BMW 320d : The Expression of Joy

FlyingSpur · 8th March 2010, 10:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by gomzi

Hmmm, waiting for Kartik kya? Lets meet up soon, i'm missing that delicious shwarma.

Mr. Kartik Kasbekar is too busy these days

Can't get an appointment. And I just had that shwarma a couple of days back.

Quote:

Oh and did you get it at the pre-budget price? I can't seem to find that thread now.

Yeah that was part of the deal.

Safin · 8th March 2010, 16:22

Congrats Akshay on the Fabulous Purchase, I have always been a BMW Admirer

We all are now waiting for some stunning pictures of the Beauty.

ikoneer · 8th March 2010, 16:33

Congrats flyingspur for the great car. Now whos' going to drive the i20

Akshay1234 · 8th March 2010, 16:39

congrats on the bimmer. brilliant choice i must say.

FlyingSpur · 8th March 2010, 19:08

@Safin : Pictures soon. @Ikoneer : Me! This is my father's car! @Akshay : Thanks man.

FlyingSpur · 8th March 2010, 23:14

Background:

The Corolla has been in service since a little over five years now, and still going strong. Talk about Japanese reliability. This car has seen everything; the redline on some occasions, a light foot on most, a variety of driving conditions and road conditions, some offroading etc. Since my father’s car is used extensively, the car has clocked about 1,26,000km to date, with barely a rattle just beginning to surface now (which I will finally get around to taking care of, now that it’s under my vigil). The best part is, inspite of having been used extensively, it’s still been taken care of with utmost love and affection, with the odd scratch being touched up immediately. Car has always looked pristine, and felt pristine. Furthermore, it’s been fuel efficient too, a big bonus since it’s a powerful petrol and is used quite a lot.

Replacing such a monumental vehicle (over 30 million sold worldwide since 1966) is no easy task. We were quite clear that the next car had to be a significant upgrade. Yet, the requirements were quite clear; diesel economy, reliability, ease of driving both in urban as well as highway environments, and mainly peace of mind regarding service and maintenance costs.

The Contenders:

There were a LOT. I prepared a comprehensive car guide of my own, listed down everything available between the Cruze and the 520d, for my dad to get a clear picture of the extremely wide segment. That meant the Cruze, Captiva, Laura DSG, Jetta DSG, Accord, Superb, Camry, CR-V, Outlander, Fortuner, Teana, 320d, C220 CDI, A4 2.0 TDI, GV, Passat, Endeavour, 520d.

Small sedans :

The Cruze / Laura / Jetta we didn’t really look at, didn’t seem like much of an upgrade in terms of both brand and segment, although my dad was very impressed with the Cruze when we TD’d the Captiva. My pick in this bracket would have been the Cruze A/T.

SUV (Petrol) :

The Outlander / CR-V being petrols would be quite thisty. My pick in this petrol SUV segment would have been the Outlander, a friend has it and I LOVE it, although I’m not very impressed with this facelifted version now available. The GV wasn’t the upgrade we were looking for in terms of brand, the I would have preferred the old 2.0 to the new 2.4. In terms of size and looks, this would have been a perfect car.

SUV (Diesel) :

The diesel SUV segment caught our eye. Why not, mulled my dad, although he knew that they’re too big for his daily urban use. Since I hate the Fortuner we didn’t bother to go have a look (my dad really does take my word for car buying decisions). I’ve been raving about the Captiva for a while now, and we decided to take a TD. And I was honestly so impressed with it, that this was shortlisted as one of the final options incase we decided on an SUV. Diesel, powerful, spacious and comfortable, flexible seating, and IMO the best-looking SUV from the exterior as well as well as interior aesthetics. My dad loved it too. So we had a finalist.

Large Sedans :

From the very beginning, my dad had kinda decided that the Accord was not worth it. Oversized for the urban crawl, hardly an upgrade to the Corolla in terms of features, not that impressive a brand (no, we’re NOT all gaga over the Honda badge, and I stopped giving a damn about Honda after the OHC). Furthermore, in A/T guise, it was thirsty as well. Yet, the sheer sense it made as a large sedan upgrade (in terms of ease of maintenance and reliability) made us keep it aside as another finalist. We saw the Superb, but my dad was not impressed with the rear looks or very fascinated with acres of legroom. Add to that, the non-negotiable need of the car to be reliable made us drop the Superb as an option. Petrol too thirsty, diesel was the noisy old PD engine, bad A.S.S. and unreliability etc etc. The Superb was out. Pity, because on paper the car was perfect for our needs. We didn’t bother to look at the Teana. Sparse service network and expensive parts without any service plans went against it.

