Should you buy one?

Yes, because in many ways, this is the perfect family car. While it can’t offer you the higher driving position of an SUV, its broad combination of driving appeal, practicality, image and technical sophistication means makes it suitable for a wide range of uses and buyers, and we feel that you’re very unlikely to be disappointed if you choose one of these.

Though the boot may not be much bigger overall than the previous generation of 3 Series Touring, it is noticeably better to use in terms of day-to-day functionality, meaning it now compares very well with every premium rival. Even if there are some less premium alternatives that carry far more. There is a real sense that BMW has put a lot of effort into making this a really useful car – rather than one that simply looks good and drives smartly.

Would we recommend one over an Audi A4 Avant or Mercedes-Benz C-Class estate? It’s certainly the best all-rounder of the three, even if the Audi is a little better built, and the Mercedes-Benz rides better. In short, the 3 Series Touring sets an exceptional standard, and genuinely offers buyers the best of many worlds.

What we like

The driving experience is not only fun, but adaptable. This is a car that handles corners with rare enthusiasm, but can also be a comfortable cruiser when required. It’s quiet, untroubled by vibrations and easy to drive – with most engines it is also very fast, and often surprisingly fuel efficient. The bestselling 320d Touring is a really well judged choice that we can wholeheartedly recommend, with ample performance, hushed refinement and a real-world 50mpg viable for most drivers.

What we don’t like

Some of the tech isn’t quite as smoothly implemented as we’d like, and the vast number of buttons dents the interior’s user friendliness a little bit. But the critical systems – such as the active safety devices and main multimedia interface – are easy to get to grips with and impressively capable.