BMW 3 Series Touring   Women's view

Style takes precedence over space in BMWs 3 Series Touring but Hannah Rainford still finds it surprisingly practical.

A hatchback with a backpack was how I described the last generation BMW 3 Series Touring and not a lot has changed with the current generation model. That doesnt mean to say it isnt even more desirable. Or indeed, that it isnt ever so slightly more practical. Both observations are true but they dont have my influence on my reasons for wanting one.

And yes, I would like one thank you very much.

The practical advantages of the 3 Series Touring and its ilk over their saloon counterparts only really make themselves felt when there are less than four people in the car. You get a 460-litre void back there to fill with the paraphernalia of your choice and that doesnt compare at all favourably with the 460-litres you get in the saloon version for £1,180 less, model for model. Fold the rear seats down, however, and the available space mushrooms up to 1,385 litres. Forget about taking garden rubbish to the council tip or shifting that chest of draws home from the furniture store, you could hold a wedding reception back there or have it converted into a squash court.

All right, Im exaggerating. I liked the 60:40 split-folding seats as they open up the possibility of seating a passenger in the back while still maximising the available loadspace. And there are other practical features included in the package as well. Most notable is the split tailgate which opens up two different cargo access options by opening up in two sections. You can simply lift the standard tailgate to get at whatever youve got inside or release the rear window hatch which flips up to reveal a smaller aperture.

In a supermarket carpark during my test, I reversed up to close to something and found that there was no space to let the full tailgate swing upwards. No problem in this case: the hatch allowed smaller items to be quickly and simply dropped inside. Under the floor, I found a waterproof container that can be used to house dirty items that might play havoc with the boot-floor carpet and the boot itself has a handy cargo net to keep unruly objects under control. If I had to pick fault, itd be with BMWs build quality and no, this isnt a gripe about fit or finish. Rather, the German marque have surpassed themselves, producing a parcel-shelf-come-cargo-cover thats so substantial you need biceps the size of Bournemouth to lift it out.

A version of the controversial iDrive control system is carried into this car from the larger 7 Series and 5 Series models. However, this version is notably easier to use and is backed up by more conventional knobs and switches on the fascia. The petrol range runs from the 143bhp 318i, through the 170bhp 320i to the 218bhp 325i. Then things get really serious.

The 330i manages 272bhp but if thats not fast enough, then theres a twin-turbo 335i flagship variant putting out a massive 306bhp. If youd rather go for diesel power, theres an entry-level 318d model which manages an astounding 60.1mpg on the combined cycle. Most however, go for the 163bhp 320d which returns 58.

9mpg yet still manages to get from rest to sixty in just over eight seconds on the way to 143mph. If thats not fast enough, there are three other diesel variants on offer. First up is the 197bhp 325d, which sits just below the 231bhp 330d in the pecking order. Flagship of the diesel line-up is the 335d which ups the ante to a massive 286bhp.

The 3 Series Touring is heavier than the saloon by some 90kg but any variations in the driving dynamics are negligible. Theres still that all-important 50:50 weight distribution and an advanced five-link rear axle set-up. This is quite simply the most rewarding drivers car in the compact executive estate segment and, sampling its poise through the bends along with its polished responses, its hard to imagine an equivalent model eclipsing it until BMW themselves replace this car sometime in the distant future.

As usual with BMW, it depends on how you look at it. At £24,895 for the 320i model I tried, theyre asking a lot of money but then, youll get much of it back when you come to sell. Amongst the opposition, Audis A4 Avant is slightly cheaper while Mercedes C-class estate will cost you slightly more.

I could. The 3 Series Touring is about the right size for me. I dont really need an estate but like the idea of one. I must be target market.