Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

I bought this car this year, and am seriously impressed.

Superbly equipped, great performance, handsome looks.

Crackling acceleration, especially mid-range, yet surprisingly frugal if driven sedately

Excellent interior with full leather and carbon fibre touches. Good supportive seats, the cabin feels snug, yet roomy (I am 6' 4")

Rear seats are comfortable, and everything feels ergonomic, controls are all where they should be.

Faults:

Faulty rear seat-belt (doesn't lock).

General Comments:

The engine and handling are both fantastic. I've a fairly heavy right foot, and experience hours of stationary to stop start traffic every day of the week. I think the worst fuel return experienced worked out at 39 mpg. The chassis stays flat in corners, damping can be a little harsh, but overall very impressive. However, forget going anywhere in the snow!

6 speed box is a little "notchy". Quite often find myself catching a nice grind between 2nd - 3rd when pushing it.

For the price of the car I feel the interior is a bit of a let down. Only a single CD, no trip computer, climate control. Just electric front windows, that's about it. I also found it a little gloomy. Folding rear seats is a cost extra, and with a fairly small boot this is something I'd really liked to have seen.

The seats are fairly comfortable for long trips, and a decent sitting position isn't too hard to find, even for the taller person (I'm 6'4). Legroom is short in the back though, but there again this is a medium sized car. I also found the pedals are a little offset to the exterior of the car (to the right in this case). I found this the only cause of discomfort, and the reason why I sold the car.

I guess in summary it's a great mileage eater, cheap to run (fuel wise) but fairly expensive to purchase, but there again will retain a good re-sale value. I've not had the car serviced, but labour quotes for getting the seat-belt replaced bought a tear to my eye. If you just want a better than "good car", get one. If you want something that makes you feel a little special then I'd look at something else. Maybe still a 3 series, but not the 320d ES.

Faults:

Alternator and Alloys replaced at 25,000 miles.

Power Steering pulley replaced 25,500 miles.

The car was squealing when cold and this was attributed to the alternator which was replaced under warranty.

When the car went in for a service, the alloys were replaced as they had started corroding on the inside. For a car that is only 2 and a half years old, that was quite shocking, but thank god for warranty or else I would be looking at repairing/replacing them, and the 18 inch alloys are not cheap.

A new noise appeared when the car was idling, and this was down to the power steering pulley, which was also replaced under warranty, and the car is working well right now.

The door handles tend to stick if you use a jet wash, as the grease in the handles gets washed away.

If you have a bit of a heavy right foot, it is not an economical car at all, and with Shell optimax being 101.9p per litre, it's a thirsty car and averages 20 - 25mpg (mainly city driving)

General Comments:

The car is very comfortable to drive and always feels safe and secure. The low profile tyres do give it a bit of a harsh ride on uneven tarmac, but that is more than compensated for by the handling.

Beautiful engine - sweet sounding and with loads of power, put your foot down in any gear and the acceleration is more than sufficient. It is obviously not in M3 standards, but driving sensibly it's perfectly fine.

The interior is showing its age, especially since I have driven the newer model, but the difference is when I see the car on the outside, my model, the E46 sports coupe is a beautiful car, the new one just does not give me the same visual satisfaction. As a piece of German engineering the new one is obviously better, but design wise, I can't say the same. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and there will obviously be people who disagree.

After test driving an Audi S4, I think that will be my next purchase, as the new Beemer just does not tick all the boxes.