2008 BMW 3-Series

Cast your mind back to the summer of 2008 and the rapid rise in fuel prices. I was up until then the happy owner of a V8 BMW 5 series, using it to roam around the country with plenty of "warp factor" to overtake lorries and caravans on the A roads. Then, one day, I got a nasty shock at the till when I'd finished filling up on a journey to Norwich from Liverpool !

There was only one thing for it - bye-bye V8 and "hello" to the most economical diesel I could find. But that wasn't going to be a 535d - they barely manage over 30mpg. Not only that - the V8 second-hand values had dropped to the floor - and then straight through it. A down size was imminent.

So, what to do? Well, I was mooching around the local dealership one day and came across an ex-show car 318d M Sport. I wasn't sure that the 3 series would be big enough for the growing family but the burning smell from my petrol-buying credit card was getting hard to bear...so I bit the bullet.

And the outcome? I have to say that I have been delighted with the car. It has been bullet-proof in terms of reliability - absolutely nothing has gone wrong on the car and I am now coming to the conclusion that the current 3 series is better screwed together than the 5. I have owned 2 of the current 5 series and both cars had &%!@ling faults with things like noisy door seals - not the 3.

As for fuel economy - you are looking at 800+ miles to a tank. I've never seen the 62mpg that BMW claim but 53mpg is the average figure on the trip computer.

Long-distance comfort is excellent - if you have the Sports seats. I'd definitely recommend the M Sport spec over the SE if you are long in the leg so that you have decent support while driving. The Sport suspension is firm but supple - if you don't believe me then drive one and then try a Fiat Panda 100HP for comparison. The run-flats often come in for criticism. Yes, they can crash in potholes but they are improving all the time and do save you from that late night tyre change in the rain.

Looks-wise the saloon is always a bit like a Mitsubishi Carisma at the back. The Sport front end does give the car more character though.

As for perfomance - well, it's certainly not a 4.5 V8 but it does have good mid-range grunt being a turbodiesel. You can always pay a visit to Superchips or DMS and get the car re-chipped if you are that way inclined. The engine and turbo kit is the same as the 320d, only the chip is different.

As for the growing family - the car has been pretty much OK. The boot is not too much smaller than a 5 series. Rear passenger space is sufficient for 2 adults front and rear and positively cavernous when my wife sits at the helm. The only downside is access from the rear doors. I find that I have to swivel myself round before I can exit the car easily. I'm 6 foot - so if you are well over that height and you want a BMW then get the 5 or 7 series.

Overall then, I would heartily recommend this car for a family who need to do long trips a few times a year and whose drivers like a good-handling car and value impeccable build quality. Fuel prices are slowly going back up and there is nothing more rewarding in a credit crisis than to drive from the North to the South of the country and realise that you won't have to dip your hand back in your pocket to get home. The sports handing and suspension is great and, as long as you can adopt a Zen-like attitude to the occasional caravan or lorry in front, then you should love this car, especially at trade-in time when the M Sport spec normally guarantees a better trade-in price. Yes, you could buy a Vectra or an Insignia - and a Mondeo is probably a rarer sight on the roads these days. But these cars remain number 1 - and for a number of very good reasons that are not simply "aspirational".