Category: Compact Executive 
Price Range: £21,525 to £38,060
Class best drive, excellent range of engines, improved looks.
Limited space in the rear, six-cylinder engines miss out stop-start, poor low-speed ride.
Nip and tuck further polishes what remains the most accomplished car in its class.
The fifth-generation 3-Series has already achieved the full five stars for occupant protection in the Euro NCAP crash tests, plus four for child protection, although it only scored one for pedestrian safety. Benefiting those on the inside, at least, six airbags are standard fit, including head bags for front and rear occupants.
Other safety measures include the rear LED brake lamps that flash quickly to indicate hard braking and new whiplash-reducing active head restraints.
Other active measures include Brake Standby, which shortens stopping distances by priming the brakes if the driver lifts off the accelerator sharply, while Rain Brake Support improves wet brake performance by occasionally gently pulsing the brakes to prevent water from building up on the discs.
For safer getaways on hills, Hill Start Assist allows manual transmission cars to pull away smoothly by maintaining brake pressure for a brief time.
For full-pelt drivers, there is also Fading Compensation, which applies additional braking pressure when the brakes get very hot, a situation that can provoke fading brake efficiency.
For those cars equipped with Active Steering, the system works in conjunction with the stability control program: if, for example, the sensors detect oversteer, it will apply a bit of positive steering angle to bring the car back into line.
