An enthusiastic electric driver recently said to me: “Driving an internal combustion engine feels like a stone age.” I keep thinking about it in various test cars. Also when I took over the blue BMW 320d to drive around 4000 kilometers through Italy. After numerous electric cars, the diesel hum after a cold start really doesn’t seem very relevant anymore. But if you then take a quick trip across Germany non-stop – yes, that is still possible – and then go along with it 4.6 liters on average in Italy almost 1000 kilometers on one tank of fuel creates while electric drivers sit down at the charging stations, then one wonders what is the Stone Age and what is progress.
The 320d shows that on long journeys a classic, non-high-build body, Rear wheel drive, an automatic converter and a high-torque one diesel were and are unbeatable. Thanks to the 48-volt electrical system, the start-stop processes are almost imperceptible. Unfortunately, the constant rattling noises of the load compartment cover are much more present. Even the long menu fiddling that is necessary after each start, which it takes to switch off the hyperactive lane assistant, wears down. In addition, the air conditioning largely unaffected by the selected temperature. A phenomenon that we already noticed with our 540i Touring. The price is pretty steep. Here the 3 Series should like to remind us more of the good old days.
Intuitive operation thanks to iDrive. The processing is at the high level typical of the brand.
The BMW 3 Series in the AUTO BILD long-term test
• Endurance test start: June 11, 2020
• Price of the test car with extras: 66,626 euros
• Driven so far: 53,683 km
• Test consumption: 6.1 l D / 100 km
• Top: Very powerful, cultivated and economical engine, good quality, easy operation
• Not so good: Rattling noises from the trunk, muddy braking feel, very high price
