It might only be a 2.0 diesel but it is a great car to drive. The car wants to be driven: It is just so enjoyable that my wife has been known to take the long way to work... this is the first car that she wants to drive instead of throwing the keys at me. It is a wonderful drivers car.

Over the last 4 months (and 9,000 miles) our 320d has returned 46.3MPG, which whilst not what BMW claim is still a lot better than I am used to. The car is driven hard but never thrashed - who thrashes a diesel? Changeing down a gear just does not really help progress. In Europe we cruise at 80 - and still get just over 50mpg. In Germany the car will happily sit at 120mph. Normal driving results in a 650 mile range, on the motorways this is well over 700. A quite extraordinary mix of abilities.

The runflats give a perfectly acceptable ride. It is not of a spine destroying harshness that I was half dreading and read so much about. However I find the m-sports seats lacking in support, especially lumber support. I have taken to wedging a cushion into the small of my back.

This honestly makes using the car for a longer journey literally a pain. I am 6 foot 1' and the reality os that the car is too small to get really comfy. There is enough leg room, but get your legs out and the wheel is too far away. There is never enough space for your feet. The seats aren't long enough, with a lack of thigh support even with the bolsters extended. My knees are very close to the dash and the key constantly bumps my left knee - the fob has to be hooked around itself. You and your passengers elbows get in each others way. After 90 minutes I have back ache and have to stop and stretch for 10 minutes.

We are a family of 4 and generally the car is lacking is space. We knew it is was not a large car when we bought it but just how small it is internally has come as a bit of a surprise. We regularly travel as a family of 4 (the car has now done UK to Bologna (Italy) 3 times and there is just a general lack of space. No door pockets in the back for example. The children are close enough to do some real damage to each other when they are bored!

The luggage area looks of a decent size, but it fills up all too quickly. We had an Audi A6 previously and with hindsight should have stayed with a similar sized vehicle.

I had the BMW fire extinguisher fitted which is a real bone of contention as it is blindingly obvious as it takes up a good chunk of the passenger footwell. The picture in the brochure was so different, but BMW say this is because that shows SE spec seats!

So great to drive, even as a 320 diesel. Uncomfortable for long journeys (make sure you get lumber support adjustment).

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323 Touring

reviewed by hatley on 9 May 2010