I borrowed a BMW 320d to travel to the Nurburgring for a VLN race. Thought it was time we looked at an 'ordinary' car. The full N24 video in the Aston airs later this week.
Yung Dro Affordable is a relative term I guess. I meant that a typical middle class person has a chance to buy/lease it unlike almost every other car Chris tests. Not cheap but attainable for many.
***** Definitely not cheap.... but it is attainable, new or second hand... with not many years of use.... unlike say a Porsche 918 which will never be affordable... ever
Yung Dro to be fair, the price mentioned is for a completely new 0 miles version of this car. even in norway this car barely has the cost that he mentioned
VioletGiraffe It's not that we're rich, it's that we have low taxes and our consumables are cheaper while government encourages competition and business growth. I live in Europe now, and I can see how difficult it can be. Don't blame Americans, blame your government and it's wasteful spending and corruption. Heck, just look at Greece.
Have an 2014 320d, and to be honest it's the best car I've ever had. And I've had quite a lot. But Chris hits the nail on the head here: the mix of a LOT of available power and really a beautiful amount of NM and the ability to cross Europe on a single load of fuel makes it a massive pleasure to drive every single day.
Even as an Audi guy I respect how great BMW can make a diesel car. It's a shame diesels are so unloved here in the US. I'd kill to get 40+ mpg out of a stick shift, RWD car.
just for curiosity , how common are diesel cars there in the us and price fuel compared to gas? here in Portugal most of the cars above 20000€ are diesel cars
Tiago Mano Diesels are pretty rare - they're becoming more common now, but the auto manufacturers that usually offer them are the European ones. Volkswagen I think offers the most diesel vehicles here. It's because gas isn't THAT expensive compared to the rest of the world, and diesel is more expensive than gas, and getting the diesel version usually carries a bit of a premium. Where you do see a decent amount of diesels, however, are pick-up trucks. There are a LOT of diesel pickups in the US, still probably less than the V8 ones though. But because of those, I would say about 60-70% of gas stations offer diesel, so if you drive a diesel car its not that bad in terms of finding gas. Hope I was helpful! :D
Bob The Spy here the diesel version normally is more expensive too, but the diesel is cheaper than gas. here you find GPL cars too(probably you don't have them) you take a gas car and covert it to gpl(liquid gas) so you have the normal petrol tank and another one for gas, witch is like half the price a liter to gas and ford, you don't have all the cars they sell to europe? my dad recently bought a focus sw 1.5 tdci, with 120 hp, and are preaty cheap compared to for example the vw golf , and it's a really good car, equal to the vw in quality here all the pick ups are diesel , and way smaller than there, wouldn't want to pay the bill for a tank of petrol for one of those v8 gas pick up's, would be like 200€, here a liter of gas is like 1.5€, so imagine if this were there
You can now get a Chevy Cruze with a diesel! Not as exciting or fast as a BMW, I know, but it's a really good car with great MPG. I drive the 1.4T version, and even that gets great mpg for an American spec sedan. I was able to average over 38 mpg over 400 miles from Chicago to Columbus at about 75 mph.
I'd say the A8 is the looker on the outside, but the S-Class has the more appealing (to me) cabin. S-Class is really boatlike though, 7er will for sure be the superior car dynamically.
Been driving my 320d for almost 3 years now, I really love the strong torque and great fuel economy, and the joy it gives me on German autobahn is just amazing
I can confirm this is a fuel friendly car. I went on a trip last year from Antwerp (Belgium) to Freiburg (Germany) and back averaging 130-140 kmp/h on the highways and also stopping downtown Luxembourg City (so with a lot of traffic and such) with 1 fuel tank and with about "100km remaining". It was a 1000 kilometer trip.
Gilles nobody but you knows the distance between those points or the fuel tank capacity. i drove a friend's 2005 2.0 turbo 330hp Audi A4 and averaged 7.3L/100km at exactly those speeds across Germany, Austria and Hungary. so sorry if I am not impreassed by the breathless tractor.
