Facts and figures
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Our cars, BMW 3 series
09.08.2006 |
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We put the What Car? fleet through the ultimate test - everyday life
BMW 320d SE LIST Price £24,985
TARGET Price £23,287
RUN BY Tim Pollard
TESTED FOR 12 months/25,201 miles
Why it's on test: The 3 Series is our reigning What Car? Car of the Year, but what's it like to live with day-to-day?
As good as it gets
The BMW 320d is our reigning Car of the Year and so a mightily fine car, but can it sustain that brilliance over 25k miles?
There's no bigger prize in motoring. The What Car? Car of the Year gong has been awarded to some outstanding models in recent years: the Land Rover Discovery, Skoda Fabia and VW Golf. So I was understandably proud when my car, the BMW 320d, joined the hall of fame back in January.
For a car to win its category, it must be excellent; to scoop the overall award, nothing short of exceptional will do. Plus there's no better way to test the mettle of our winner than spending a year behind the wheel.
We drove our 320d for 25,000 miles - almost exactly the same distance as a lap of the globe. In that time, we threw every available test at it, from London commuter hell to pan-European marathons. Would our judges still be as impressed after a year?
First impressions
Entry-level 3 Series weren't especially well equipped at launch, missing out on kit such as alloy wheels, so we picked the plusher SE spec for our 320d. This cost £1500 more than the standard 320d, but added niceties such as alloys, cruise and climate control, self-dipping rear-view mirror and rear parking sensors.
We collected the car from Cooper Wimbledon (0845 601 8594) in south-west London. Most impressive was the quality oozing from every lustrous inch of paint, the solid dashboard surfaces and each reassuringly solid 'thunk' of the doors. The 3 Series is a well-built car and that feeling lasted throughout our tenure.
The 320d quickly proved a polished all-rounder. The 163bhp 2.0-litre engine felt more like a petrol engine than a diesel, eager to rev and with oodles of acceleration on tap. Overtaking was never more than a toe-flex away thanks to an ample 251lb ft of pull available from just 2000rpm.
It was refined, too, and few passengers realised its diesel diet. Such a powerful engine meant that the car spent much of its time around town in third gear, which sufficed from an urban crawl up to a 40mph cruise. It almost felt like an automatic at times, with little need to swap gears constantly.
B-road blasts
Heading out of town, the 3 Series came alive. It reacted more like a sports coupé than a compact saloon in corners. The steering, which was surprisingly heavy at low speeds, was precise and well weighted, letting you place the car with laser-guided precision.
Body roll was well contained and the suspension flattened the pitching motion familiar on British back roads. Powerful brakes did an excellent job of reining in the speed.
Our 320d excelled as a long-distance express and was at home on motorways, where it cruised comfortably and quietly; the SE's cruise control was simple to use and worked smoothly.
The only real dynamic criticism of the car was its stiff ride. I prefer a sporty suspension set-up, but some owners will be disappointed by the slight jiggling over rougher roads. It's the price you pay for excellent handling.
Practicality
We found the 3 Series saloon bodystyle acceptably practical for our needs. It's not the biggest car in the class (that honour goes to the Mercedes C-Class), but there's plenty of space in the front and enough in the back seats for two adults on long journeys.
The boot is a sensible shape and fitted enough clobber for a three-week honeymoon; there were few occasions when I wished for the 3 Series Touring estate.
That honeymoon journey is one I'll never forget. We drove 4000 miles through Scotland, England, France, Monaco and Italy in three weeks - and the 320d was a perfect companion. The ventilation system worked well whatever the weather - we just left it set to 19C and it did the business.
One unusual highlight was the BMW's standard iPod connector nestling under the armrest, which lets you plug in any digital music player. It was simple to use and meant that I never once used the £295 six-CD changer in the boot.
The only practical complaint concerned the front seats. They weren't the last word in comfort and left us wishing for more lumbar support on longer trips.
Running costs
What was the best part of our year with the 3 Series? Simple: its fuel economy. We averaged 42.3 miles for every gallon of diesel, making it more economical than my previous charge, a Jaguar X-type 2.0 D (39.8mpg) and - get this - nearly as good as my petrol-electric hybrid Toyota Prius (44.5mpg).
Such parsimonious thirst made my motoring miles easier and we usually managed 500 between refuelling stops. The standard trip computer had an accurate range function, so we sailed merrily past most petrol stations. People need refuelling before the 320d does.
Variable servicing intervals meant we had only one dealer visit, at 21,664 miles. We went to our nearest BMW outlet, Cooper Thames Ditton (0845 601 8586), which serviced the car in just over the promised hour. It was slick, friendly service, although I winced at the £86 cost of oil in the £155 bill.
Otherwise, the 3 Series ran faultlessly. The smallish screenwash tank needed refilling too often, but we only had to top up half a litre of oil before the service.
The 320d wore its galactic mileage well. A final valet brought a lustrous sheen back to the Arctic Silver metallic paintwork (a worthwhile £500 option), which bore remarkably few stone chips considering the motorway miles we'd accumulated.
Inside scrubbed up well, too. The only item to show any wear was the side of the driver's seat backrest bolster, whose leather was chafed by a rubbing seatbelt. The dashboard plastics and carpets looked as good as new.
Nothing went wrong in our year with the car. Three small plastic clips from under the front seats fell off, but nothing failed. The only other visit we had to a dealer was to repair two scratches: a scuff on the front bumper and a nastier scratch on the bonnet.
After being shocked by a quote for £1500 from Cooper Thames Ditton (including a new bumper), we shopped around and settled on a £214 bill from Vines in Guildford (01483 207000). They painted the bumper to perfection and touched up the bonnet scratch, which shows it pays to shop around.
Verdict
So just how was our Car of the Year after 25,000 miles? Great. The 3 Series is a real driver's car, whose dynamic ability outshines every rival in this class. Exceptional build quality, cheap running costs and decent practicality lend it appeal to the head as well as the heart. The 3 Series is no longer exclusive and I never warmed to the awkward looks, but the 320d remains a truly excellent car.
We liked:
Sharp drive 3
Series is the best car to drive in this class by a country mile. Thank the strong engine and razor-sharp handling
Mobile jukebox
Plug in your iPod, or other digital music player, and you can carry your entire music collection with you
All-rounder
More pulling muscle than a turbocharged Subaru Impreza WRX; economy to challenge a hybrid Toyota Prius
We didn't:
Sticking handles
Door handles occasionally stuck open, stopping doors from latching. A common fault, fixed with WD40
Logbook BMW 320 SE 4dr
Current price £24,985
Target Price £23,287
Test started April 2005
Total mileage 25,201 miles
Buying information
Price when new £24,390
Extras Upgraded alloy wheels £235
CD multichanger £295
Leather trim £1220
Floor mats £75
Front parking sensors £285
Metallic paint £500
Auto lights/wipers £95
Sports steering wheel £90
Total price new £27,185
Current trade-in value £19,425
Running costs
Overall fuel economy 42.3mpg
Best fuel economy 47.8mpg
Worst fuel economy 35.7mpg
Official average 49.6mpg
CO2 (g/km)/tax liability 153/20%
Contract hire £460 per month
Cost per mile 53.0p
Insurance group 14
Typical insurance quote £483
Servicing and repair costs
Repairs Scratches fixed £214
Servicing £155 (22,000 miles)
