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Ownership review: My BMW 320Ld Gran Limousine

2nd February 2022, 09:05 by Dev Shah

My personal pick would have been a 330i/320d Sport. However, to convince the family for a sedan, added space and kit became important. Hence, the 320Ld.

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Back in Jan 2021, I almost bought a 3 Series which I had mentioned in my Fortuner ownership review, but preference and purpose ensured that I ended up with a Fortuner. 15000 km of blissful traveling and no regrets. Did not intend to buy anything in 2021 and was hoping for a EV replacement couple of years down the line. However, Ford had other plans, decided to shut shop. While the service continued, the Endeavour was 6 years old, though hardly showing signs of age. Would have easily lasted another couple of years, but life is too short not to experience and experiment. I decided to sell the Endeavour provided we get fair price for our car and good deal for a new car.

I didn’t have any specific car in mind to begin with. I kept my options open including used cars. Wanted the next car to be an upgrade over the Endeavour in terms of brand, drive and power. Since my cars clock decent miles, I want to be practical and do not want this to end up as my weekend toy or a garage queen. Below are some of the cars considered/test driven.

Mercedes A/GLA/C: The A-Class, except for the badge nothing much to write home about. Did not like the GLA either, compact and still looks more like a hatchback than a crossover. The C was clearly showing its age, lack of space, bland interiors, dated looks did not impress at all. All new C was expected, and review did not seem impressive either. Again, personally I am not a fan of brand Mercedes as my better half always taunts me as a brand that I can buy after retirement.

Mercedes GLC(Used/New): Not a big fan of the design and dated interiors, but overall the 220d did look like a good package. Limited units of athe new one were available, and at nearly 85L OTR did not seem worthy at all. Used ones were available, but had high mileage or very old. Getting a used premium car in Karnataka is a nightmare.

BMW X3/X4: New ones were out of stock and used X3s were like the GLC. Either too old or had high mileage. I came across a decent X4 20d and managed to negotiate an exchange with the Endeavour. There were few red flags though, like scratches on dthe oor and bumper. Service history and warranty was a bit shady. I put this on hold.

MG Gloster/ZS EV: Standing inside the showroom, the Gloster looked nice. Good interiors, better than the Fortuner /Endeavour, spacious, good kit and VFM pricing. Road presence was lacking, especially from the front which is important to me in these body on frame large SUVs. The MG brand did not pull the right strings either. That said, I test drove the car and did not take much time to strike it off. Felt super soft, lot of sideways movement, light steering, lack of initial grunt from engine, the drive was anything but impressive. I have no issues with Chinese pedigree, but I don't have the courage to invest 45L on a new brand. Next up was the ZS EV, good as a city and secondary car but did not seem to fit my requirements. The quality was ordinary too for a 26L car. The demo car rattled and squeaked, had malfunction lights on the dash and interiors do not seem to age well.

Audi A4/A6: The A6 was a bit too large and petrol only. Not a fan of boring design language of Audi too. Dealer was willing to negotiate, however, I did not the find the overall package impressive. The A4 on the other hand had perfect size apart from a boring exterior. The interior design gave me VW vibes, especially at the back. That may be a good thing, but I have bad memories with VW and still not able to get over it. That said, I believe If I pay more, I should get better engine, A4 had same engine that comes with cheaper VW/Skoda, I will happily get the latter and save some money. Audi India’s current state did not give me positive vibes either. Audi though seems to have a strong action plan when the market switches to EV.

Toyota Camry: This was a surprise package. Its big, has good amount of space inside and the engine is anything but boring. I always thought the Camry as a boring car, but it is quite fun. In pure EV, as expected it is super silent and even with ICE turned on, its quite silent. It has all the basic features apart from Android Auto and Apple Carplay. The major drawback was if I am to get this, it will be the third Toyota at home and my garage will look like a Toyota showroom. Another aspect is that the new car is about 52L OTR and while the car is good, it will miss the badge value of the Germans which is not too far away. Final nail in the coffin was unavailability of the car, the dealer had no idea when he can deliver the car and did not seem keen on the Endeavour exchange.

