• Excellent driving position
• High-quality interior throughout
• High-tech infotainment is bang up-to date

How is the quality and layout?

The interior of the BMW 3 Series is smart and very well made. Getting comfortable as a driver is easy, with plenty of adjustment in the seat and the steering wheel. You can sit nice and low – at which point it feels very much the sporty BMW – or pump the seat up a little higher if you prefer. The generous headroom means this should be fairly flexible.

Pre-facelift models felt as if they had lost a little character, especially where fitted with the rather generic-seeming digital instrument cluster in place of conventional dials. The 2022 facelift introduces the BMW Curved Display layout to this model – essentially two screens butted together on the top of the dashboard, which brings the 3 Series into line with other modern BMWs, including the i4 and iX electric cars.

Infotainment and tech

We rate BMW’s iDrive infotainment system very highly, and even the latest version of this retains the rotary controller on the centre console, making it easy to use on the move (there’s also a touchscreen and voice control, if you prefer). Facelift models get the latest BMW Operating System 8 software, which is intuitive at the top level but deeply customisable and complex if you want to delve further in; BMW Live Cockpit Plus with constantly updated sat-nav mapping and ‘dynamic route calculation’ is fitted as standard.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are also offered, should you want that familiarity instead. Meanwhile, the BMW ID system allows you to transfer personal settings between vehicles using the My BMW App and a smartphone. BMW ConnectedDrive means the latest 3 Series can receive over-the-air updates; this includes the usual software upgrades but also the opportunity to buy extras for the car, such as remote engine start, highbeam assist and even virtual engine sounds.

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Comfort

• Good seats with lots of adjustment
• Engines are quiet and well isolated
• Acoustic glass as standard

The seats in the BMW 3 Series are supportive and comfortable – especially the M Sport sports seats, which have a wide range of adjustment – and they should suit a wide range of drivers.

It’s also a very quiet car. While the diesel engines can be a little vocal when cold or revved hard, other sounds are incredibly well isolated. And once you’re cruising at speed, engine noise is almost inaudible, road and wind noise minimal.

Part of the secret here is that noise-reducing acoustic glass is fitted as standard, and this latest 3 Series has far more sound insulation than the previous car. It shows. Long journeys pass in a very relaxing manner.