Our verdict
The apparent ubiquity of the BMW 3-Series doesn’t detract from the fact that it has been the benchmark small saloon for many years, and continues to be the car to beat in this sector.
Comfort
BMW’s obsession with run-flat tyres has buggered the ride quality, and an inherently sporting set-up means that a BMW feels a [...]
N reg auto version (from new) is slow of the mark mated to the 1.6 engine. The engine needs to be worked hard or the auto transmission kept in sports mode to make the car shift and at high revs the engine is noisy. The car is also unresponsive to the throttle if you need to make [...]
BMW produce a 316 model between 1975 and 2005, and the 3-Series car was mostly marketed in Europe. Its closest American counterpart in later model years would be the popular 325. Both the 316 and 325 were built on BMW’s E46 chassis, which began to replace the E36 chassis in 1999.
The 316 was an entry [...]
The BMW 3 Series is everywhere these days. From diesel convertibles to carbon fibre-roofed M3s, it is a hugely popular status symbol that at one point was said to be outselling the Ford Mondeo. All-in-all the accomplished 3 we see in the showrooms these days make the little E21 of the seventies seem rather quaint. [...]
BMW 3-Series E21
The BMW E21 was the original BMW 3-Series automobile, produced from 1975 to 1983. It replaced the BMW 2002 and was succeeded by the BMW E30. Worldwide sales of the E21 topped 1.36 million, although the car was not particularly popular in the lucrative United States market.
For the driving enthusiast the pick of [...]