Alex Gunner To me a tuned car is irrelevant. Where I live the authorities are nazi-like with cars and taxing them and making sure that what you drive is legal, and if not you will get fined big time. Not to mention that here we have about 900 kilometers of motorway (120km/h) and our total road network is 454 000 kilometers. So 0.2% of our roads are 120kmh and the rest is 100 or less. That means that a powerful car is a waste for most people. I see many 318's and 320's and similar from other manufacturers every day. Even a 330 is rare. I'm more impressed by efficiency
Bought a 320d about a year ago, what an amazing car so comfortable on the motorway & when your in the mood put it in sport or sport + on the twisty back roads handles great. I was a bit worried about having a diesel but now I couldn't give a damn I'd happily buy another
I've driven the 318d and that was honestly lacking a bit of power. Especially the top speed of 210 was to low for everyday driving. But some of the 320d versions have up to 50hp more, so that might solve the issue.
try looking for a jaguar xf or xe first. you can get a manual 2l diesel rear wheel drive with about 150 hp and a claimed 70 mpg. wich i tend to believe because i can get in spec for my x-type 13 years later. you'll probably find it more comfortable too.
Brilliant review, thank you. From the 90s, the 320d badge has been on our cars and all have given us a lot of fun during long, comfortable journeys. The later G variant hasn't been on our driveway yet but that is because the F30 is still going strong. BTW even our older 320ds were surprisingly clean in exhaust and we're sad that because of the diesel scandals, even these quality diesel cars do not get a chance anymore.
@@RallyVozac - Currently on 170,000Km. I used to thrash it quite hard in the early days, using sport mode a lot. These days I drive in Eco mode most of the time for my daily commute to work. It just passed its TUV (German inspection) last week - just required two new tyres and brake pads. No issues with injector yet. Fuel consumption is pretty amazing I would say. My commute to work is one quarter city driving and rest on motorway. On my commute I can get down to 4.4l/100km. If it wasn't for the city section it would be closer to 3.9 or 4L/100km. It is rare to go above 5.7l/100km, only if I am in Sport mode and not driving with care. So far, touch wood, not a single replacement required - just normal things like tyres, brake pads, discs.
@@tomedward8652 Very useful info mate. What wheel dimensions do you have, and what is the city consumption, with not really sporty but not really eco driving? Lets say normal accelerations?
@@tomedward8652 Also, is it N47 or B47? Chain changed or no? Looking to taxi with it. Need reliable strong engine which is no slug when I go town to town full of people and luggage.
@@RallyVozac - N47 I believe, 184 bhp version. 8 speed autobox. Haven't touched the chain or gearbox. My was pretty much fully specced too. Heads up display, elec seats etc. Everything still works perfectly. Maybe I was lucky. Had a 120d series before, first iteration and had all sorts of problems with it. I would say 3 series from 2012/13 onwards are pretty reliable as most of the kinks have been ironed out from previous versions.
I own one of these (f30 320d) It's been the best car I have ever owned. It is extremely economical for everyday use, but in saying that, if you want power, you have it, best of both worlds, I recently sold my HSV GTS and have not missed it at all !!! The only thing I changed was the run flat tyres, I put on normal tyres that go flat. It is now 90% smoother and quitter. The only thing, I carry a small air compressor and a tyre repair kit with me, just in case of a flat, and for long trips a spare wheel/tyre thrown in the boot for good measure.
I had the identical car to that one for 2 years up until April, he's right it's a very capable car and when rolling on at speed it was very impressive. I've now got a new 330d M Sport which is in a different league again because of the whole drive train. Superb machines!
Complete bullshit, and no-one sane would buy an Alfa Romeo. Perhaps your perspective has been altered with, because you haven’t driven a comfortable barge (Mercedes) or understeer (Audi).
@@xx-----------xx873 E class 300 DE, A6 3.0 tdi, couple od lexuses...I did't get impressed...waste of time and money for such mediocre, blend vehicles and soo much overrated...Oh I have a comfortable luxury sedan and it's italian(first car with EPB as standard).
