Audi Q7
* Took a test drive as i was not really very happy with either the Fortuner & the Kodiaq
*Large & comfortable cruiser ,
*size & feel wise seems like It seems between a kodiaq and fortuner
*soft floaty suspension, dull steering.
*The second row has decent leg room, comfortable seats with ample width for 3, although the middle seat passenger might find the central tunnel a bit too high,
*The 3rd row seats are a bit low But usable.
*Why 360 camera is not a std in the base variant is beyond me.
*The auto parking does not seem easy to use.
*Has superb large sun visor covers that completely cover the side window and has another for the front windscreen , it should be std in all cars.
*Not a fan of touch controls for the ac but when it turns into a keypad for typing it is a neat touch.
*Not sure if android auto & apple are std.
*Decent B&O music system, although very average mids
*Boot dimensionsW= 106, D= 104, h= 46/75 ( till seat/ roof)
*The boot seems slightly larger than a kodiaq, as it seems i could take few more stuff then the 3+4 bags
*Loading luggage is easier as one can lower the suspension and the auto fold the seats.

Looked the used car options as well.

Used Audi 2018 Q7 45 tdi technology 52 + on the odo.
*Quite a choppy suspension, even more lateral movement then the current Q7
*not as smooth as the petrol & takes a while to gather speed.
*The brakes were spongy too.
*The mmi screen is quite small, the scroll & writing pad might take some time to get used to.
*The virtual cockpit shows only their stock maps & not android auto or apple maps.
*The wireless car charger is quite small and could not fit in my note 10+
*The split front central armrest is a good touch as both can be adjusted individually.
* The stories of maintenance issues after 5 or 6 years are scary

Used 2017 GLS350d 28 on odo
*Quite large almost as large as the kia carnival at-least in length but does not seem as wide
*Good smooth engine. Takes its time to get up to speed. Unless you plant your foot
*Steering has a decent feel
*Excellent ride & high speed manners. not as much lateral movement as the Audi. I feel It has a slower bounce compared to the Audi Q7
*In sport mode the lateral movement & acceleration is quite acceptable.
*Superb Ac and a very quiet cabin.
*The mmi is average although the screen size is decent
*Great cabin space The second row seats are very comfortable, has ample legroom.
*Great 3rd row too.Seems wider & leg room also seems slightly more than the Fortuner ( although the second row in the GLS doesn't move forward & back)
* Did not bother measuring the boot.Has a quite a large boot space can easily take in 4 medium, 4 small bags & still have space left for more
*Can take 4 small suitcase with all rows up

Did not test drive the MG Gloster as the second row had captain seats & also the Hycross as the version with 6 airbags has no bench seats in the second row, the innova was not considered as there was no automatic available .

After all things considered it was a choice between the Fortuner or a used GLS .
I could not digest giving close to 50L for a Fortuner for it's lack of refinement, comfort etc, plus waiting for close to 3 months.
Although i guess it's the smarter choice of the lot esp if you consider it's reliability, running cost & resale.
Also my Dad has always wanted a large Mercedes & so it was the GLS that got finalised.


Buying form Big Boys Toys, Mumbai
This will be our first used car purchase (through a dealer)
*They take a deposit for test driving the car. Which was told to us just a night before we were going to take the test drive.
*After you finalise the car ,they give you about a week to make a down payment & another 15 days or so to complete the balance payment.
*They do have a tie up with IDFC for car loans & they gave us a reasonable quote. But we got a better deal from Yes Bank. Although it was a mistake & a lot of heartburn, Never ever again will we consider Yesbank.
*They also let you send the car for a thorough check up to an authorised workshop & do say that they will complete the work suggested by the authorised workshop.
*But it's not completely true, the work suggested by the workshop has to then be approved by their technical head sitting at Delhi & the local technician.
*Fortunately for me I could verify their explanation with my friend who owns a multi brand workshop ,else it could be heartburn as the bill of repairs can run into lakhs.
*Since the car had worn out tyres they did give us a new set of tyres ,but were manufactured in 2021( Hate the Bridgestone's that they gave)
*BBT gives you a warranty for the car's engine & transmission. It's valid for 6months & 15k kms for diesel & 5k for petrol.
*They promise to deliver the car in showroom condition but that's only half the truth .We got the car with a decent new coat of paint but it was not even washed properly when delivered , leave alone the detailing bit they had promised. Highly disappointed by that bit.
*I wish buying from them would have been a bit more reassuring.Your only point of contact is the sales guy who has helped you finalise the car, talking to any one higher up is a challenge, especially if that person is in Delhi. It kept me a bit anxious about all their promises . Took a lot of time to sort each & every matter.
Not sure how it works with other used car dealers.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Dealership section. Thanks for sharing!

