2023 BMW 320Ld Gran Limousine Review

The BMW 3 Series Gran Limousine, as you can tell from the name, is all about luxury and grand proportions, specifically the length and the wheelbase. At 4,819mm, it’s 110 millimetres longer than the regular 3 Series, all of which has been incorporated into the wheelbase. So it’s basically the long wheelbase version of the 3 Series and I have to give it to BMW for getting the proportions right even after stretching the middle section including the floor and the rear doors. It doesn’t look ungainly or heavy from any angle if you ask me.

Now, this isn’t an entirely new model but a midlife facelift so the design changes are quite limited and the whole car sits more or less the same as the previous long-wheelbase 3 Series. Nevertheless, the entire range including the 330Li petrol and the 320Ld diesel come with M Sport package as standard which means a larger central air intake, a rather sharp bumper design and lastly, 18-inch alloy wheels with a staggered tyre setup. The ones in the front are 225 section 45 profile tyres while the rears are much wider and are slightly lower profile at 255/40.

Everything inside is straight off the regular 3 Series although that’s hardly a surprise given what the Gran Limousine is based on. What’s surprising though is the number of small but significant changes that BMW has made to make this cabin look more like 2023 than 2020. The first thing that caught my eye is the single piece curved display for the main infotainment system and the instrument cluster for the driver. Speaking of which, it is angled slightly towards the driver along with the centre console, which, by the way, is also aligned towards the driver so this whole setup is very much like old BMWs, especially the E46 and the E39 gen models.

Something that’s definitely not a throwback to BMWs of yore is the fact that BMW is pushing for digitalisation big time with this midlife upgrade. That’s exactly why there are no physical buttons for the climate control anymore. It’s all now controlled through the iDrive display which isn’t the easiest way honestly and ultimately this is yet another thing to get used to on a daily basis.

The other big physical design change is that the Gran Limousine now gets a toggle switch instead of a stubby gear lever like in the old car for the eight-speed automatic gearbox. As for the all-important iDrive, it’s running BMW’s newest Operating System 8 which I should add is more intuitive than before. However, I am not a fan of the menu structure once you go beyond the tiles on the home screen. So BMW says they have designed it to make it look like a smartphone interface but to me it looks very generic with the kind of UI you will find in non-branded multimedia systems.

The 3 Series Gran Limousine is all about space and comfort in the back so let’s jump in and see what it’s like. This cabin definitely has an airy feel to it and this augmented sense of space is of course largely because of the longer wheelbase but you also get a large panoramic sunroof which lets in a lot of light. It’s the second row where the Gran Limousine truly shines. There is more than enough legroom and headroom for someone my height and I am five foot eight. The backrest is also set at a nice comfortable angle. It’s just that the rear seat is set a little too low and as a result, getting in and out of this car isn’t as effortless as I would like.

The top-spec model with the M Sport package is well loaded when it comes to features. There’s the new giant curved display, ambient lighting, a nice sounding Harman Kardon sound system, wireless charging, a three-zone climate control, and both Type A and Type C USB charging ports. While it has many feel good features, it’s quite odd that BMW has skimped on sun blinds and the ability to move the front passenger seat from the rear in a car which is so rear seat focused.

The new 3 Series Gran Limousine gets two engine options for India. A four cylinder turbo petrol making 258bhp and 400Nm in the 330Li and a four cylinder turbo diesel with 190bhp and 400Nm in the 320Ld. We have driven the 320Ld here and let me tell you already, it is very pleasing to drive. It’s quiet, it’s smooth and there is no diesel clatter whatsoever even when you are picking up speed in the first couple of gears and invariable the revs go high. There is very little indication that there is a diesel engine under the hood. The noise insulation is that good.

What you might also expect from a 3 Series is that it’s good to drive and the Gran Limousine is nearly there. The steering is sharp, body control is good and so is the overall grip. It’s just that this longer wheelbase 3 Series can be a little lazy to change directions quickly. The front-end is also not as pointy as the C-Class which in the 300d guise is a lot of fun. On the other hand, the 3 Series Gran Limousine takes well to laidback driving and is naturally a more relaxing car to drive or be chauffeured in daily.

This two-litre diesel engine has been around for many years and so has the eight speed torque converter. It’s a tried and tested combination that we all like and for this 2023 update, it seems to have become even better. So you have a strong diesel engine and as many as eight gears, all of which help make this car a really good long distance cruiser. And it’s not like you will be stopping for fuel very often either because on the highways the diesel 3 Series is extremely efficient.

In our fuel efficiency test, the 3 Series Gran Limousine achieved 22.03kmpl on the highway and 13.2kmpl in the city. Its long distance ability is supplemented by a cabin that remains silent and a ride that’s fairly planted. At low speeds, there is a tiny bit of underlying firmness over square edged pot holes but nothing that will make you uncomfortable. The overall ride quality is quite plush and completely in line with the nature of this car.

Summing up, the 3 Series Gran Limousine is not difficult. After all, it’s a long-wheelbase luxury barge in a country where sedans with comfortable rear seats are still worshipped. It’s a failsafe formula that has worked with Mercedes and their E-Class and I see no reason why it wouldn’t work here. So it’s missing some features which would have elevated the rear seat experience even more but looking at the bigger picture, I don’t think there’s any other executive sedan at this price point which is more fit for purpose.

Pictures by Kapil Angane