BMW Back To Best

16 March 2020

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By Paul Gover.

It’s taken a full decade, but BMW is finally back on track with its 3 Series.

The long-time heartland car for the German brand went bland and boring, then lost its sporty edge, as it was overtaken by the Mercedes-Benz C-Class through the 2010s.

Now the goodness has returned and it’s a car with the class and driving enjoyment that has been a key to the Three since the 1980s.

It’s a plush car right from the get-go with the entry-level 320i.

Last year the sportier and costlier 335i landed in Australia and, despite a 2-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine that goes against the grain of six-cylinder 3 Series heroes, it was a bit hit and claimed a number of Car of the Year awards.

Now the 320i is here, from a more affordable $64,900 and with a similar but less-powerful engine.

The 320 has lots of upscale standard equipment, from a 12.3-inch infotainment display to eight airbags, the latest active safety systems and a very welcome heads-up instrument display.

But it’s the basics that make the biggest difference, as the car is as roomy as its rivals, has a well-sized boot, and comes with comfy leather-trimmed seats.

The chassis is solid but complaint, which means low noise levels with good driving feedback and excellent cornering grip. Braking is great, too.

The 320i is a car which works nicely around the city, apart from an over-eager lane-keeping system, and really comes alive in the countryside.

It’s not a fireball but gets along quite briskly, with a choice of driving modes – Sport is best on a twisty road – and flappy paddles for manual changes in the eight-speed automatic gearbox.

It’s old-school with rear-wheel drive, not that you really notice unless you push hard and pick up on the car’s excellent grip and chassis control.

The 320 is also surprisingly quiet, with top-notch cabin finishing including coloured light bars that brighten the cabin and a projector system that shines a welcome patch of illumination for entering and leaving the car at night. The headlights, as you would expect, are excellent.

The only real downside is a slightly clunky infotainment system, which also fights at times if you have an iPhone connected with CarPlay. But, then again, there is also a wireless charging pad in the centre console.