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The greenest BMW ever made

Thursday, 03 June 2010

BMW’s 3-series has been in production since 1975 and the fifth generation of this popular model was launched in 2005. Now the famous Bavarian company has given their best seller a midlife revamp with some subtle changes to the interior and bodywork. The 3-Series is BMW’s best selling model and last year 40 per cent of all BMW’s sold worldwide had diesel engines. This week’s test car, the 320d Efficient Dynamics Saloon, is according to BMW, their greenest 3-Series ever made. Most BMWs now have the stop-start technology whereby the car cuts out when you stop in traffic, but starts again once you touch the clutch. It can be annoying if you pick up the car at night and don’t know why it’s cutting out, but after a day’s driving you get used to it. I know that BMW is a very prestigious brand but by now I’m probably gone beyond being impressed by the logo on a car. The one thing that struck me driving the manual six-gear 320d was how easy it was on diesel and I didn’t have many pit stops. Also the car was really solid on the road. It used to be said that Volvo cars were built like a tank; well I think that you would also be pretty safe, if you were unfortunate enough to hit something while driving the 320d. For the second week in a row my test car was black. This time black was also the predominant colour in the cabin, except for a touch of silver on the dash and around the console that houses the gear lever. On the dash you get two discreet cup holders, which fold in very neatly. The heating controls are bigger than the buttons for the radio, but I’m not complaining, as both were easy to use. The boot is a decent size and no spare wheel just a repair kit. However, you won’t need to use the repair kit on a dark night as all BMWs now have run-flat tyres which you can drive at 80km/h for up to 200 kilometres. It’s a long motor and the parking sensors were appreciated. The bonnet is long and of course at the tip is the famous BMW badge. The headlamps are also pretty impressive. If it’s speed you are after, you can get from zero to 100 kilometres in eight seconds and the top speed is 260 km/h, but then you ask yourself where can you legally test the latter statistic. Incidentally BMW was recently named Ireland’s most reputable car brand in a corporate reputation study. Naturally in such a green car like this C02 emission are very low at 109 g/km that equates to e104 road tax per annum. Prices start at e39,110, but the top of the range model I drove with lost of extras brought the price up to e42,810. The most expensive extra was the Black Dakota leather seats which cost around e1,500. So to sum up in a few words: powerful, sturdy, frugal and of course green.