BMW 3 Series Coupe   Women's view

If ever there was a benchmark car, then BMW's 3 Series is it. In latest Coupe form, as June Neary discovers this week, it's irresistible...

Back in the 80s, owning a BMW was almost de rigeur for the Filofax set. Although I succumbed to the latter (which I still use faithfully - a working woman needs diary discipline more than most!), the former never really came into the picture. My company car was a Ford or Vauxhall and a jolly nice perk it was too. When the keys of the 325i SE Coupe fell onto my desk this week, I had no idea what a treat lay in store.

The latest car looks good, but that's not an original remark - a BMW, by definition, pleases the eye. The deep jade colour was seductive, so too was the understated dark grey of the upholstery. The Coupe, of course, is not a family car, but behind the wheel of the 325i version, you dont care: its all about enjoying the car for its own sake. And yours...

In this model, the trademark kidney grilles at the front have been restyled to give a simpler, cleaner look while the headlamps have a more piercing stare. Move round to the rear and youll pick out the broad tail light clusters that incorporate horizontal LED rods. On the way, youll spot the sculpted flanks and should you tap the front wings, youll find that instead of the high-pitched ring of steel, youll hear the duller thud of plastic. In a bid to cleave weight from the 3 Series Coupe, BMW have used plastic as well as the more traditional method of tailored blanks panels that are thick where structural rigidity is needed and thin where its not.

Even more than its predecessor, the latest shape Coupe really is a Grand Tourer, with plenty of space to take four adults and their luggage on almost any journey. Inside, the extra shoulder, elbow, leg and luggage space of the latest version makes all the difference, plus there are plenty of useful touches. Rear seat access is easy thanks to front seats that not only fold and slide forwards but actually lift off the floor to make entry even easier. The 440-litre boot was much more spacious than I had anticipated and thanks to the low sill was easy to load.



The 325is 2.5-litre engine is impressively smooth and fast, really making driving a pleasure. Just a trip around the block had me hooked - I couldn't wait to get out onto the open road. You don't need to drive it to its limits, though, to appreciate that this car is a thoroughbred. Even the engine sounds tantalising, a muted roar that says forget about rushing from A to B, sit back and enjoy the moment. The 2.5-litre petrol engine is no sluggard, punting the Coupe to 60mph in 6.

6 seconds and on to 155mph. Fuel economy is rated at 39.8mpg, helped by BMWs patented Valvetronic technology and the EfficientDynamics package. If you can find another £3,000 for the 330i model, youre looking at 0-60 in 6.

0s and a 155mph top end, combined with 39.2mpg fuel economy. All models come with close-ratio six-speed manual gearboxes but theres also a very decent automatic option that halves the shift times of a conventional auto thanks to a smart interface between software and torque converter. There is even a pair of paddle shifts behind the wheel for when the driver wants to have some fun.

That three letter word figures large in the 3 Series vocabulary. One look at the aluminium suspension parts and the direst rack and pinion steering shows that BMW are serious about upholding their reputation for producing the Ultimate Driving Machine. Once I had learned to gauge the dimensions of the Coupe, parking was no problem. The car is capable of tight, smooth turns in those awkward spaces in car parks designed, I have a sneaking suspicion, by men who never park in shopping centres.



Expect to pay around £28,755 for the 325i version I tried, or up to around £35,000 for the range-topping 335i and 335d variants or £50,000 for the M3. There are also SE and M Sport trim levels to select from. These arent the kind of figures that are easily absorbed in the family budget, but if you have the means, then this is a car to tempt you to throw caution to the wind financially. Equipment levels are high, including twin front, side and head airbags, a remote control alarm, electric seats, alloy wheels, air conditioning and 60/40 split-folding rear seats that can be unlocked from the boot.



I don't even have to think about that. The BMW 325i Coupe is a car I would love to own, so it was quite a wrench to give the keys back.