BMW India has launched the 320i model in the Prestige and Luxury line variants at Rs 36.9 lakh and Rs 42.70 lakh (ex-showroom New Delhi) respectively. This is basically the petrol model of the 3 Series, which was earlier discontinued in India.
Under the hood of the petrol trims is the 2.0-litre four-cylinder TwinPower Turbo petrol engine. This mill produces 181.5bhp of power and 270Nm of torque and comes mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. The Luxury Line gets paddle shifters as an additional feature.
The BMW 320i will be similar to the diesel 320d in terms of external appearance. This is the facelifted model that gets some changes to the exterior differentiating it from the earlier model. The cabin comes packed with features like new electrically-adjustable front seats, dual-zone climate control, BMW iDrive system, 6.5-inch screen, BMW apps, ambient lighting etc. What differentiates the luxury line from the prestige trim are bigger 17-inch alloy wheels instead of the 16-inchers, an electric sunroof and different upholstery. There is also a larger 8.8-inch iDrive touch infotainment system that supports handwriting recognition and navigation in this trim.
BMW used to sell the 320i petrol models in India, but phased them out a year ago. Now, considering the Indian market turning towards petrol cars, the carmaker seems to have considered re-introducing the petrol models. However, unlike the diesel 320d which is assembled here, the 320i will be initially sold as CBU. The carmaker has already imported a few cars and is yet to dispatch them to dealers across the country. So, we can expect the deliveries to begin by mid-June.
