BMW 330d M Sport: new arrival

Arrived: September 2008
List price (including options): £38,870
Average economy: 39.2mpg

The BMW 330d M Sport saloon has been -

Used and abused by a hoard of British journalists at the UK launch of the new facelifted 3 Series. At the end of the week, we turned up in Newbury to drive the 330d away to a slightly more sympathetic home. Saying that, with a full tank of diesel and a quick valet, 'our' test car could just have easily have just come off the production line. Thankfully there were no running in limitations to contend with though, so our first miles in the car were carried out in 'spirited' fashion in Oxfordshire's lovely winding countryside.

We're loving the -

Blend of performance and economy. Our first few hundred miles were taken at quite a pace, with a more interesting route sought out as an alternative to the motorway network. The result was rewarding from the driver's seat, with the well balanced chassis perfectly complemented by the superb new 3.0-litre turbodiesel straight-six.

Despite our exuberances, our average fuel economy has so far come out as 39.2mpg. Don't forget, this car hits 62mph from rest in just 6.1 seconds and can top out at 155mph on the autobahn.

But not so impressed by -

The list price of our particular test car. Nigh on forty grand is a lot to pay for a 3 Series saloon, and though I can't deny it's worth it, especially with all the optional equipment BMW has loaded it with, we don't think it's representative of how most buyers will spec up their cars. If I'm wrong, please feel free to let me know!

We're looking forward to -

Bringing the BMW over to Ireland for a few months to be used as daily transport in Dublin. It'll have to contend with clogged city streets and Ireland's notoriously badly paved equivalent to Britain's A-roads, as well as a few trips to Dublin Mountains where the chassis will be really put to the test.

Shane O' Donoghue