BMW 3 GL/5 Series: The X1 felt a bit dated and did not impress last time around. The 3 Series however left me grinning, only downside was family was not ready for a sedan especially a cramped one. The regular 3 was out of stock, albeit for the 330i MSport. Folks at family are not comfortable in a sedan, the GL comes as a savior. Keeps the enthusiast in me happy and at same time, offers plenty of room for folks at the back. For my kind of usage and driving style, I prefer torquey diesels. That said, one who loves to push hard(pedal to the metal kind of driving), 330i is a hoot. Engine note alone will make you grin, and a drive will just elevate the feeling. That said, the 320d is an all rounder, is quite fun, has good grunt and will keep your wallet happy too. I shortlisted the 320d GL. Since the 5 Series was available at some premium, I gave it a look. Biggest downer was the ride height and ground clearance, everyone felt too low and uncomfortable. On the test drive, I did not find it as nimble/fun as the 320Ld and driving position was too low for my liking. The 5 though certainly had extra kit like adaptive suspension, better lights, comfort access and few others. For additional 10L, I get additional kit, but goes against my thumb rule, for the premium I pay, I get the 520d with the same engine/gearbox as the 320d. The 530d would have been a different animal altogether, but that means 20L over 320Ld.

I had two options left, a new 320Ld or a used X4 20d.

X420d advantages:

Higher ground clearance.
Car from higher segment.
Cheaper price to pay.
AWD.

320Ld advantages:

Brand new car with full warranty.
More space/well-appointed interiors.
More features.
Better to drive on good roads.

As I said, the X4 had a few red flags, and my family is not very keen on used cars. The X4 even though a crossover, I may not be able to drive it like a true-blue SUV and already have couple of them at home for SUV duty. My personal pick would have been a 330i/320d Sport. However, to convince the family for a sedan, added space and kit became important. Hence, the 320Ld.

Car details:

Manufacturer: BMW.
Model: 320Ld.
Variant: Luxury Line.
Colour: Mineral White with Cognac Interiors.

320Ld in the flesh, taken during a drive to Mattu beach:

Car buying experience:

I tried negotiating with all the dealers available in Karnataka. Mangalore got its new dealership- Varsha Autohaus who offered me the best deal. Being a new entrant, they were aggressive and kept following up on a regular basis. I was given each and every detail of the car and so far, have offered me what was promised. The car was booked toward the end of November and reached the showroom within a couple of days. I did a thorough check of the car before signing off. The delivery was smooth and the folks at Varsha (Rajith and Sreejith) ensured we had a top-notch experience. Liked their pro-activeness, and they were patient enough to drive down 100 km multiple times to ensure we picked up the right car.

What I like about the 320Ld:

Engine, gearbox and driving dynamics.
Space on offer especially at the rear.
Decent amount of kit.
Well-tuned suspension that will keep passengers happy.
Exemplary fuel efficiency.
Good build quality and top notch safety kit.

What I don’t like about the 320Ld:

Missing essentialslike comfort access, ventilated seats, half LED lights.
Limited colour options.
Speed warnings at 80 and 120 kmph.
Small boot for such a large car.
As an enthusiast when driving solo, I would have preferred slightly stiffer suspension.
Rear AC cooling is below average.

Exterior:

The 320Ld is quite a large car. It measures over 4.8 m in length and right in the middle of the regular 3 and 5 in terms of length. What I like is how well BMW has extended the wheelbase without making the car look awkward like the previous gen Superb or LWB E-Class. Someone who has not seen the regular 3 Series in person will easily pass this off as a 3 Series. I had an option of Carbon Black and Mineral White. However, I felt the alloys, tail lamps, headlights and few other bits get highlighted more in white than black. Also owning a Garnet Red Innova, I know the pain in maintaining a dark car in India. The 3 Series to me looks best from the rear, and the taillights looks sexy at night. Alloy wheels are dual tone, simple V spoke which compliment the white colour car. 50 section tyres are perfect for Indian road conditions, but a wider and lower profile will improve driving dynamics. The car comes with DRLs, but I prefer the looks of the corona rings of older BMWs. The headlamp is a quad lamp projector unit, only exterior ones are functional though. They move along with steering inputs, have decent throw and intensity, but given the low slung nature of the sedan, they are a bit inadequate on state highways. Fog lamps are missing for reason well known to BMW. Paint quality is top notch and has good finish as well. Strangely, the Gran Limousine misses the signature BMW Blue as an option. Not much chrome except for the large front grille. It is again a mix of chrome and black, does not look too awkward on a white car.

