Road test: BMW 320d proves 3 is still the magic number

By Stuart Farquhar
Published on 20/07/2012 11:45

IN 1975, the year I was born, BMW unveiled its first 3 series. That’s where the similarities end. Since then, the car has been getting faster, smarter, more efficient and more popular, while I… well, it’s fair to say I have taken a somewhat different path.

Few car models have enjoyed such consistent admiration, which has seen more than 12.5 million roll off the production lines since I was mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms (clarification: 37 years ago, not that terrible night in Aberdeen), and the sixth-generation 3 series is sure to help those sales figures along.

At the forefront of these sales will no doubt be the 320d, with its star-of-the-show two-litre turbodiesel most attractive by virtue of its implausible mix of frugality and power – which is just what the motorway-munching executive needs.

Driving the 320d M Sport down the M6 to Bristol from Edinburgh provided an excellent chance to put it to the test, and it didn’t disappoint. Overall fuel consumption averaged out at around 50mpg, a little short of BMW’s claimed 61.4mpg, but still mightily impressive considering I was “making time” for a sizeable chunk of the journey. And the 320d is very good at making time. While it does seem to momentarily pause and think about it before leaving the blocks, it can still cover 0-62mph in 7.5 seconds, the kind of acceleration which makes leaving the service station and rejoining the mayhem of the M6 as relaxing as it ever can be.

BMW’s Drive Performance Control function is fitted as standard on the 320d, meaning you can change the whole feel and experience of the car depending on your mood, or indeed your distance from a petrol station. While Comfort mode is still sporty enough, and Sport mode is still comfortable enough, Eco Pro mode takes the edge off both the throttle and the air conditioning while also turning into your mum and nagging you about accelerating too quickly.

The 320d is imperious on the motorway, capable of sweeping past all and sundry. At 70mph, with the revs at the 2,000rpm mark, the engine doesn’t seem that far off idling speed, and the comfort of the ride is a triumph of chassis design.

So it’s in its element on the motorway. But it’s also in its element wending its way through bendy country roads, as I discovered when the excellent sat nav system (more of that later) suddenly decided the M6 was about to grind to a halt and swiftly corralled me up a sliproad and on to a mini tour of England’s Most Bunting-festooned Hamlets.

Setting the Drive Performance Control to Sport mode (or indeed Sport+ mode, only available in Sport versions or as an option) revealed another side to the 320d’s personality.

Throttle, suspension and steering all tensed up as the car poised itself to devour some country road spaghetti, its nostrils flaring. The wonderfully precise steering took us through bends as fast as I dared, and the M Suspension pack made it all seem almost too easy, transforming a sensible motorway cruiser into every B-road boy racer’s dream.

Inside, the 320d seems to be a car lacking only in compromise. Driving position is perfect, visibility is good and comfort is lavish. It’s been included in many of its cars for some time now, but it’s worth mentioning again that BMW’s head-up display (HUD), unlike other some others on the market, very quickly becomes a necessity, rather than a gimmick. As well as displaying your speed and what speed the cruise control is set to, sat nav instructions also appear, with a diagram of the next roundabout or turning hovering somewhere above the bonnet in front of you. This means you can keep your eyes on the road and stay in the zone while you’re traversing busy, unfamiliar roads, rather than turning your head every few seconds to check the next instruction on the central console.

The satnav itself was – over the course of a week traversing everything from the villages of Somerset to the congestion zones of London – infallible. I had my doubts about its decision to take me on what seemed like a fool’s errand off the M6 for what would be more than an hour, but a smug smile spread of schadenfreude spread across my face on hearing a traffic report describing utter chaos and abject misery on the motorway thanks to a lorry fire causing a three-hour tailback while I happily pootled along the tree-lined A-roads of the Black Country. The car I drove was also connected to the internet, meaning I could Google nearby hotels, and find not only directions, but also reviews.

Passengers don’t lose out to the 320d’s pampering of the driver, either. While the last incarnation of the 3 Series was criticised for its somewhat miserly cabin space, the current generation is more spacious in the headroom and legroom departments. Meanwhile, boot space has been boosted to 480 litres, which more than matches its rivals, the Audi A4 and Mercedes C-Class.

A mere 37 years after its genesis, the 3 Series has found a balance some of its contemporaries have struggle to achieve. It’s big inside, and passenger-friendly, but is driver focused. Sport mode is comfortable and Comfort mode is sporty. It’s pretty economical but joyously powerful.

It’s not cheap – the one I tested cost £29,080 – but these cars hold their value well. And it takes another bold step away from its ancestors while at the same time keeping that perfectionist spirit of 1975 alive. If only I could say the same about myself.

VITAL STATS

CAR BMW 320d Sport

PRICE £29,080

PERFORMANCE Max speed 146mph; 0-60mph 7.5s

MPG (combined) 61.4mpg

CO2 EMISSIONS 120g/km