• Spacious, premium-quality interior
• Large, well shaped boot
• Four adults fit comfortably

How much space is there?

The BMW 3 Series may appear quite compact, but it’s actually pretty generously spacious. There’s no shortage of head, leg or shoulder room in the front seats – all of our testers found they had room to spare. The high centre console might make you feel a bit hemmed in, though. It’s also worth noting that the 3 Series sits quite close to the ground and the roof is relatively low, which can make getting in and out tricky.

Our six-foot-plus testers found they could comfortably sit in the back behind their own driving position, though there isn’t as much space to spread out as there is in a VW Arteon. The middle back seat is passable for teenagers, but not really usable for adults. Not least because the chunky transmission leaves little foot space – a common trait in mid-size saloon cars. If you regularly carry back seat passengers, they’ll appreciate you speccing lighter interior colours. Dark shades can make it feel rather claustrophobic back there.

134

Boot space and storage

The 3 Series has a not inconsiderable 480 litres of boot space, which matches the Audi A4 and betters the Mercedes C-Class by 25 litres. The Audi is easier to load as the opening is a squarer shape, but you can still slot a few big suitcases into the BMW’s boot without hassle. Add the optional extended storage pack and there’s all sorts of useful nets, hooks and pockets to store small items.

The back seats fold down in a 40:20:40 split to create 1,510 litres of capacity. It’s quite a long space that you can slide flat packs into, but the car’s ultimate practicality is always limited by its ‘three-box’ saloon shape. The 3 Series Touring is the better option if load-lugging ability is a priority.

134

Is it easy to park?

It may be classed as a ‘compact’ saloon, but the 3 Series is actually quite a big car. At 4,713mm long, it’s the same length as a Nineties 5 Series. It’s also about two metres wide (including the mirrors). Still, we found it slots into the majority of parking spaces easily enough.

Visibility all-round is pretty good and you can position the door mirrors to see the car’s rear end. There’s a comprehensive suite of parking sensors and a reversing camera to help out, as well. A 360-degree camera system is available from the options list.

Safety

• Five-star Euro NCAP safety rating
• BMW Active Guard comes as standard
• More safety kit can be added optionally

The BMW 3 Series was awarded a full five-star rating by car safety body Euro NCAP when it was assessed in 2019. It scored very strongly in every area of the assessment, including a near-perfect 97% for adult occupant protection and 76% for its safety assist systems.

BMW markets those systems under the name Active Guard Plus and they include:

• Autonomous emergency braking
• Lane departure warning
• Traffic sign recognition
• Driver attention monitor
• SOS call button

You can also spec the optional Driving Assistant Professional package which includes adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist and cross traffic alert. There are two sets of Isofix child seat mounts on the outer rear seats.