Our cars update: BMW 123d

• It's actually fun to drive
• Great on all roads, in any weather
• Town and country friendly

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Car tested BMW 123d Coupé M Sport
List price £26,475
Target price £25,381
Run by Euan Doig
Tested for Eight months/20,700 miles

BMW seems to have remembered something that many other manufacturers have forgotten – while it’s great when a car is reliable, comfortable and easy to live with, it’s even better when a car is actually fun to drive.

It pains me that many cars on our roads today are simply a means of getting from here to there. I’m one of those old-fashioned types who wants more than just transport; I want to enjoy the drive along the way – and it’s here that my 123d shines. It’s great company no matter what the road or the prevailing weather.

For example, I had no choice but to drive from my home in west Oxfordshire to the British International Motor Show in London. The trip should have been a nightmare, but it was anything but. The car was comfortable and quiet on the motorway, then when the traffic-clogged city loomed, the sat-nav guided me around the worst of the jams, while the Auto Start-Stop kept my emissions down and economy up. The BMW was a hoot on the final B-road part of my trek, too.

This is what’s made the 1 Series so good – I know every mile I do in it will be enjoyable. There aren’t many cars you can say that about.