Going to our homepage tomorrow

[Kartikaygaur]

Asking out of curiosity, the prices mentioned on BBT have always looked a bit too high to me. How much negotiation is possible? Maybe if you can share in percentage terms?

[troublemaker]

Did they apply a new coat of paint? I would not want to get anything other than factory paint.

[theqca]

Congratulations on the car. Do share some photos and perhaps intial impressions after you've used it for about two weeks.

[neo007]

Originally Posted by Kartikaygaur

Asking out of curiosity, the prices mentioned on BBT have always looked a bit too high to me. How much negotiation is possible? Maybe if you can share in percentage terms?

It's fixed no negotiation possible, unless of course there might some other small issues

Originally Posted by troublemaker

Did they apply a new coat of paint? I would not want to get anything other than factory paint.

Well there are zero scratches on the paint, also i do see some orange peel effect & a slight mismatch between the bumper & metal.
But there is no serious accident or any slight mishap, i got that bit checked at an authorised Mercedes workshop & a multi brand workshop as well.
The cars full service history has also been checked & all seemed alright.

Originally Posted by theqca

Congratulations on the car. Do share some photos and perhaps intial impressions after you've used it for about two weeks.

Sure guess in a couple of days.
Sharing some pics

[14000rpm]

Originally Posted by neo007

Sure guess in a couple of days.
Sharing some pics

Congratulations. This looks classy and seems like a well kept example.
For a brief while I had been looking for the 1st generation of this model- the GL, in the used cars but I was specifically searching for the one's with locking diff's. Gave up soon.
I don't think yours has it too. or does it?

[Sahil]

Congrats! While, the detailing should have been done, I think them providing you with a full new set of tyres is great! That would have costed close to a lakh in this size.

BBT is known to have a fixed price but I am not sure if that holds true as often I have seen them drop their own pricing on their slow moving inventory.

However, BBT does not keep unrealistic margins. In most cases I have seen them keep 15% on average (give or take 5% up or down). This is based on some of their purchase prices that I have known of.

I have never done a deal with them but have explored it, recently sold my Jaguar and they offered the best price amongst other dealers. I later sold it for a better price to an individual buyer. From what I saw, they did a history check on the car and have a good sense of what they are buying.

Got to give them credit where due, they have upped the game of the used car market in India that is highly unorganised and unprofessional. We need more players to step up their game so selling and purchasing of preowned cars becomes as seamless as it is for new.

[neo007]

Originally Posted by 14000rpm

Congratulations. This looks classy and seems like a well kept example.
For a brief while I had been looking for the 1st generation of this model- the GL, in the used cars but I was specifically searching for the one's with locking diff's. Gave up soon.
I don't think yours has it too. or does it?

Thanks!
No it does not have Locking Diff, but has diff modes which do alter the power delivery, limits speeds etc.

The videos that I have seen on youtube do seem to suggest good off road ability.

Originally Posted by Sahil

Congrats! While, the detailing should have been done, I think them providing you with a full new set of tyres is great! That would have costed close to a lakh in this size.

BBT is known to have a fixed price but I am not sure if that holds true as often I have seen them drop their own pricing on their slow moving inventory.

However, BBT does not keep unrealistic margins. In most cases I have seen them keep 15% on average (give or take 5% up or down). This is based on some of their purchase prices that I have known of.

