BMW 3-Series Touring (05 on) - Review

Review by David Ross on
As estates go, the 3-Series Touring isn't the biggest around, but it's usefully practical nonetheless and is certainly a good choice if you need more versatility than the saloon version offers. Standard boot capacity is actually the same as the four door - but with the rear seats folded flat the Touring can carry plenty with more than 1300 litres of space. There's a huge choice of engines available and from September 2007 all cars feature Efficient Dynamics fuel saving technology. In Autumn 2008 the model was facelifted (along with the saloon) with sharper styling, a refreshed interior and tweaks to make the engines even more economical.
4.5 out of 5

Other BMW reviews

3.5 out of 5

Running costs

BMW offers a service and maintenance package that covers all servicing (or servicing as well as maintenance) over a period of five years (or 60,000 miles) for a one off payment. It's certainly good value and adds up to a significant saving as BMW servicing isn't particularly cheap. The majority of the engines are efficient and even the more powerful units are impressive when you consider the performance on tap.

* based on most recent data

Estimated fuel cost for 10,000 miles per year

Unleaded

£1,306 - £2,046 *

Diesel

£1,034 - £1,602 *

The estimated fuel cost figure is a guide to how much this model will cost to fuel each year, so you can compare between cars. It's calculated by using the model's average mpg (calculated from both town centre and motorway driving) and the average fuel price. It's based on the following cost-per-litre: petrol 135p and diesel 141p. Prices are updated daily.

Summary Running Costs

Servicing period

According to on board computer.

Warranty

Three years/unlimited mileage.

Road tax (12 months)

£30.00 - £270.00

Vehicle excise duty (VED) varies according to the CO2 emissions and the fuel type of the vehicle. For cars registered after March 1st 2001 VED or road tax is based on the car's CO2 emissions. For cars registered before March 1st 2001 it is based on engine size.

Full running costs data

4.5 out of 5

Green credentials

  • A
  • B
  • C
    120
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
  • K
    224
  • L
  • M

CO2 emission figure (g/km)

Fuel economy rating

The arrows indicate the best and worst CO2 bands for this model.

Emissions summary

Before Efficient Dynamics the 3-Series scores reasonably on the eco front but the introduction of this technology to the 3-Series in September 2007 saw a dramatic improvement in efficiency. The greenest and most cost effective model is the 318d which is capable of 58mpg.

Find the exact engine and CO2