BMW 3-Series Saloon (2012 - 2019) 318d SE (07/15-) 4d Step Auto Owner Review
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In their own words
The car came pre-registered less than six months earlier (though it was actually a year since its construction), with a mere fourteen (!) delivery miles on the clock and numerous factory-fitted extras, including full leather, uprated power steering, and reverse park assist, all for twenty-six grand, which seemed very reasonable. However, the leather trim is rather low-grade, and the reverse park assist doesn't always work (unlike the completely reliable system I had in my old VW Passat CC). Also, as someone who enjoys listening to music while on the move, I thought the car's standard audio equipment sounded utterly appalling.
On the plus side, the auto box fitted to the car is the best I've ever used, surpassing even VW's excellent DSG system. The car is also my first with a rear-view camera, and I have been pleasantly surprised by how useful it has turned out to be.
Ultimately, though, this car has proved to be a massive disappointment, and I am eagerly awaiting the imminent delivery of its replacement as I write this. My new car will be a factory-built VW Passat SEL auto, which is way more to my liking!
How reliable do you find the car?
No repairs required yet, but the car is currently subject to an EGR cooler recall, and recently suffered a temporary spontaneous failure of the cruise control and speed limiter. Owners' forums suggest that the latter could be due to an imminent failure of the steering column switch unit.Does the car do everything you expected it to do?
The car drives really well... On the kind of mill-pond smooth surfaces to which the dealer carefully confined my test drive! Unfortunately, when it comes to our customary less-than-pristine British roads, ride comfort suffers terribly as those run-flat tyres (a first-time experience for me) make you only too aware of every bump, cat's-eye, inspection cover, and pot-hole over which the car jars and thumps! Owners' forums are rife with examples of replacing run-flats with normal tyres, and I did look into that, only to conclude that it amounted to a can of worms I was reluctant to open... although I will concede that I may have over-analysed the subject! Interior comfort and refinement is also a bit of a let-down. Overall, I expected a much more rewarding experience from this, my first premium brand car, especially considering that BMW have always boasted that their cars are the ultimate driving machines.About their car
- Fuel type Diesel
- When purchased October 2018
- Condition when bought Used
- Current Mileage 18,000 miles
- Average MPG 48 mpg
