My car is a 2006 320d SE Touring Automatic. I have owned it for 4 years this month, and done 67k miles. I've had a few very minor niggles, but no breakdowns or major faults to report.

A lot of nice things can be said about this car, and usually are by motoring journalists. Not surprising really, because they tend to be keen drivers, and that is exactly the audience that the 3-series is meant to appeal to.

It's getting to be a cliche by now, but the handling is really spot-on. This, combined with the willingness of the humble 2 litre diesel engine to respond immediately without any lag at all make it the kind of car that enthusiasts will enjoy driving. (I should say that I am not a keen driver but my other half is, and she loves to drive it).

It must be said though, that this supreme handling prowess is all but useless for a few days each year when we have snow. Skilled drivers manage to cope with these adverse conditions, but below average drivers such as myself find that we have to leave the car at home and take public transport!

Performance is perfectly adequate for me, with mid-range acceleration being particularly impressive. I've never been a particularly confident overtaker, but this car makes it easy.

The fuel economy for a car of this size and pace with an automatic gearbox is very good IMHO. I get around 43mpg in mixed driving, and can get 50mpg on a long motorway run.

Practicality is a big disappointment. The figures say that the 3-series rivals can carry more stuff, and they don't lie. The sloping roof and the rear wheel arch intrusion in the boot mean that the shape of the load area is not particularly good either. Still, we had to have an estate because we couldn't live with just the boot of the saloon. Reviews sometimes make a big thing of the fact that the rear windscreen can be opened instead of the whole tailgate, but I don't see much use for it.

The seats are very comfortable for long distance cruising on the motorway - just the right mix of firmness and suppleness. However, if you want to have fun on the twisty bits, then they offer little side support and you find yourself sliding around! If you do a lot of this sort of driving you are advised to invest in BMW's excellent sports seats. There is a lot of adjustment for both the seat and the steering wheel to enable you to get the ideal driving position, but I wish that I had electric seats. The manual adjustments are very fiddly, and often mentioned in professional reviews.

The dashboard is quite minimalist and divides opinion. Personally I like it, because everything is clearly laid out and easy to use, rather than being over-styled. All the materials are soft-touch and give an impression of quality. I have not tried all its rivals, but the 3er seems to have slightly better materials in its cabin than the others.

The only control that I find difficult to use is the self-centering indicator stalk. It is silky smooth to operate, but seems hypersensitive to the touch when you need to cancel a signal. (Yes, some BMW drivers do signal! :-) ). I also have a bit of an issue with the dashboard illumination. It's traditional BMW orange, and I think that it looks awful. However, this is just personal taste, of course.

Another issue of personal taste - and this is very important - is the ride quality. BMW have to strike a balance between ride and handling, and they have chosen to give more weight to handling, which is consistent with the company image. This means that the ride can be too firm for some people. Other people are fine with it (especially when they have the temperament to enjoy the handling advantages that it gives). I have to be honest and say that I hate the ride with a passion.

When cruising the 3-series is a very quiet car compared to its rivals. I never listen to music in cars, but I imagine that if you do like to listen to it, then you will appreciate that the background noise intrudes less.

Overall, this is a car that certain people (mainly keen drivers) will find very easy to like. I respect it strengths greatly. My main problem with the car is that its priorities are not mine. However, that is down to my mistake in choosing it, rather than the car's fault.

UPDATE: Since writing this review, I have had to get rid of the car because of acute problems caused by turbo failure. Effectively the car was an economic write-off at 77k miles! Although the Car-by-car breakdown warns of the common problem with BMW turbos, i had hoped that it wouldn't happen to me.