BMW 3 Series review

The BMW 3 Series; it has always done the business as the car for business people: a well-built, sporty, rear-wheel-drive saloon. And that basic concept remains very much at the heart of this seventh-generation model.

However, it is a thoroughly modern proposition, too. These days, you have the option of four-wheel drive (xDrive in BMW speak), along with a range of strong yet efficient petrol and diesel engines to suit most tastes and budgets. There's even a plug-in hybrid version, which has the potential to slice chunks of your company car tax bill and power itself on pure battery power for around 30 miles.

After you've factored in all the infotainment goodies and the long list of standard safety equipment it gets on top, the 3 Series must surely remain one of the most desirable cars on sale today?

More than likely, yes, but you should still be asking all the right questions before signing on the dotted line. Two of the big ones hanging over the 3 Series are: is it a better all-rounder than its two chief executive adversaries, the Audi A4 and Mercedes C-Class? And is it still the executive saloon of choice if you're looking for something genuinely fun to drive? These days the Alfa Romeo Giulia and Jaguar XE make that their primary objective, too.

We'll answer both of those questions and more over the next few pages. And if you decide you want to buy a BMW 3 Series, or indeed any other new car for that matter (including the BMW 3 Series Touring estate), find out how much money we could save you on the brochure price by checking out our latest deals pages. There's no haggling involved, so quite frankly you’d be mad not to: seriously, it's no harder than putting on your pyjamas at night.