I have never done a deal with them but have explored it, recently sold my Jaguar and they offered the best price amongst other dealers. I later sold it for a better price to an individual buyer. From what I saw, they did a history check on the car and have a good sense of what they are buying.

Got to give them credit where due, they have upped the game of the used car market in India that is highly unorganised and unprofessional. We need more players to step up their game so selling and purchasing of preowned cars becomes as seamless as it is for new.

Thanks!
Yes disappointing that it was not even cleaned properly.

The old tyres where completely done, had never been changed through the life of the car. They had agreed to change them straight away as a part of the terms of buying, I had requested them to give us Michelins but they only had Bridgestone Tyres in stock & I think cost about 1.5+ for a set of 4.

Although I can't comment on their margins etc
About pricing of our car-We looked at 4 other options, model year 2017/18 which were cheaper but they had more than 60k+ kms or model year 2019 which were more expensive & While we were looking at this car BBT had two other options in more or less the same pricing & all got sold.

So I guess BBT does seem to have sorted out their prices & probably do a good check on the car that they enlist.

Yes it's nice to see some organised resale for premium cars. Hope we get more such options soon.

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[neo007]

Some observations for the first 1000 kms.
I drove the car my self form Mumbai to Surat
* Love the driving position
* Took me while to get used to softer suspension & the size esp while reversing a couple of times.
* Felt more comfortable while driving it in the sport mode. The body roll & movement is quite acceptable to me
* The brakes have a bit more travel then my BMW & Skoda, needs to pressed a bit hard for immediate stopping

As a passenger for my Surat - Mumbai - Surat trip
* The front seats are way more comfortable then the second row
* I'm near about 6ft & i find the leg room to be decent in the second row, although i would have liked a bit for shoulder support & maybe thigh support ( not sure if just the length or maybe the height too)
* The cabin is super quite
* On highway runs ,even as a passenger i prefer the ride in sport mode unless its a very bumpy road.

Some Niggles
* Unable to get the Android Auto to work, it kept asking to adjust the date ( which was set to some 2001), auto date & time setting sets the time to 2hr+ than IST
* Sent it to the Merc Workshop , they loaded the new firmware, but now it does let us set the time too
* Tried a couple of android boxes none of them worked too
The inbuilt navigation is horrendous, the location keep showing around Nashik
* Trying to figure out how to change the tyre pressure info to PSI
* Also wonder what would be the ideal tyre pressure , at the moment it's 35psi

Will update more after our 3k KMS road trip to Goa , Coastal Karnataka & Coorg.

[AKINA]

Originally Posted by neo007

Also wonder what would be the ideal tyre pressure , at the moment it's 35psi .

The manufacturer recommended tyre pressure will be mentioned in the driver door jam and the owner's manual.

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by AKINA

The manufacturer recommended tyre pressure will be mentioned in the driver door jam and the owner's manual.

In zee germans it maybe on the inner side fuel filler lid. Do check if it is not there on the driver door frame area.

Edit: it seems to be there on the door frame as seen in this image.

[Sivacar]

Originally Posted by neo007

* Trying to figure out how to change the tyre pressure info to PSI
* Also wonder what would be the ideal tyre pressure , at the moment it's 35psi

Tyre Pressure is always displayed as kpa in the instrument cluster, it cannot be changed to psi

You can check behind the fuel flap to check the correct tyre pressure, there both kpa and psi values are mentioned

[swifthook]

Congratulations on your purchase. You have mentioned that you are based in Mumbai/Surat. I can't help but notice that pictures of the car are taken outside BBT Hyderabad showroom. I am assuming that they've transported the car on flat bed to your city. Was it a TS registered vehicle or was it MH registered? If it was TS registered, did BBT support you with regards to RTA procedures?

[neo007]

Yes i'm aware about the tyre pressure mentioned behind the fuel lid, But it's quite High. All german cars that we have used suggest a very high tyre pressure. I don't think it is feasible on our roads.


I'm not aware where the pics have been taken , but they did have a TS registered GLS too. I bought the MH registered one they do help you with the transfer, but my bank wanted to get it done themselves.