50 fps while doing driving shots from the outside is sublime no doubt!, BUT the same cannot be said for the bit that was shot on the inside, it was wobbly as hell, almost head spin inducing for someone like me who doesn't have the best eyesight. I wonder why Neil didn't bother mounting the camera on the windshield?. Other than that, fantastic video as usual!.
dlkayaks that's what I've been thinking, not a pro but 50 fps at 720p would suggest 4k? Which has then been scaled down to 1080p? I might be completely wrong!, I am a total noob. Would love to know what kinda setup you got going on Neil!, I remember the Sony that you guys ,or Chris Harris at least, use to shoot with almost 2 years ago, do a video about the kind of gear you use to shoot this stuff with!. Cheers!
Ahmed Irfan It's crisp as hell and impressive in that regard but it just looks like real life... I guess I miss the cinematic effect can't really put my finger on it
Picked up my new 320d Msport tourer 2 days ago and did exactly as Chris suggested, picked up a Type-R for a weekend/track day toy. Great review, and he isn't wrong! Fantastic car.
I own 320 M sport diesel convertible.. how did just over five years now and I can honestly say it’s the most fun and best car I’ve ever had great in the summer when the Sun is out top-down .. Great cruising round on a summers evening..always puts a smile on my face👍🏴😃
Damn I love Chris. I've driven F3Xs well over 10times and he still made this review compelling to me. When I hear him, with the ambient music in the back gorund in his vids it's like time and everything else around me ceases and doesn't matter anymore.
Ordinary is not the same thing as inexpensive. Ordinary is something you see everywhere. I see a LOT of 3-series BMWs, I don't see many 2001 Nissan Altimas. So, your car is not ordinary.
Can't agree more with the positive reviews. Please make more videos on cars we see on the roads a bit more often than once in a lifetime :) They're great.
I am watching Chris Harris for years, back to his Autocar days.He is the best there is and enjoy his in depth analysis.I would think Top Gear would have a great asset in Chris, pity he wasn't part of the original team.
I have a 320d from 2007. Its a beautiful driving experience. And it really does fly from 80-100 even in 6th gear. In my opinion its a much much better driving experience than newer more expensive cars.
Pick mine up tomorrow, exactly the same as in the video and only just saw this :) Thanks for the review, pleased with my purchase before i've even picked it up.
We're hiring a 320d M Sport Touring while visiting the UK at the moment. Really impressed. Loads of grunt down low, revs out nicely, and the auto gearbox is a delight, and currently averaging 50mpg in mixed/motorway driving.
By the time i specced up the 1 it was nearly as expensive as the 3. Less car for the money and no real gain in performance. And yes the mpg is not great ,23 ATM. Will keep it for a while and going to a Cayman in the new year.
Had mine coming up four years. Just had an X2 loaner whilst it’s at BMW getting some TLC and tbh apart from the dials and Apple Carplay nothing has really changed, BMW were so ahead of the curve with this one. Got a 450 mile motorway round trip next Monday and I have zero doubt it’ll still have just under half a tank when I’m done. Great, great car!
Spot on review. I have a 120d for daily driving and a modified Impreza for track days and weekends. The 8 speed auto is great on the 120d as its always in the right gear to make the most of the torque and has no problems keeping up with my dad's 2001 M5
I have a 316d which only has 114hp and it is incredible to me how people refer to the 320d as 'the slow one' when compared to mine it would feel like a rocket ship
My mom has the touting version with the same engine and “m” pack and I’ve driven it right across Germany a few times (Luxembourg to Czech Republic) and I can confirm the car is a delight to cruise in even at 200kmh. At one point there was a piece of tire in a section with car on car traffic at 160kmh and even then the car fared really well and didn’t loose grip. I trust the car a whole lot more after that.
a bmw 320d new, nearly new or even approved used is far from an "ordinary everyday car". most people will never own one. a 2007 1.6 ford focus hatchback with 80k on the clock and dinged-up alloys is an ordinary everyday car.
