2016 BMW 320d xDrive Review

This is the bread and butter of BMW, the one car that sold more units over the years, than any other reached its sixth generation, proving that some things do get better with age. To get a better grasp of what that means, you should keep in mind that the Germans celebrated 40 years in 2015 since the original 3 Series was launched.

Spread over four decades of improving over improving and yet improving some more, it’s hard for any newcomer to claim that it does the job of the 3 Series better. Yes, we’re looking at you, Jaguar XE and at you Lexus IS.

While the competitors are truly making significant improvements in critical areas, are they already prepared to take over? Is the King dead? Not yet!

The facelift of the 3er brings small visual changes on the outside, changes that will surely only be noticed by those accustomed to the old model. They include new headlights with a fresh design for the corona rings as well as a new take on the taillights. To a connoisseur, it will be easy to make the two out but in case you’re new to the blue and white roundel, all you need to do is check out the headlights. Do the corona rings meet with the kidney grilles? It’s a facelift.

We’re talking about the Hoffmeister kink on the C-Pillar and the aforementioned Corona rings as well as the kidney grilles. The short overhangs are noticeable up front, and they give the 3 Series a masculine look. Yes, this thing doesn’t play around.

Unfortunately, the interior was kept the same, and it’s starting to age. If there’s one thing the competitors can indeed hold over the Bimmer, it’s the cabin. The new C-Class has one of the best interiors in the industry while the new A4 follows suit, breathing down its neck quite intensely.

In the BMW, the same old golden rule was kept: no unnecessary complications needed. Everything is the same, with some improvements done to the iDrive and the navigation screen that we’ll get to in a jiffy.

However, there’s one key advantage the Bavarian has over its rivals, and that’s space. It is more generous in this regard than both the A4 and C-Class, and you can feel it as soon as you climb in the back. There’s plenty of leg and head room for people even as tall as 6 feet (184 cm) both up front and in the back. There are also plenty of storage spaces all around you, and the seats are comfortable.

The most important one is located right in front of the steering wheel, of course, and we sincerely can’t complain about it. Get the M Sport package (as our tester had) and you get some of the most supportive seats in the business, wrapped in Alcantara on the sides and with Hexagon textile centers that look excellent.

Other goodies brought along by this particular package include access to Estoril Blue paint (which is available only on M Sport models), 18” wheels, M Sport adaptive dampers, Park Distance Control, Cruise Control with Braking function, Shadow Line trims (black chrome surrounds on the exterior), LED fog lights and many other bits and pieces.

If you find the price asked for the M Sport package too high, you can also go for the Advantage Model, Luxury Line or Sport versions that are all cheaper. Of course, we detailed the most expensive choice because that’s what our tester was wearing.

Apart from the visual improvements, the biggest changes happened under the sheet metal on the facelifted 3 Series. We’re talking mostly about the engines that are now all EU6 compliant and part of the brand new B family.

In case you didn’t know, BMW created a family of modular engines that would allow them to use up to 60 percent of the parts in a variety of models, with different displacements. For example, the 1.5-liter 3-cylinder B38 engine is almost exactly half of a B58 3.0-liter inline 6-cylinder unit. They share six of every ten components.

The 3er now has a plethora of such engines in its range, but not all of them have been replaced. The new entry-level 318i version uses the B38 engine mentioned above with 136 HP and the same can be said about the diesel alternative, the 316d. In this case, though, even though the architecture is the same, the power output differs, being rated at 116 HP.

In the diesel range, we also have a new 2.0-liter 4-cylinder unit, the B47 that is available in a couple of different power output guises. The 318d has 150 HP to rely on while the 320d uses the already familiar 190 HP on demand. The latter was also installed under the hood of our tester, hooked up to an 8-speed automatic gearbox and xDrive all-wheel drive system.

While the 6 HP increase might seem like something over its predecessor (the N47 2-liter diesel used to make 184 HP on the 320d), it’s nothing compared to the actual novelties of the range.

We’re talking about the new 330i and 340i models. While the latter is the top of the range choice, contrary to what you may believe, the former doesn’t use a 3-liter straight six engine. Instead, it was fitted with a B48 2-liter 4-cylinder turbocharged mill making 252 HP and 350 Nm (258 lb-ft) of torque. Compared to the model it replaces, the 328i, it has seven extra horsepower and the same amount of torque. It should also be just marginally faster and sip less fuel than the pre-facelift version, but that remains to be seen and measured.

As for the 340i, this is the real deal, the one car that will take on the likes of the Jaguar XE S and the Audi S4s out there. It has 326 HP on tap from the 3-liter engine under the hood along with 450 Nm (332 lb-ft) of torque. Hooked up to the 8-speed ZF gearbox and the xDrive all-wheel drive system it will do 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.9 seconds which is blazing fast for a 3 Series.

