BMW 3 Series VS Toyota Fortuner : Is It Worth The Upgrade?

We all love crossover battles. They are exciting, out of the box and honestly a little crazy. But during a time like this when all we can do is stay at home, a little crazy hits the right notes. So we at Gomechanic are going to compare two cars which are the top players of their respectable segment and we’ll see how they match up with each other. It’s time for BMW 3 series vs Toyota Fortuner: The legendary crossover!

These cars couldn’t be any different. While one is the king of the full-size SUV segment in India, the other is a global name and one of the cheapest ways into the Bavarian. So we’ll try to a fair comparison but in the end, it’s individual choices.

• Powertrain

  One of the fundamental things on which cars can be compared is the number of horses it makes. The BMW 3 series is available in 3 engine options- A 2.0 3 cylinder petrol,a 2.0 4 cylinder diesel and a 3.0 6 cylinder petrol. While the 2.0 petrol and diesel make 254 and 187 bhp respectively, the big 3.0 churns out 382 bhp. It is available only in automatic transmission

  

  Coming to the brawny Fortuner. It is available in two variants: the Fortuner and the Fortuner ‘Legender’. The two engine options are as follows. A 2.7-litre petrol engine producing 163 bhp and a 2.8-litre turbo-diesel producing 201 bhp. It is available in both manual and automatic transmission.

  

• Features

  The list is never-ending with the 3 series. You get all the latest tech and gizmos including a 360-degree parking camera,3 zone climate control etc. The list goes on.

  

  The Fortuner has always raised their game with the new model. Notable new features include Apple Car Play. However, it still misses on? You guessed it. A sunroof.

  

• Safety

  Since both the cars get all the high tech safety features, we believe it is best to compare them on the basis of NCAP rating.

  

  The 3 series scored 97 per cent in the case of adult occupants, 87 per cent in the case of a child occupant, a further 87 per cent in terms of vulnerable road-users and 76 per cent in the case of safety assists.

  The Fortuner tallied a healthy overall score of 87.46 points and secured a full five stars. It scored 34.03 out of 36 in Adult Occupant Protection (AOP), 43.38 out of 49 in Child Occupant Protection (COP), and 13 out of 15 in Safety Assist technologies (SAT).

• Resale

  This is the one place where the Fortuner absolutely crushes the 3 series. It’s no shocker that premium cars depreciate really fast, with the 2012 model used 5 series(55 lakhs when new) selling for 11 lakhs! But you don’t have to worry the same with the Fortuner as it retains its value pretty well even after 10 years of running time.

  

• Cost of running

  Toyota is one of the most reliable manufacturers in the world. I own one and except from the not so decent mileage the cost of repairs hardly come up to 10-15k a year. Whereas if you buy a big budget car like the BMW 3 series, every spare is going to cost significantly higher than the Fortuner.

• Is it worth the Price tag?

  It always comes down to this in the end, doesn’t it?

  The BMW 3 series is a great product if you have a budget of 45-60 lakhs; and want a high end sedan, with all the power under your right foot and all the luxury under your ass. Notable competitors are the Mercedes C Class and the Audi A4.

  

  There is no doubt that the Fortuner is still the king of the SUV segment and although there is some sort of competition by the Ford Endeavor; the throne is not changing hands. At 32-40 lakhs, it is the best and most reliable SUV you can buy.

  

  And this was BMW 3 series vs Toyota Fortuner guys. Which one would you choose? Let us know in the comments below.

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