As a new mum, I had to replace my beloved Mercedes SLK 2-seater with the more child-friendly BMW. Obviously the BMW had a lot to measure up to. Some of the key stats then - it is a V6 2000cc engine, which means I get similar brake horse power to the 323i Sport - 170bhp compared to 186 bhp (but you wouldn't notice and it is about £3,000 cheaper). 0-60 in about 8-9 seconds, but more importantly they have discs, on the 17" alloys, all round so brakes 60-0 in about 3 secs. The insurance group is 17, but depending on your circumstances, you might pay from about £600 per year fully comp. It is a saloon and the four doors makes it easy enough to get my baby into the car seat.
My first outing in the car proved a comfortable and enjoyable journey luckily. Leather seats and sportssteering wheel made me feel at home. The steering wheel is pretty cool with speaker volume controls built in and the cruise control dials are easier to get to grips with compared to the Mercedes "stick". Having given up a fully automatic convertible roof, the blow was softened with the additional extras in the car such as Bluetooth technology, 6-CD player and SmartNav. I had a lovely automated voice telling me how to get from A to B, instead of grappling with a map and a noisy baby in the back. It also has rear parking sensors to help get in to tight spaces. Considering the size of the car - and its speed - the car is great on petrol it normally costs me £50-60 to fill it up and I get about 400-420 miles from a tank, which is a combination of urban and motorway driving.
I would have liked the air conditioning to be a little more responsive, but it soon cools the car down after a short time. You do have to watch out sometimes for a smell that comes from the air con, we were a little unlucky since after 6 weeks it started to smell. The solution does not come under warranty apparently, and costs £65-£120 to fix, but our local BMW dealer guarantees the smell won't come back within 6 months. They pour a disinfectant into the condenser to kill the bacteria that makes the smell.
I would recommend that you go for Sport version since looks better with spoilers on the front. I also hear that the Sport versions are easier to sell if you need to. The list price for this car is normally around £25,000 - 30,000 with the all the extras we have. Go to the dealer at the end of their quarter, not the end of the month. Even better if it is getting to a new plate date. Find out before you go who the newest (or worst performing) sales person is, they will be keen for the business and knock off thousands to make a sale at the end of a quarter.
Overall a very nice drive and still managing to maintain quite a sexy image (the car, not me!).
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BMW 3 Series - Saloon - Rear (RWD) - 6 Speed Manual, 6 Speed Automatic - 1995 cc - Max Speed: 140, 143 mph - 163, 177 bhp - Diesel - Available Trims: ES, SE, Sport, M Sport
BMW 3 Series - Saloon - Rear (RWD) - 6 Speed Manual, 6 Speed Automatic - 1995 cc - Max Speed: 130 mph - 143 bhp - Petrol - Available Trims: M Sport, Sport, SE, ES
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