Category: Compact Executive 
Price Range: £21,525 to £38,060
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.
Thanks to low depreciation and reasonable servicing costs, the 3-Series is more affordable than you might think. And unlike past models, the latest 3-Series is reasonably well equipped, so you don't need to brace yourself for a transaction price inflated by optional extras. A six-speed manual gearbox, air conditioning, electric windows all round, trip computer and 16" wheels with runflat tyres are all standard fit.
The 335 models - petrol and diesel, estate and saloon - are rated group 18 for insurance, while the big-selling 320d is a more reasonable 14 and the entry-level cars are group 12 - which may be relatively good but, to keep it in perspective, is four groups higher than a comparably powerful Ford Mondeo.
The current generation of engines are on the whole more powerful, cleaner running and no thirstier than the old wave. BMW dealers, meanwhile, haven't got any cheaper, but the computer-controlled service intervals in all 3-Series means you won't be visiting them with unnecessary, and expensive, frequency.