@@Sinoops Well, what with low interest leasing, it's note so unusual to have a car like that. Depends on your area though I suppose. Now that the car shown is 5 years old, you can pick 'em up at a more 'normal' price. www.gumtree.com/p/bmw/2014-14-bmw-3-series-320d-luxury-diesel-manual-saloon/1339941978
Great review Chris! Nice to mix things up a bit. Any chance you can do an E46 M3 review in the future? I really enjoy those reviews on older sports cars - BMW M cars, Porsches, Ferraris, etc.
Fantastic change of pace Chris. I especially like this video because 18 months ago I decided to get a 335D E92 instead of the M3. I put my sensible cap on and bought the D for 2 reasons. First being I suffer with back problems, the D has a lovely ride for what it is. The second being the economy side of it and the lighter running costs due to actually having to do a fair amount of miles per year. I can hand on heart honestly say that the car scores a 10/10. It was a big step buying a diesel, but it sounds great, is cheap (ish) to run and it just has oodles of power when you need it and can comfortably cruise when needed! I often think if the D is overkill and should I have gone for 320D of the new shape 3 series, but the D is a very good looking car in LCI form and ticks all the boxes for me personally! Enough rambling, enjoy the Aston!
I am a little bias towards bmw (own a e46 330D) and their diesel engines are great. My 330D mapped is more than quick enough to keep up with quicker cars whilst being very economical, big diesel engines are great and sound good with a little work.
My 330D once I've sorted it's boosting issue should be good for 250 ish bhp again and we'll over 400ftlbs of torque. Driving it sensibly can easily achieve 55mpg motorway and 40ish mpg around town.
@@jaideepakahluwalia 30k £ is not 70k $ where you live lol. and if it was I'd personally fly to where you live and exchange £ to $ lmao that's an easy 30k $ in every 30k€ lol talking about becoming a billionaire.
I've recently bought an E91 LCI 320d. It has the exact same engine as the one featured in this video and I am staggered by the way this thing pulls above 80 mph (130 km/h). It's also manual and RWD and it's a blast on twisty B-roads. I'm very happy with it and after driving it I truly believe that there's no real need for the more powerful 330d even if you regularly drive on highways at high speeds.
locojambo until the Golf GTi gets bummed by a Golf R, hurr hurr herp derp. What a ridiculous comment, comparing a diesel compact exec saloon with a hot hatch.
+TonySpoons not comparing the 2 cars at all clearly stating that the "diesel compact exec saloon" isn't as quick as the boy racers weapon of choice and was more a reply to the op than a comparison. Personally I think anyone who buys a 4 pot bmw has really missed the point of owning one, but that's just me.
locojambo I think you'll find the original comment was merely singing the 320d's praises, you randomly brought up a hot hatch as a comparison, bizarre given that they fulfil completely different roles. My 320d with sports automatic transmission gets to 60 in under 8 seconds, hardly 'slow', but granted it is not in 'hot hatch' territory (unsurprisingly...)
+TonySpoons Jesus tonyspoons sounds like uv got ur knickers in a right twist and ur now trying to sell to me a bottom of the range bmw which I would never have an interest in. The op said he was amazed how well it pulls over 60 or something.. Well I think he needs to get out there and drive a real quick car as I don't think 320d pull even as good as a Renault Laguna but instead of going into it a bit I'd thought I'd make him aware the next gti he comes across is going to leave him dead. But at least he has a sat nav and heated seats LOL!! You can have endless amounts of fun in a 335i at anytime while driving but it's more of a case of being able to afford one isn't it..
hvf26 328i doesn't have the effortless power delivery from low revs like the 320d. Unless you rev the 328i over 5000 rpm, 320d is faster in every gear.
