BMW 3 Series long-term test: report 8
Our Executive Car of the Year, the BMW 3 Series, faces its toughest assignment yet: everyday life. Will it prove to be a corporate titan or quickly lose its shine? We have six months to find out...
The car BMW 3 Series 320d xDrive M Sport Run by Darren Moss, deputy editor
Why it’s here Having clinched the title of Executive Car of the Year at the 2019 What Car? Awards, the all-new 3 Series must now prove itself a champion in daily life
Needs to Be comfortable for long journeys and the weekday commute, offer exceptional fuel economy and function as a mobile office when needed
Miles 8904 List price £39,825 Target Price £37,502 Price as tested £48,185 Official economy 55.4mpg Test economy 44.7mpg
21 October 2019 – From company car to airport taxi
Twice recently I’ve had cause to admire my BMW 3 Series. Not merely appreciate it, but truly be impressed by a feature of this award-winning saloon.
The first is the car’s ability to function as a mobile office – something company car drivers will find especially useful. When I was dispatched to meetings in Rickmansworth, High Wycombe, Bracknell, Maidenhead and Farnborough in a single day, I was first impressed with the comfort of the driver’s seat as I to-and-froed across county lines, but also the ease with which I could keep in touch with the office via the intuitive iDrive system and BMW's natural speech recognition software. Finding the perfect perch for my iPad and laptop to catch up on The Great British Bake Off over lunch was an added bonus.
Later the same week, I was ferrying my parents to Heathrow airport, and my dad was complaining that the 3 Series' boot couldn’t possibly swallow both of his suitcases. Well, as the photo above shows, and with only some light Tetris-style adjustment, it did just that.
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