Entry-level Germans :

We’ve TD’d the Passat before, and my dad was wondering about the CorpEd at that price instead of the Passat.

To the big boys now. We were clear that unless there was a maintenance plan on offer, we would not enter this segment. Audi *poof* eliminated. For the sake of it, we took a TD of the C220 CDI elegance. My dad could just not come to terms with how ordinary the centre console design, the interiors and the rear styling was. Add to that, the absence of a service plan. The C was dropped.

Then came BMW. Service plan, check. Runflats? My dad was fine with the ride during the TD. Highline? He didn’t see much utility in half the stuff on offer, especially with a gaping difference of 10L between the CorpEd and the Highline. FE ? Check. Brand upgrade? Check. Cost effective? Check, with the CorpEd. Compact and easy to drive within the city? Check. By now, the CorpEd was starting to make unquestionable sense.

Finale:

Taking everything into consideration, out of the finalists i.e. 320d CorpEd, Captiva & Accord, we decided to take a final call and went with the Beemer + BSI for 5 years / 100,000 km. No regrets. I still love the Captiva, I hope it will have a place in our garage someday.

Credits : German cars are uncharted and daunting territory. Before you know it, you could go bankrupt and / or lose youe head with these beauties unless you're provided with a clear picture about how things are, and how things will be. A big thanks to Sahil and Indra for patiently answering my queries. I suspect I'm on Sahil's DND list by now

Since I'm not being able to click proper snaps and this thread has run into four pages and 50 posts already, I thought I should atleast upload what I have, so that I don't do the kind of injustice to readers which I accuse most people of doing when they dont upload snaps asap.

BMW 320d : The Expression of Joy-wlppr.jpg

BMW 320d : The Expression of Joy-img_9134-large.jpg

BMW 320d : The Expression of Joy-img_9135-large.jpg

BMW 320d : The Expression of Joy-img_9138-large.jpg

BMW 320d : The Expression of Joy-img_9140-large.jpg

I know I know, need a better camera, the pictures don't do justice etc etc. Please bear with me

BTW, for those of you who are interested in such trivial matters as FE, the car is past 200 km today, 75% of which was on the highway. The on-board computer reads 12.1 kmpl.

gomzi · 9th March 2010, 00:13

This is the perfect colour for the beemer, but I thought you weren't too fond of black.

FlyingSpur · 9th March 2010, 00:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by gomzi

This is the perfect colour for the beemer, but I thought you weren't too fond of black.

Black is not preferred (not my personal choice). But that's the whole point Gomz. My car's Monaco Blue

Akshay1234 · 9th March 2010, 00:16

those rims are just hot. and tints please.

Mevtec · 9th March 2010, 00:30

Hi flyingspur congrats for the new car.Amazing work of engineering.BMW is a dream car.Please post more pictures.

Cars like BMW are brought when you listen to ones "Heart" than "Mind"(? Like Honda's VTEC's,like ANHC)

indra_slk · 9th March 2010, 00:38

Congrats! On your 320d. You told me you were getting a Monaco blue, seems that you have changed your mind.

Sorry if I am taking up your space but I'd like to post pics of my Alpine White 320d too.

OT: The third picture is just perfect for a wallpaper.

FlyingSpur · 9th March 2010, 00:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by akshay1234

those rims are just hot. and tints please.

Thank you! Somehow everyone loves them. I do too. Infact people tell me they're better than the current Highline rims, and I agree. Tints tomorrow. Was supposed to happen today but Milan is such a dustbin. Getting installation done at my place instead.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mevtec

Cars like BMW are brought when you listen to ones "Heart" than "Mind"(? Like Honda's VTEC's,like ANHC)

In our case, the Beemer was, believe it or not, more of a head decision than a heart decision. Hardly matters, the way it's worked out

Akshay1234 · 9th March 2010, 00:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by flyingspur

Thank you! Somehow everyone loves them. I do too. Infact people tell me they're better than the current Highline rims, and I agree. Tints tomorrow. Was supposed to happen today but Milan is such a dustbin. Getting installation done at my place instead.

which tints are you getting? and who do you go to at milan? i was thinking of going to this place called bhavi, are they any good? havent seen you on msn lately.

the rims are waay better than the highline rims. now i have my eyes set on this car for the end of the year if budget permits (doubt it will). lol maybe a pre owned 325i then.

theragingbull · 9th March 2010, 01:05

Beautiful color. Sexy rims. I love the 320D!