not really. i've driven pretty much all bmws (used to work for them). i prefer the power delivery of the 328, its much smoother and has a good balance between power and torque. the 320d is very torquey, you're right. but in terms of power it's down compared to the 328i. might just be because i just prefer petrols anyway. if i were going to go diesel on a bmw, i would definitely get the 3.0 litre, now THAT is an incredible engine
derbigpr500 im afraid not! 328 off the lights no chance!! More bhp..320d more torque..but runs out of steam @4k..but much better on motorway.. 328ci anyday ♡♥
Please do more vids like this one, Chris...maybe even a bit more in depth. I had this car for two weeks in Germany -did about 1k miles in it- and whilst BMW s interiour always puts me off at first (I even prefer a high speced Golf s interiour to pretty much any kind of BMW...) and I m not a fan of its design either, I really loved it. The beauty lies in its simplicity, it feels powerful enough, you still can feel it s rear wheel drive, the materials might not be top notch but yet u grasp its high build quality, it s very economical for the power it delievers - cruising around at 180-200 kph at the Autobahn (can clearly confirm 45mpg) feels all natural. It s more like the old Rolls Royce statement that the car has enough power. There s this general feeling that it s just a good car and the guys who made it put thought into it. It might have made me smile even more because I actually am not a fan of BMW and still rather despise its interiour design ;). It s honest and good without pretence.
Some of you are missing the point with his "ordinary" comment. Chris never said it was time he looked at a econo-shitbox. He just said ordinary. Compared to all the cars we've seen him review...I would say the 320d is about as ordinary as it gets with CHoC. Love the review Chris. One of my favorite models for the F30 is the 320i with the detuned turbo-four, six speed and base model trim. Reminds me of the old E30 318is.
Incredibly BMW have a dedicated miniature cargo net in the glove box where you can store the cup holder cover, there is even a guide on how to use it. That is German attention to detail.
We've got the US version, the 328d wagon. Love it. We routinely get 45mpg Hwy at 75 mph. Lots of grunt, great handling and yes it really will do over 130 on the Autobahn (we did Euro delivery).
"Ordinary Car" = fully loaded BMW 320D for over 50k USD out the door. LOL. Nope. I dont really care because i love all of Chris Harris' Content no matter what, but this is certinally not an 'ordinary car' for most people in the world. Ordinary compared to the super cars chris drives sure, but lets get in touch with reality here: a vast, vast majority of the world will never be able to afford a car that costs nearly 50k out the door.
***** well, a 3 series is technically middle class, but like the C Class I consider them a bit pricey too. Well worth the money for sure, but personally more then I would spend on a car. "Normal" cars in germany are typically something like VW Golf/Polo, Opel Corsa/Astra/Insignia, Skoda Fabia/Octavia/Superb, Hoda Civic/Accord and the like, so quite similiar to the states in the sense of "class". But BMW's are a common sight, just like Audi's and Mercs since I think 2/3 of the cars in germany are german. And not all german manufacturers are "expensive".
***** The Dacia's being compared in price because most people in the UK will lease from new and return after 3 years. A 320d M Sport can be had from about £250 / month, which is affordable for most. As a result, there's a shitload of them here in the UK!
I drove 320d for 3 years. lovely car. Did 160000 miles without any problems. This week I replaced my 320d with a 330d luxury saloon. similar body weight but 3 litre engine. Looking forward to trying the I drive on the 2017 model
Having driven many cars (mainly German) the 3 series by far gave me the best drive. The 320d would be the perfect all rounder, it is seriously nippy for a 2 litre diesel, very good on fuel. However if you want more speed and wouldn’t mind compromising on mpg, the 330d is the ultimate all rounder - and puts all the hot hatches to shame.
when it comes to torque, the big diesel engines will trash every sportscar. That's actually quite a popular test in germany: Acceleration from 80-120km/h in a high gear. It's amazing how relatively cheap diesel engines just run away from very expensive supercars in that real world scenario.
Great review on a newer model 320 👍 I actually own a 330D e91 myself and I think that's a brilliant car for its age if serviced early and well looked after they will go forever and in my opinion one of the best engines bmw ever made. Its handles the remap and power effortlessly. Look forward to watching more of your vids 👊
My dad has one.. It is absouletly a brillant car. On the highway i can literaly do 140km/h at 2000 revs.. Just bonkers the torgue on that thing. 500NM or 330 ibs/feet of torgue. it will do over 800km of range. And on a 3 liter 6 cylinder engine 17 years old, that is pretty good.
