It is usual to find a massive disparity between what a car manufacturer says a car’s fuel consumption will be and what it actually is, and not just because we tend to drive cars harder than most.
With the 3 Series, however, BMW’s claims turn out to be more honest than most. Once more taking the 320d as our example, BMW says it will do 61.4mpg; our own tests driving the car in a gentle but hardly saintly style yielded 56.8mpg.
More to the point, perhaps, equivalent testing of other cars has shown a marked reluctance to better 50mpg, giving the BMW not only a longer range but dramatically lower long-term running costs.
Expect any 3 Series to hold its value well, but should you be minded to buy one secondhand, remember the power is in your hands: such is the popularity of the Three that supply is bountiful, so there’s no need to compromise on spec or price.
There will always be another one to look at and dealers know it. Use this to your advantage.
