BMW 3-Series Saloon 320i SE auto 4d Owner Review

Having had MPVs whilst my family was growing up, I bowed to my teenage son's recommendation to get this as my next company car. I was a little wary of the lack of cylinders (had owned 320i's before when they had 6), but is sounded good on paper, so we went for it. The engine and (big) turbo combination is great - the best bit being the midrange pull (you can rev it out either in kick-down or in manual mode, but it kind of just gets louder). You get some interesting "dump valve" type noises if you back off sometimes, and in Sport mode, there are (we think simulated) burbles and pops on the overrun to keep you entertained. The gearbox makes all the right decisions on its own, but can be shifted manually via the stick or the paddles. I've had a VW DSG in the past, so I find the manual shift has a very short lag before the gear changes (to be expected, I guess, but needs to be "planned for"). I get around 41mpg driving Urban in Eco mode, but you can get it to drink more. The headlights are amazing - like daylight on unlit roads even when dipped, and the direction/cornering helps too. All other features are great too, although I did have to switch off the lane diversion "rumbling" and compensation as it was picking up white lines on country lanes (can't change the setting from 40mph+) and snatched the wheel a couple of times.