• Excellent driving position
• High-quality interior throughout
• High-tech infotainment is bang up-to date

How is the quality and layout?

The interior of the BMW 3 Series looks smart and is very well made. Early models in this generation had a rather plain dashboard but the 2022 facelift brought in the so-called Curved Display. It’s a vast sweep of screens butted together, one for the driver and another to control the infotainment system. It’s now familiar from most other BMWs but it gives the 3 Series an undeniable wow factor.

There’s a smattering of physical controls lower down on the dashboard and centre console, but the vast majority of the car’s features and functions are controlled through the screen. Fortunately, it’s much more user-friendly than some similar set-ups we’ve come across.

134

The whole interior is very solidly put together and high-quality materials are used pretty much everywhere. All the things you touch regularly – steering wheel, gear level, column stalks – have a a pleasing tactility to them, as well. There are some low-grade plastics used, but you have to get on your hands and knees to find them.

For our money, the 3 Series has the best interior in the compact executive car class. The Audi A4‘s is beautifully made but looks and feels a bit severe, the Mercedes C-Class‘s is gliztier but feels too tech-heavy for our liking and doesn’t have the same depth of quality.

Infotainment and tech

We rate BMW’s iDrive infotainment system very highly. It looks good, the menus are easy to navigate around, the voice control system works well. You can also interact with the system via the touchscreen, but we still prefer the brilliantly user-friendly rotary controller found on the centre console.

The latest version of the 3 Series has the latest BMW Operating System 8 software, which is intuitive at the top level but deeply customisable and complex if you delve in further in. There’s also BMW Live Cockpit Plus which has constantly updated satnav mapping and ‘dynamic route calculation’.

134

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity feature, should you want the familiarity of your phone instead. The BMW ID system allows you to transfer personal settings between vehicles using the My BMW App and a smartphone. The car can receive over-the-air updates via BMW ConnectedDrive, including software upgrades and the opportunity to buy extra features, such as remote engine start, high beam assist and even virtual engine sounds.

The driver also has their own display that shows a vast range of information and can be configured to show what you’re most interested in.

Comfort

• Good seats with lots of adjustment
• Engines are quiet and well isolated
• Acoustic glass as standard

The seats in the BMW 3 Series are really supportive and comfortable – especially the sports seats fitted to M Sport models. There’s a wide range of adjustment in the driver’s seat and steering wheel, sufficient for all our testers to find their ideal driving position. All models have heated front seats, which make cold mornings much more bearable. We had no complaints about back seat comfort, either.

The 3 Series is also a very quiet car. The 320i can sound a bit gruff under hard acceleration, but the M340i produces a lovely, silky smooth, almost Barry White-esque. Once you’re cruising up to speed, though, the engines are virtually inaudible, with minimal wind and road noise.

134

That quietness shows the value of the noise-reducing acoustic glass fitted to all 3 Series models. There’s also more sound insulation that previous generations had. And it all works. Long journeys are very relaxing – none of our testers reported developing any aches, pains, or ringing ears.