The pic was taken when the car was stationery, hate it when someone peaks through the sunroof while the car is in motion:

Another closeup shot:

Headlamps up close. Inner projectors are dummy, gets DRL lights below though:

I like the alloys. They go well with the white car. Simple and neat, not a fan of busy designs:

A look at the ORVMs. They close automatically on locking:

The grille is supposed to open when needed. Sadly, I won't be able to see. May be a hot pursuit and acrobatic skills will reveal?

Few candid pics taken during the drive to Madikeri:

Height comparison: 3 Series is a typical low slung sedan:

Interior:

I like the Cognac interiors and leather is of good quality. Compared to the X4 that I checked, the 320Ld has soft touch plastics for the entire door pad, has better ambient lights and larger screen making the interior a better place to be in. Front seats are accommodating and get under thigh support extenders. Cushion has right firmness to aid both city and long highway drives. The rear seat is a wonderful place to be in. There is oodles of leg space, and with legs stretched, there is decent under thigh support too. I am 5’10 and find headroom adequate. Special mention to the rear headrests, they are very well designed. I am not much into features and don’t buy a car for features that it offers. In current times, features get outdated in 6 months to a year. I am happy if my car offers basic features which the 320Ld does. Digital displays, electric seats, reversing assistant, sunroof etc. However it also misses some basic stuff like comfort access and ventilated seats.

Overall, the car is a good place to be in for enthusiastic drivers as well as family members.

Front seats are a nice place to be in. The dashboard is neat, has soft touch plastics allover and some nice leather at all touch points:

The 320Ld gets a digital display which is not configurable, but is easy to read:

Mix of black and brown for that contrasting look. Compared to all black or all beige, this should be easier to maintain:

Closeup shot of the head unit and AC controls:

Rear is nice. That extra legroom makes for a comfortable ride:

Back of the front seats get ambient lights, which look cool at night:

Ambient lights are configurable and quite bright:

Engine and gearbox:

This is the best thing I love in the car. Engine has good grunt, and the 8 speed TC is a match made in heaven. 99% of the time, the gear is right, and you are never short of power at any given point of time. Even in Eco Pro mode, there is good amount of performance on offer. That said, Sport mode is where all the action is. Push the Sport button and move the gearbox to Sport, the car simply plunges ahead. While you get the typical torque rush of diesel, the car also gains speed quite rapidly. The 330i in comparison is a notch above in terms of performance. Where the 320Ld shines is w.r.to its all-round nature. After my recent 175 km drive to the hills and back, the car returned a decent 16 kmpl as indicated by the MID. Comfort mode as it states offers best mix of comfort and performance. The steering in default Eco Pro and Comfort mode is light to my liking. In Sport mode, it gains good weight. The steering is sharp, and a driver's delight. The car shoots in the direction you point it to, and holds on track like a leech on corners. Again, the regular 3 does even better based on my previous drive experience. Insulation is good, and there is not much engine noise that seeps into the cabin. Wind noise is also well controlled but there is some tyre noise at higher speeds.

Ride and handling:

If you are looking at a pure driver’s delight, the regular 3 Series is the one to go for. However, the 3 Gran Limousine without losing much of the fun quotient adds a bit of practicality by offering extra space at the back and reworked cushioning. Ride is supple and at times for an enthusiast it can get a tad soft, but will keep the family happy while moving across those bad patches. There is a bit of bounciness at the rear thanks to softer suspension and 50 section 17 inch tyres, but it in no way robs the fun to drive nature of the car. The car overall is still a bit stiffer than the competition Its only when you compare it against the regular 3, one can notice the difference.

The steering has good amount of weight especially in Sport mode and is direct. A hydraulic unit would have been lovely, but the EPS offers good balance between fun and practicality. Ground clearance came as a surprise. Given the extended wheelbase, I was expecting the car to scrap its belly quite easily. So far I have driven for about 2000 km, and it hasn’t scrapped even with 4 to 5 people on board. Obviously, it’s not meant to go off-road or run through road humps like my Fortuner, but be a little cautious and it crosses road humps without much drama. The driving position is just perfect for me. Even though this is a low slung sedan, you don’t sit as low as say a 5 Series, and I get a clear view of the bonnet and everything that’s happening upfront. The seats offer good support for aggressive driving.

