Category: Compact Executive 
Price Range: £21,035 to £37,530
Best in class to drive, exceptional build quality, excellent engines.
Rear cabin space is tight.
With engines ranging from great to brilliant, and a chassis that suits them all, this is the one to go for if the driving experience is a priority. Short on visual drama, but well built and easy to live with.
Launched in March 2005 as a saloon, with the estate following in September, and gaining some remarkably good new engines in late 2006, the fifth-generation 3-Series is the car that defines the class and continues to set the pace. It's bigger and stiffer than the previous model, but also lighter, thanks to the clever employment of lightweight materials. A 3-Series Coupe and a folding metal roofed convertible are also available.
Although it's very much a 21st century car, with the refinement, sophistication and protection that implies, it retains much of the spirit of the 1975 original and the three generations of 3-Series in between. Like them, it's compact, agile, balanced and driver-focused. Also like them, it's not cheap - but you always feel you're getting value for money.
The engine line-up for the saloon and estate is formidable. Starting with the petrols, there are two 2.0-litre fours, producing 127 and 148bhp. There's a 2.5-litre straight six, with 215bhp, and two 3.0-litre sixes, with 255 and 302bhp.
Then there's the diesels - and this is one area where the latest 3-Series is very different from previous generations, because now the diesels are at least as impressive as the petrols. The bhp figures may not match the petrol equivalents', but the torque readings do, and on the road they are both gutsy and smooth, as well as being more economical. There are two 2.0-litre fours, with 121 and 161bhp, and three 3.0-litre sixes, producing 195, 228 and 282bhp.
The standard gearbox is a six-speed manual, but a six-speed automatic is available as an option, with paddleshifting offered on some models. Runflat tyres are standard on all 3-Series, along with a single-CD player, air-con, alloy wheels and stability control. It's better equipped than any previous 3-Series; this time around there's no need to venture into the options list although there's plenty of high-quality entertainment, comfort and cosmetic kit there if you're keen to personalise your car.
