With nearly 60 years of experience between them, carwow’s expert reviewers thoroughly test every car on sale on carwow, and so are perfectly placed to present you the facts and help you make that exciting decision

We take the hassle and haggle out of car buying by finding you great deals from local and national dealers

The new BMW 3 Series is a posh saloon that’s great for the family but also loads of fun to drive. It isn’t the cheapest of the upmarket German cars and some desirable kit costs extra

Overall verdict

You know what you’re going to get with the BMW 3 Series. Quite simply… it’s going to be a brilliant all-round car – comfortable, practical, good to drive and desirable.

That combination has meant the 3 Series is a bigger seller than the likes of a Ford Mondeo, these days. Why? The same reason you might buy Ethiopian coffee beans over instant, or fresh sourdough over a loaf of Warburtons: you don’t mind paying just a bit more for top quality.

You might consider a 3 Series over the likes of other posh German cars like the Audi A4 or Mercedes C-Class, but, spoiler alert, all-told it’s the best of this bunch. It won our overall Car of the Year award for 2019.

Not everyone will love the styling – it’s got a more aggressive and angular look than previous generations. But even basic versions of the BMW 3 Series are smart looking. If you do fancy something a bit more eye-catching then you can go for the go-faster body kit and big wheels of the M Sport model – like the AMG Line upgrades available on the Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

Inside, the dashboard design is very much focused towards the driver, much like the equivalent on the bigger 5 Series. It’s physically angled towards you and this means you get a great view of all the vital controls and components.

The actual design will be familiar if you’ve owned a BMW 3 Series or 4 Series in the past, but with some obvious upgrades – the large infotainment screens for example. They are integrated into the dash and look much slicker than the Audi A4’s free-standing unit and you can now, FINALLY, get Android Auto smartphone mirroring (previously, only Apple CarPlay was available).

In fairness, you won’t necessarily need to connect your phone to get the best out of the new BMW 3 Series’ infotainment system. It understands spoken commands just like your smartphone and can also route around traffic rather than sending you headlong into congestion like many in-built sat-navs.

Your passengers will find it easier to get more comfortable in the back of a BMW 3 Series than in a Mercedes C-Class. The boot is a decent size too. It’s big enough for a couple of large hard-shell suitcases and a set of golf clubs, and the cabin provides plenty of smaller storage spaces so it’s easy to keep the interior looking smart.

The BMW 3 Series always used to be the choice of keen drivers, but its luxury and technology are also reasons to pick one over an Audi A4 or Mercedes C-Class too these days

So the BMW 3 Series does most of the sensible stuff very well, but how does it drive? Well, its sharp steering lets you flick between corners and the special dampers in the suspension (that absorb bumps well) stop the BMW leaning when you turn. It’s at least a match for the Alfa Romeo Giulia when it comes to putting a smile on your face around twisty roads.

You get five engines to choose from. These include a 320d four-cylinder 2.0-litre diesel engine that has plenty of shove and is economical. The 330i’s four-cylinder 2.0-litre petrol is quicker and sportier, while the six-cylinder in the M340i xDrive four-wheel drive is a rocket ship. There’s also a plug-in petrol-electric hybrid called the 330e for company car drivers and those with access to charging.

But, even if you act like a yob, the BMW 3 Series is always very well behaved. At a cruise, the cabin is as quiet as an Audi A4’s and a host of optional driving aids mean it can take care of itself down the motorway so long as you keep your hands on the wheel. You can’t get much more relaxing than that.

You can also have autonomous driving aids that help at lower speeds in town, such as the reversing assistant. It can drive the car for you, reversing back the way you came should you, say, get blocked in a multi-storey car pack – though, it might take a few attempts to actually work.

So it’s fair to say that the BMW 3 Series is better in every way than the car it replaces, while still maintaining the sporty character of every version that has come before. If you’re looking for a practical, posh saloon that you’ll enjoy driving – it’s the one to beat.

To get offers, take a look at the latest BMW 3 Series deals.