Buddy, BMW X3 and Best road in the world!

My friend in Australia, Ketan had recently bought a new shiny BMW X3. It was his long term dream to own a BMW and am happy for him as he finally made the decision, though an expensive one.

When I proposed him if we can hit the great ocean drive in his BMW, he readily agreed. So on Saturday, 6th of Feb, I went to his place on the outskirts of Melbourne and soon we were cruising down the great ocean road in his new BMW X3. I used this opportunity to click some pictures of the car.

The other BMW I had experienced earlier was the BMW 320d from Zoomcar. While that was a sedan driven on Indian roads, X3 is of SUV category, driven on even smoother Australian country side. It was a pleasure indulging in great ocean drive with a college friend and his BMW for company. But then, we had speed limits to adhere to, max 100 kmph (like our Carzonrent!) so full potential of the car can never be experienced unless one hits race track.

Those with Indian driving license are allowed to drive cars in Australia for short duration. Australia is also right hand drive like in India. So I drove this beast for a few kms on the interior roads. (Driving on freeway was risky as any incident will be attributed to Kethan's credentials and he may lose points/face penalty, as his insurance wouldn't cover other drivers). During our drive I got to learn a lot about road manners and rules in Australia- like who should get priority in a roundabout, how to read road signs, parking rules, driving license norms and process and so on. Violations are always captured and fine receipt is delivered home. Thanks to Ketan for explaining them to me.

The interior is very familiar and pretty standard one among other BMWs. Traditional twin circle speedometer and tachometer feel little outdated as most modern cars have digital displays today (BMW offers heads up display as optional extra, lots of information will be displayed on the windscreen). The 320d I had driven was missing on basics like Navigation, but this one had all standard stuff. Paddle shift is nice, so is auto close for the boot.

X3 is a decent off-roader, but in Australia highways are fenced and you can't randomly climb a hill or enter a field. So off-road abilities are not used much.

This post focuses mainly on BMW- will write one more on the Great Ocean Drive experience.

Also read: Mercedes GLS 200 * BMW Fans of Kaunas, Lithuania * BMW 320d- what you don't get for 38 lakhs * BMW Financial lease- how does it work? * Drive a Mercedes without having to rob a bank *