BMW 318i Touring
Its easy to swallow the Ultimate Driving Machine party line when youre behind the wheel of a BMW M6. Press the power button, prod the throttle and deploy over 500bhp to make Porsche Carreras a dwindling speck in your rear view mirror. For most of us this is automotive fantasy, the reality being that we need cars that are more affordable, more practical and more mature. Crashing back to earth with a jolt, I present possibly the least exciting car in BMWs entire line up.
The 318i Touring may not fit in quite so well in Casino Square but it works a whole lot better in the Tesco car park.
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Get in, look purposeful and youll get away with it in a 318i Touring. Power comes courtesy of a four-cylinder engine that fronts up with 143bhp, a little down on the 170bhp 320i to be sure, but still endowed with a reasonable amount of go. The 190Nm of torque isnt much down on the 320i and on the road there wont be much to choose between the two models. Whereas the 320i will make 60mph from rest in 8.
4 seconds and accelerate to a top speed of 142mph, the 318i isnt too far behind, notching a 9.5 second sprint and a terminal velocity of 130mph. The outstanding fuel economy figure of 47.1mpg is a little better than the more powerful car although its doubtful if too many decisions are swung by this factor.
A CO2 figure of 146g/km is also an impressive showing for a car with this sort of performance. The 318ds outstanding economy and emissions figures come courtesy of BMWs EfficientDynamics technology programme. Features including Auto Start-Stop, Brake Energy Regeneration, high precision direct injection, active aero dynamics and optimum gear shift indicators go into EfficentDynamics and the results put BMW products near the top of the tree when it comes to environmental and running costs considerations.
"The 318i Touring keeps things relatively simple for a modern BMW. Simple is good in my book"
Priced from £22,215 in ES trim, rising through £23,245 for the SE and topping out at £25,535 for the M Sport model, the 318i Touring is still a pretty serious financial commitment. Standard equipment has come on a long way from the days when you counted yourself lucky to get seats and a steering wheel. The ES model gets 16-inch alloy wheels, a six-speed manual gearbox, air conditioning, a BMW Professional Radio and CD Player, heated and electrically adjustable door mirrors, electric windows all round, run-flat tyres and Dynamic Stability Control. If theres a little more disposable income washing about, the SE is very well-appointed but the M Sport is the trim level that almost makes the 318i Touring sexy.
With sports suspension, sports seats and the M Aero package, it looks purposeful at the very least. Factor in a shortened gear lever, an M leather-trimmed multifunction steering wheel, anthracite headlining, brushed aluminium fascia detailing and door finishers and what BMW dub a High-Gloss Shadowline exterior trim and you have a car thats rather nicely polished. Viewed in profile this car looks for all the world like an elongated 1 Series. The aesthetics count for very little unless theres some practicality to back it up, without which the 318i Touring loses its raison detre.
Weve just recovered from a rather odd period where a spate of sporthatch style estate cars were launched that really didnt do practicality at all well. Alfa Romeos old 156 Sportwagon could famously cope with 18 litres less than a 156 saloon and the Audi A4 saloon and Avant have similarly topsy-turvy load volumes. This is strange because anyone can see the additional bulk around such a cars hindquarters which suggests that there should be more space in there somewhere and its also a little alarming because estate buyers in this sector are typically asked to pay around £1,000 more for the privilege. Thats extra money for extra space that may not necessarily be present.
The carrying capacity of BMWs 3 Series Touring isnt smaller than that of a 3 Series Saloon, its exactly the same. Like the other load-luggers in this sector, however, it justifies its price premium on grounds of versatility with a soupcon of lifestyle kudos thrown in. By examining basic carrying capacities, were not being entirely fair to these estates. You see, 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 for £1,180 less. Fold the rear seats down, however, and the available space mushrooms up to 1,385 litres. Never mind 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. The 3 Series Tourings 60:40 split-folding seats 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. Perhaps youve reversed up too close to something and theres no space to let the full tailgate swing upwards or maybe you just cant be bothered to open it.
In either case, the hatch allows smaller items to be quickly and simply dropped inside. Under the floor, theres 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 you 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 cum cargo cover thats so substantial you need to risk a hiatus hernia lift it out.
Otherwise, the 318i Touring is beautifully executed. Although the power output is modest, its easy to see where the money has been spent. Its a car that takes a bit of time to acclimatise to, but once youre in the groove with this car, youll realise why it doesnt need big power, a swoopy shape or any of the lifestyle flim-flam to sell. In my experience of modern BMWs, the simpler they are, the better they are.
In this regard, the 318i Touring has a shout at being one of the best of the bunch.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: BMW 318i Touring range
PRICES: £22,215-£25,535 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 12
CO2 EMISSIONS: 142g/km
PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 130mph / 0-60mph 9.5s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 47.1mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front airbags, twin front side airbags, twin ITS side window airbags / ABS /DSC / runflat tyres
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height 4520/1817/1424mm