Soon you’ll also be able to order a set of M Performance Parts for it, including a power kit that is rumored to take the output close to 370 HP, that would make it an absolute beast.

Regarding handling, the 3 Series is still the reference point of the segment. Around town, you’ll have absolutely no problems driving it, be that a 320d or a 340i. It is as docile or as mad as you want it to be, using the three buttons next to the gearshift lever that BMW proudly calls ‘Driving Experience Control. They allow you to choose between Eco Pro, Comfort, Sport and Sport+ modes and trust us when we tell you that they truly make a difference.

In Eco Pro, our tester shifted as fast as possible and turned turbo lag into something as common as hydrogen in the atmosphere. We should also point out that if you do go for the kick-down pedal position, you’ll be out of trouble in no time.

Using it, the car has a soft feel, and the dampers are softened to make sure you don’t get to feel all the bumps and cracks in the road. The pedal response, in this case, is decent, as you’d expect from a 2-liter diesel.

What you don’t expect though is how its character changes when entering Sport or Sport+ mode (the difference is that in the latter the DSC system disengages partially). This may be a family car bought thinking of the fuel consumption figures, but it can go.

The steering stiffens up and it does give off a slightly artificial vibe, but it’s nothing you can’t live with. The dampers also become sharper, allowing you to go around corners carrying more speed than you thought possible, without excessive body roll. We have to suspect that the xDrive system also has something to do with the car’s character as it is the good-old RWD-biased system we’ve all come to love over the years.

Be it inside the city or out on the highway, the 3 Series gives you a confident feeling, one of safety, even at speeds over 100 mph (160 km/h), something not every car out there can brag with. Acceleration even in 320d guise is fast and urgent up to around 180 km/h (110 mph) and only after that it starts to concede to drag and a slower pace.

During our time with it, the fuel consumption was more than generous with us, not once reading figures in the low 40 mpg region (5.5 l/100 km) on the highway and low 30s (7.5 l/100 km) inside the city. Those are far from the estimated but not bad figures at all.

And if you’re stuck in traffic, it’s good to know that you have all sorts of gadgets to play around with. The Navigation Professional system is one of the best around, with a proper resolution displayed on the 10” screen that is also slim enough to be considered good-looking.

The iDrive system wasn’t drastically improved but scrolling through the submenus does seem more fluid now and you do get more apps as part of the ConnectedDrive suite. If you have an iPhone, that is, as the iOS seems to be at the center of most of the research in the field.

The Adaptive LED headlights are also a great new optional feature you can get now that the facelift is out. We are quite familiar with them, and they work flawlessly in every situation, creating a cone of shadow around the cars ahead of you or driving the opposite way, in the oncoming lane. Lighting up to 300 meters ahead, they get the job done with ease.

And if that’s not enough to give you a feeling of safety, you should know that the 3 Series received five stars from the European governing body in this regard, the EuroNCAP rating its adult occupant protection a staggering 95 percent amongst others.

The results are not that high in the US, though, where the IIHS gave the 3er only a ‘Moderate’ rating in case of a small overlap front crash. All other categories were rated ‘Good’ but in this case, things didn’t go so smooth. Either way, as standard, you get side airbags, rollover sensors, driver and front passenger knee airbags, electronic stability control, antilock brakes and daytime running lights as standard. Heck, you can even get a sensor in the rear bumper that opens the trunk if you kick your foot under it.
It received the ammo it needed to keep on pounding its competition and the Germans knew how to operate with surgical precision.

The handling is as sharp as ever, and we’d dare say it’s even better today as BMW claims that they reworked the steering and, to be honest, you can feel it from behind the wheel. Don’t expect huge changes but they do exist.

Regarding practicality you get tons of room inside and in the trunk, the 481 liters of cargo volume making it a class leader in this regard. You’ll also be comfortable so what’s wrong with it then?

As is the case most of the time, the pricing gets in the way of truly enjoying a car like this. Since our tester was taken from €42,000 to over €65,000, it didn’t come cheap. Everything nice on this sedan came with an according price tag and that’s something most people won’t agree with.

There’s also the fact that the choice is more diverse than ever out there and regarding chassis, for the first time in its 40 years of existence, the 3 Series might’ve been outdone here but not by its traditional rivals. The Cadillac ATS seems to be the best choice out there for the buck and looking at its starting price of $33,215 in the US; it’s an offer hard to refuse by those truly looking for the “Ultimate Driving Experience”. The thing is, as a complete package, there’s still no replacement for the 3 Series. You just have to figure out what you want.