Stuff that does (and not) matter:

Harman Kardon audio: In the initial few days, I was a bit apprehensive about the sound quality. Over time the speakers have settled down and sounds crisp and nice. Good audio quality is important and the Harman Kardon unit has good bass and clarity. If I am to compare, bass is slightly lesser than the Endeavour's unit, and somehow I find JBL in the Fortuner a bit richer. The Harman Kardon has the perfect balance and offers good quality sound for all passengers. The head unit has an equalizer which helps one tune as per preference.

Space at rear: There is serious amount of space at back that can put even larger cars to shame. The extra legroom guarantees good under thigh support which most the time is lacking in low slung sedans. That said, the rear seat is best suited for 2 adults plus a child. 3rd person will be a bit of squeeze, thanks to the large floor hump. There is decent amount of headroom too. Maybe passengers up to 6 ft height will not have an issue.

Sunroof: This is my first car with a sunroof, and the first few weeks did excite me. However, as days passed, the excitement has started to die down. While it brings in more sunlight, it makes the cabin hotter when you open the shade. I hardly open windows while driving and the same applies to the sunroof too. Given the average performance of the rear AC, I don’t think will be able to use the sunroof much especially in the hot and humid place I stay. Good to have, but will not influence my purchase decision for future cars for sure.

Air-conditioner: The 320Ld gets 3 zone climate control . Occupants at the front won’t complain, but the ones at the rear find cooling a bit underwhelming especially when you open the sun blinds. Sorely miss ventilated seats. For a car costing about 70L OTR with leather seats, not offering ventilated seats is a crime.

Head unit and digital instrument console: Not a big fan of digital instrument consoles, but the unit in BMW is simple, neat and easy to read. Both displays are crisp and do not suffer much from glare. There are few stats that the display shows up, but in this car, the ride/handling and engine gearbox makes you forget everything else. The only feature I ensure to check when I sit is to see if the car is at least in Comfort mode. That said, I like the implementation of the iDrive physical controls, its always nice to use those physical buttons. Rear camera quality is good, though only a small part of of the display is used by the rear camera. Wireless Android Auto and Apple Carplay work flawlessly.

Head (and other) lights: BMW has offered plenty of lights in and out. There are welcome carpet lights, ambient light on front and back doors and even on back of the front seats, puddle lights etc. However, they have forgotten to add lights to two of the inner projectors of the headlight and the Luxury Line also misses the useful fog lights. The headlights as such are decent but extra lights would have made it better.

Low beam:

High beam. Lights are bright and have decent throw:

Ground clearance: For the kind of driving I do, this was very important. Though I liked the 320Ld quite a bit, ground clearance was always a concern. Took the demo car for multiple test drives around places where I frequent. Tried with varying number of passengers too but haven’t been able to scrape it yet. Yes, I cannot run riot through road humps like in the Fortuner or Innova, but then with a bit of patience, the car clears without any drama. I clearly did not expect this, and it took me by surprise.

The car has covered close to 2K kms in 1.5 months and so far, it has been a rewarding experience. I don’t intend to take it for touring or grocery shopping, but would like to use it per-dominantly for highway drives of 300 km/6 hrs. Down the line, I plan to take extended warranty, the car came with 3-year basic service which was included in the price. Now for the big question, how did someone with only a body on frame old school SUV shift to a sedan? And in this age of dying sedans, is it worth buying one? Well to be frank, if it’s your only car and if you intend to travel a lot/explore places, a crossover or SUV may fit the bill better. Not that you cannot go in a sedan, but a crossover/SUV offers a bit more peace of mind. Where the sedans claw back is w.r.to the value they offer, and fast performance which brings a smile every time you hit a corner, or that confidence while doing higher speeds.

Thanks to itwasntme for the detailed review of the 330i, answering my queries patiently and Dr.AD for beautiful travelogues and insights into the ownership of the 3 Series.

Cars from opposite poles and different capabilities. Both are super fun when you know what car to use where: