The F30 BMW 3-Series has been launched in India at a price of between Rs. 28.90 - 37.90 Lakhs (ex-Delhi).
What you’ll like:
• Great styling & presence. None of the quirkiness of the outgoing generation car
• Superb ride quality in all driving conditions. Ideal suspension set-up for Indian roads
• Fast, competent diesel & petrol engines
• Phenomenal 8 speed gearbox is quick & smooth
• Rear seat space has noticeably improved
• Loaded with features & cutting-edge technology
• BMW's 5 year / 100,000 kms service plan is a USP
What you won’t:
• Vague electric steering isn't to an enthusiast's tastes. Not a true BMW steering
• No spare wheel or even space for one! Long-distance touring is a risky proposition
• Back seat lacks under-thigh support for tall passengers
• Rear suspension feels soft under hard driving. E90's back end was more planted
• Top Luxury Plus variant is priced in the vicinity of the BMW 520d & Mercedes E-Class
• Some features missing (folding rear seat, adjustable lumbar support, front parking sensors, height adjustable seatbelts)
• Start-stop functionality is too shuddery & annoying. We kept it switched off
The battle between the three German luxury car makers has scaled up to a new level. BMW entered the Indian market in 2006 and overtook Mercedes within 3 years of local operations. Enter 2012 and Audi went blazing past Mercedes, despite the latter having a decade-long headstart. Audi has been doing everything it can to reach the No.1 position, launching a slew of models at competitive prices and outselling even BMW for a month or two in 2012. There's no doubt that sales charts for these carmakers will keep rolling due to their entry-level luxury offerings.
Mercedes launched its C-class facelift in September 2011 while Audi brought the updated A4 in May 2012. It was only imperative for BMW to stay in the game by introducing the F30 3 series within a year of its international debut. Team-BHP was the first to show you scoop pictures of the F30 3-series on Indian shores
Like the rest of the Indian car market, the luxury category is also biased toward diesels. BMW read this well and has launched four diesel trim levels as against a single petrol variant. The pricing of the diesels is usually above the petrol cars. The 3-Series, however, bucks this trend. The 328i out-prices the top of the line 320d by a lakh.
This is the 6th generation 3-Series. One look at the new car and it is seemingly obvious that design cues have been taken from its larger sibling, the 5-Series. BMW looks to be making every effort to keep the 'F' chassis cars similar across the model range. The styling has definitely improved and the initial quirkiness of the outgoing model has been wiped away. The lines are now clean and will keep both, young enthusiasts as well as the middle aged office goer happy. The F30 is 93mm longer and sits planted with an aggressive stance. It also looks noticeably wider. The dimensions are substantial for this segment, giving the 3-Series strong road presence.
The headlamps get trademark corona rings which also work as daytime running lights. The new car would have looked quite similar from the front to the outgoing E90, had the headlights not tapered to meet the grille. The front of the car has square-ish protrusions on the far ends of the bumper. This makes the task of manoeuvring it quite a challenge, as compared to having curvy arcs on the bumper edges. Expect a few scars on the bumper in city traffic. Also, the side skirt is unusually tall for a sedan. The tail lamps wear a typically "BMW L" shape. They do look like scaled down versions of the 5-Series’ lamps. LED brake lights have been omitted and, just like the 5-Series, the new 3 doesn’t get adaptive head lights either. The A4 and C-Class are available with both these features.
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