2006 BMW 3-Series

Luxury automakers across the globe have long challenged the BMW 3-series for sports sedan supremacy. Occasionally one of them comes up with a car that’s faster, roomier, or better priced, but when it comes to respect and success, this Bimmer has never budged from its perch atop the heap.

The 3-series’ winning formula is hardly a secret: it’s fast, it looks cool, and it’s the very embodiment of BMW’s “Ultimate Driving Machine” slogan. Thanks to its communicative steering, perfectly balanced handling, snick-snick shifter, and ingratiating six-cylinder engines, there’s never been any debate of the 3-series being the most enjoyable car in its class. One drive will make you a believer.

It used to be that the 3-series’ driving excellence had to compensate for flaws elsewhere, but over the years BMW has made it a more well-rounded car. The once-austere interior is now detailed and refined, and the once-muddy stereo now kicks out good tunes. The back seat, while larger than before, is still mediocre and a few controls can be confusing, but thankfully, the 3-series is the one sedan in which BMW doesn’t force-feed its infamous iDrive interface down customers’ throats.

Futher points in the 3-series’ favor are free maintenance for four years and strong resale value. Best of all, this is a car that comes in far many flavors than the competition: sedan, coupe, convertible, or wagon; rear-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive; automatic or manual; turbo or no turbo.

What’s new for the 2006 BMW 3-series: Sedan and wagon versions enjoy a redesign. Coupes and convertibles are carryovers.