Advantages: Preformance, Economy, choice of trim, extras
Disadvantages: reliability - Expensive turbo failure, Rear Seat Space, Boot Space

...This is my first BMW, and I am sorry to say my last. The 320d has a reputation for turbo failure, which I believe applies only to pre July 2003 models. This failure can happen at any time regardless of service history and so cannot be predicted or circumvented and is a widely publicised failure amongst 320d owners on the internet!. The cost of repairing this vary between £2000 - £3000 and is not something which I would expect from a name like BMW. Other drawbacks include driver comfort, which is virtually non existant, after 15 mins in the drivers seat you rapidly experience another feature of the 320D - namely BMW "Numb Bum", which I must admit was not publicised in the brochure. The driving position is also somewhat strange. Both rear seat and boot space are limited and certainly not inline with the size of vehicle, and all BMW... Read review

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Advantages: It is lighter, better equipped, better performing
Disadvantages: No disadvantages

..., broad stance, twin headlights split by a double kidney grille, long wheelbase and short overhangs each end. Inside the sweeping fascia wraps around the driver. Under the skin are new powertrains, a five-link rear axle and the very latest dynamic stability control is available. Careful design and selective use of lightweight materials ensures the new BMW 3 Series is a finely honed thoroughbred. At launch there will be two four-cylinder models, the new 320i petrol and 320d The extra interior room is immediately apparent as is the bigger boot and all versions tried by me displayed a much smoother and quieter ride. The 330i exudes ability and power with utter composure and the automatic box must be the best on any car. The 320i even more responsive and more suited to driving style. Even if it is harder work through the delightfully slick... Read review

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Advantages: Good Resale value, sporty, comfortable, sleek
Disadvantages: Feels same as a much older model.

...I bought a 2004 model 320DSE recently and am pleased to report it is a nice executive car. The 320D range start with a basic model then the ES then the SE and then of course the Mtec Sport. The level of goodies you get with the car go up with each model but they all driver the same apart from the sports suspension on the Mtec. I decided the Se was probably the best value for myself with Climate control, electric windows , 6 speed manual gearbox, electric windows all round, and cd player advantages over the ES. This is the second BMW I have owned. the first being a 316 made in 92, and I must report it is amazingly similar to drive. The pedals are offset to the right slightly but this feels quite natural, the, the brakes are exellent, and the clutch is fairly light but has quite a long travel which I find takes a while to get used to... Read review

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Advantages: Fuel economy is brilliant,over taking power great.
Disadvantages: A bit of turbo lag,and cabin vibration

...This is my first diesel car. I didnt know what to expect! The car is one year old,i never buy new always nearly new. That way you will get the benefit of all the optional extras plus any depriciation that occurred. My 320d SE Touring came with leather,rain sensor,xenon light,automatic ,6 cd and headlight washer. All these options cost around £4000,which would have boosted a new car price to around £29,000! I brought it for £22,950. A saving of nearly £6000. The automatic does slow the car down abit,but if you switch it to the steptonic mode it really goes. I was amazed at the mid range power of this car. The other day i did a naughty thing and decided to race a BMW 740i. I was expecting it to overtake me with no problem,so i put the it to steptonic and put my foot down.To my amazement the 320D was neck to neck with the 740i.(Thats a 4... Read review

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Advantages: Diseal, convirtable, features, torque
Disadvantages: None that cant be easily cured

...I have not ticked the "i own this product" box as my family doesnt own the car anymore due to the new model coming out, we bought this car in 2005 so i was a 55plate. First point id like to make. A convertible diseal. There getting more common now, but for bmw to bring it out. It was absolutly amazing. Before we had the 320cd we had a 320d (the saloon) and we were amazed to here that they had brought this out. Shortly after we chopped the saloon in and purchased the convertible, a 2litre diseal with a top speed of around 130-135. Not to mention how economical it is compared to the petrol version! And as it is diseal it had a lot of torque. Anyway enough about the background and engine, lets talk about features. Inside, it comes with a business cd player heatunit, with upgraded bmw speakers. You can have it with xenon headlights... Read review

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Advantages: Refinement, performance, chassis, economy.
Disadvantages: Awkward boot.

...... Read review

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Advantages: Fuel Economy
Disadvantages: Interior

...the BMW 320d and the Audi A4 1.8 tdi cant offer! The internal styling of the C-class is unfortunately not as exceptional as its fuel economy. The boring fake wood and neverending dark leather and plastic does not harmonise with the beautifully curved exterior body, and many friends have commented on how dissapointinly unluxurious the interior is. I do believe this is mercedes' downfall when comparing it with Audi and BMW! The C220 cdi will set you back about £20000 on the road if you bought a new one today. However a second hand 2000 model would cost about £13000 with about 30000miles. This shows the excellent depreciation value that mercedes' have, and when your spending £20000 on a car its all important. Another aspect when considering price is the spare parts cost. Unfortunately spare mercedes parts are not cheap and the expertise... Read review

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Advantages: Weather Proof. Engine. Fuel Economy. Style. Interior Space.
Disadvantages: Purchase Price.

...Please note that the photograph inserted by Ciao at the top of this page is NOT the car of the title - it is the very different last model, soft roof BMW 3-Series. I have published pictures of the latest model - that is, the car reviewed and which the title refers to. WHAT IS IT? The BMW 320d SE is a clever folding metal roof version of BMW's ever popular 3-Series. Particularly interesting in this case is that roof up, the styling is barely distinguishable from the conventional 3-Series Coupe model. The 3-Series has always been one of the more spacious, four seater convertibles, the folding metal roof does not change this, at 4.58 metres long and 1.985 wide, it is identical in size to Coupe model. WHICH SPECIFIC MODEL? The model reviewed here is the new four cylinder, 177bhp 320 diesel, in non-sporting SE trim. This car was also... Read review

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Advantages: Performance, MPG, Quailty
Disadvantages: Rear cabin space, Small boot

...I ordered a 320D SE 1998cc 2002 model from my local BMW dealer in October 2001 for delivery in December 2001. I was impressed with the dealer (Dick Lovett), as the sales guy was not at all pushy but allowed me to take my time looking over the car and responded well to questions I raised. The first test drive I had was with the sales guy and lasted around 40 minutes, he then arranged for me to have the car for the whole day that weekend. This whole day test drive was excellent and really let me get know the car without any sales person around, and after that I was hooked and continue to purchase the car. The list of options available is huge and it took some time to decide what I wanted. This new car was to replace my company Astra and I purchased it myself using my companies opt out option. The car was ordered for December as my Astra... Read review

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Advantages: Diesel the most fuel efficient, best torque of the range, same motor as BMW 320d - so a QUIET diesel
Disadvantages: Diesel may appear more expensive at the pump in the UK, dealer support is shoddy, maintenance costs high, still a british car with the usual quirks

...Bought, drove and sold 3 Freelanders between 1998 and 2002. Started out with the 1.8 litre petrol, then the 2 litre Rover diesel, and finally the Td4 which is powered by the BMW 2 litre engine that won awards in the BMW 320d. The Td4 was by far the best of the 3 that I owned. For one, by then, Landrover's build quality had improved drastically. By comparison, where the 1.8 litre spent 3 months in the workshop and the 2 litre Rover 6 weeks in the shop, the Td4 spent 4 days in the shop over the period I owned it (12 months). Drove the Td4 on-road, off-road on rocky terrain, on the beach, and in muddy conditions. It performed much better than the 2 previous models I had owned for a number of reasons. Firstly, the Td4 delivers a lot more torque than the other two models - especially useful for overtaking, and for offroad 4x4-ing... Read review

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