Also, the way the ORVMs fold up in Bimmers is just awesome!

FlyingSpur · 9th March 2010, 01:34

@ Indra : The car IS Monaco Blue

Quote:

Originally Posted by akshay1234

which tints are you getting? and who do you go to at milan? i was thinking of going to this place called bhavi, are they any good? havent seen you on msn lately.

I will PM you details of the place. Deciding between Garware (recommended by Sahil) and 3M (on my i20) for the sides and back. Front is 3M CR70 for sure.

No time for MSN !!

Quote:

Originally Posted by theragingbull

Beautiful color. Sexy rims. I love the 320D! Also, the way the ORVMs fold up in Bimmers is just awesome!

Thankoo thankoo

8th March 2010, 16:22	#47
Safin BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: NYC Posts: 133 Thanked: 23 Times View My Garage	Congrats Akshay on the Fabulous Purchase, I have always been a BMW Admirer We all are now waiting for some stunning pictures of the Beauty.
	() Thanks

8th March 2010, 16:33	#48
ikoneer BHPian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: chennai Posts: 486 Thanked: 14 Times	Congrats flyingspur for the great car. Now whos' going to drive the i20
	() Thanks

8th March 2010, 16:39	#49
Akshay1234 Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 10,327 Thanked: 12,914 Times	congrats on the bimmer. brilliant choice i must say.
	() Thanks

8th March 2010, 19:08	#50
FlyingSpur Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Bay Area, CA Posts: 3,936 Thanked: 1,449 Times View My Garage	@Safin : Pictures soon. @Ikoneer : Me! This is my father's car! @Akshay : Thanks man.
	() Thanks

8th March 2010, 23:14	#51
FlyingSpur Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Bay Area, CA Posts: 3,936 Thanked: 1,449 Times View My Garage	Background: The Corolla has been in service since a little over five years now, and still going strong. Talk about Japanese reliability. This car has seen everything; the redline on some occasions, a light foot on most, a variety of driving conditions and road conditions, some offroading etc. Since my father’s car is used extensively, the car has clocked about 1,26,000km to date, with barely a rattle just beginning to surface now (which I will finally get around to taking care of, now that it’s under my vigil). The best part is, inspite of having been used extensively, it’s still been taken care of with utmost love and affection, with the odd scratch being touched up immediately. Car has always looked pristine, and felt pristine. Furthermore, it’s been fuel efficient too, a big bonus since it’s a powerful petrol and is used quite a lot. Replacing such a monumental vehicle (over 30 million sold worldwide since 1966) is no easy task. We were quite clear that the next car had to be a significant upgrade. Yet, the requirements were quite clear; diesel economy, reliability, ease of driving both in urban as well as highway environments, and mainly peace of mind regarding service and maintenance costs. The Contenders: There were a LOT. I prepared a comprehensive car guide of my own, listed down everything available between the Cruze and the 520d, for my dad to get a clear picture of the extremely wide segment. That meant the Cruze, Captiva, Laura DSG, Jetta DSG, Accord, Superb, Camry, CR-V, Outlander, Fortuner, Teana, 320d, C220 CDI, A4 2.0 TDI, GV, Passat, Endeavour, 520d. Small sedans : The Cruze / Laura / Jetta we didn’t really look at, didn’t seem like much of an upgrade in terms of both brand and segment, although my dad was very impressed with the Cruze when we TD’d the Captiva. My pick in this bracket would have been the Cruze A/T. SUV (Petrol) : The Outlander / CR-V being petrols would be quite thisty. My pick in this petrol SUV segment would have been the Outlander, a friend has it and I LOVE it, although I’m not very impressed with this facelifted version now available. The GV wasn’t the upgrade we were looking for in terms of brand, the I would have preferred the old 2.0 to the new 2.4. In terms of size and looks, this would have been a perfect car. SUV (Diesel) : The diesel SUV segment caught our eye. Why not, mulled my dad, although he knew that they’re too big for his daily urban use. Since I hate the Fortuner we didn’t bother to go have a look (my dad really does take my word for car buying decisions). I’ve been raving about the Captiva for a while now, and we decided to take a TD. And I was honestly so impressed with it, that this was shortlisted as one of the final options incase we decided on an SUV. Diesel, powerful, spacious and comfortable, flexible seating, and IMO the best-looking SUV from the exterior as well as well as interior aesthetics. My dad loved it too. So we had a finalist. Large Sedans : From the very beginning, my dad had kinda decided that the Accord was not worth it. Oversized for the urban crawl, hardly an upgrade to the Corolla in terms of features, not that impressive a brand (no, we’re NOT all gaga over the Honda badge, and I stopped giving a damn about Honda after the OHC). Furthermore, in A/T guise, it was thirsty as well. Yet, the sheer sense it made as a large sedan upgrade (in terms of ease of maintenance and reliability) made us keep it aside as another finalist. We saw the Superb, but my dad was not impressed with the rear looks or very fascinated with acres of legroom. Add to that, the non-negotiable need of the car to be reliable made us drop the Superb as an option. Petrol too thirsty, diesel was the noisy old PD engine, bad A.S.S. and unreliability etc etc. The Superb was out. Pity, because on paper the car was perfect for our needs. We didn’t bother to look at the Teana. Sparse service network and expensive parts without any service plans went against it. Entry-level Germans : We’ve TD’d the Passat before, and my dad was wondering about the CorpEd at that price instead of the Passat. To the big boys now. We were clear that unless there was a maintenance plan on offer, we would not enter this segment. Audi poof eliminated. For the sake of it, we took a TD of the C220 CDI elegance. My dad could just not come to terms with how ordinary the centre console design, the interiors and the rear styling was. Add to that, the absence of a service plan. The C was dropped. Then came BMW. Service plan, check. Runflats? My dad was fine with the ride during the TD. Highline? He didn’t see much utility in half the stuff on offer, especially with a gaping difference of 10L between the CorpEd and the Highline. FE ? Check. Brand upgrade? Check. Cost effective? Check, with the CorpEd. Compact and easy to drive within the city? Check. By now, the CorpEd was starting to make unquestionable sense. Finale: Taking everything into consideration, out of the finalists i.e. 320d CorpEd, Captiva & Accord, we decided to take a final call and went with the Beemer + BSI for 5 years / 100,000 km. No regrets. I still love the Captiva, I hope it will have a place in our garage someday. Credits : German cars are uncharted and daunting territory. Before you know it, you could go bankrupt and / or lose youe head with these beauties unless you're provided with a clear picture about how things are, and how things will be. A big thanks to Sahil and Indra for patiently answering my queries. I suspect I'm on Sahil's DND list by now Since I'm not being able to click proper snaps and this thread has run into four pages and 50 posts already, I thought I should atleast upload what I have, so that I don't do the kind of injustice to readers which I accuse most people of doing when they dont upload snaps asap. I know I know, need a better camera, the pictures don't do justice etc etc. Please bear with me BTW, for those of you who are interested in such trivial matters as FE, the car is past 200 km today, 75% of which was on the highway. The on-board computer reads 12.1 kmpl. Last edited by FlyingSpur : 6th September 2010 at 16:55. Reason: Text edited on request.
	() Thanks

9th March 2010, 00:13	#52
gomzi BHPian Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 798 Thanked: 236 Times	This is the perfect colour for the beemer, but I thought you weren't too fond of black.
	() Thanks

9th March 2010, 00:16	#54
Akshay1234 Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 10,327 Thanked: 12,914 Times	those rims are just hot. and tints please.
	() Thanks

9th March 2010, 00:30	#55
Mevtec BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Trivandrum Posts: 210 Thanked: 143 Times	Hi flyingspur congrats for the new car.Amazing work of engineering.BMW is a dream car.Please post more pictures. Cars like BMW are brought when you listen to ones "Heart" than "Mind"(? Like Honda's VTEC's,like ANHC)
	() Thanks

9th March 2010, 00:38	#56
indra_slk BHPian Join Date: May 2008 Location: iNDIA Posts: 626 Thanked: 12 Times View My Garage	Congrats! On your 320d. You told me you were getting a Monaco blue, seems that you have changed your mind. Sorry if I am taking up your space but I'd like to post pics of my Alpine White 320d too. OT: The third picture is just perfect for a wallpaper. Attached Thumbnails Last edited by indra_slk : 9th March 2010 at 00:40.
	(1) Thanks

9th March 2010, 01:05	#59
theragingbull Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 2,601 Thanked: 651 Times View My Garage	Beautiful color. Sexy rims. I love the 320D! Also, the way the ORVMs fold up in Bimmers is just awesome!
	() Thanks