BMW 3 Series Touring Review 2022

Combining the space of a family estate with the fun of a sports saloon, the 3 Series Touring is a car that offers most things to most people. Practical, stylish and rewarding to drive, we rate it as one of the best in the premium estate car class.

The compact executive estate class is highly competitive. Both the Mercedes-Benz C-Class Estate and Audi A4 Avant are excellent cars but we think the 3 Series Touring is the best of the bunch. 

The 3 Series Touring has a comprehensive choice of petrol and diesel engines, along with an impressive petrol plug-in hybrid that's designed for company car drivers with low CO2 emissions and an electric range of up to 38 miles. 

The 2.0-litre petrol and diesel engines offer a good balance between performance and running costs. The 320i is the best of the petrols, developing 184PS and returning up to 42mpg. If you need a diesel, you should aim for the 320d with 190PS (official fuel economy peaks at 59mpg). 

If you want to inject some fun into your daily commute then the 3 Series Touring is offered with one of the best six-cylinder diesel engines in the business. The 330d uses a smooth 3.0-litre turbodiesel that develops up to 286PS while the M340d uses the same engine but packs a hefty 340PS and 700Nm of torque. Both of these will cover 0-62mph in less than six seconds.

If you buy a regular 3 Series Touring then you will most likely opt for one of the standard rear-wheel drive models. But on-demand four-wheel drive (called xDrive in BMW speak) is available. The M340i and M340d both come with xDrive as standard.

All versions of the BMW 3 Series Touring get a first-class interior, filled with lots of plush and soft-touch materials. Premium features like interior ambient lighting are fitted as standard, along with LED headlights, touchscreen navigation and Apple CarPlay.

The 3 Series Touring is one of the most spacious cars in the compact executive estate class. As a result, two large adults can fit in the rear without having to ask those in the front to slide their seats forward. 

The boot is a good size too, with 500 litres on offer. Admittedly, it's a smudge short on the 505 litres you get in the Audi A4 Avant but compared to the Mercedes-Benz C-Class Estate (460 litres) the 3 Series Touring is more than practical enough. 

As a premium all-rounder, the 3 Series Touring estate is BMW at its very best. Opt for one of the four-cylinder versions and you’ll get a fun and efficient family car that’ll match its pricer premium rivals for comfort, luxury and in-car technology. It’s one of our favourite estate cars. 

Don't be fooled by the 3 Series Touring's low roofline, this is a deceptively spacious car that will carry four large adults in limo-like comfort. 

All versions of the 3 Series Touring get firm and supportive sport seats that are designed with long-distance travel in mind. SE trim is the only car in the range that doesn't get leather as standard - which means it’s well worth spending extra on a 3 Series Touring in Sport/Sport Pro trim.

Tall adults will have little trouble fitting into the rear seat, with lots of knee and shoulder space on offer. The only blot on the report card is the centre rear seat, which isn’t suitable for adults due to the raised floor to accommodate the transmission. Three children will have no trouble travelling in the rear, however. 

The minimalist dashboard design makes it easy to locate the controls for the infotainment and heating. Entry-level models get a traditional instrument cluster, but we’d recommend spending extra on BMW Live Cockpit Professional: it replaces the traditional instrument dials with a high-resolution screen behind the steering wheel that lets you customise the layout.

It's very easy to find a good driving position, with lots of adjustments in the seat and steering wheel. However, as with a couple of things on the 3 Series Touring, lumbar support and electric seat adjustment are costly optional extras.

All versions of the 3 Series get a three-spoke leather multifunction steering wheel. M Sport trim adds a sportier and higher quality leather steering wheel, while a head-up display is available as an optional extra and shows the vehicle’s speed and speed limit in the bottom right corner of the windscreen.

Almost every visible area of the 3 Series Touring cabin is covered in soft-touch materials. You‘ll have to look very hard to find any surfaces of the hard and scratchy kind. Most are hidden in the lower parts of the doors and footwells, where their resilience is needed to cope with muddy shoes and boots that’ll graze past. 

All versions of the 3 Series Touring get ambient LED mood lighting as standard, with 11 selectable light designs in six colours. Admittedly, ambient lighting isn’t anything new these days (you can get them on much cheaper cars) but BMW’s system is impressive and bathes the cabin in a soft blue or purple that gives the interior the vibe of a first-class airline cabin. 

BMW’s extensive (and often expensive) options list is comprehensive. This means you can get a 3 Series Touring with a full-length panoramic sunroof, in-car wifi, wireless phone charging and automatic climate control for the front and rear seats. 

SE/SE Pro and Sport/Sport Pro models get an 8.8-inch infotainment screen that’s located at the centre of the dashboard as standard, while M Sport versions get a larger 12-inch screen with a HD display. 

Both are operated by a large dial in the centre of the console, which makes it easy to browse radio stations, maps and vehicle settings. The top of the dial doubles up as a touchpad, which lets you write out numbers and digits for things like postcodes and house numbers. 

All models get a voice control function, which you operate by saying “Hey BMW”. This is useful for setting up the navigation system or making hands free calls. You can also ask the voice system to find the nearest fuel station or coffee shop by saying “I need fuel” or “I’m thirsty”. 

Navigation is fitted as standard on every version of the 3 Series Touring and the maps are automatically updated wirelessly for the first three years of ownership. After this time a payable subscription is required, which can exceed £100. 

M Sport models get a fully digital instrument display, which can be customised to show navigation routes, radio stations and engine data. A head-up display is available as an optional extra, which shows route directions, vehicle speed and local limits at the corner of the windscreen. 

BMW’s gesture control is an optional extra. To use it you need to wave your hand in a pre-set way to perform a certain action, such as adjusting the audio volume or accepting a hands-free phone call. We found the system frustrating to use as it wouldn’t always recognise our hand signals. Most of the gesture controls can be bypassed by the buttons on the steering wheel which makes it largely redundant in our view. 

All versions of the 3 Series Touring get Bluetooth smartphone compatibility. Android Auto wasn't available at launch but BMW has introduced a software update that allows older cars to use this feature. Apple CarPlay is fitted as standard but may be limited to subscription service, which means you may have to pay to use it. 

The range starts from £35,000 for the entry-level 318i in SE Pro trim. Basic versions are well-equipped with touchscreen navigation LED headlights, a parking camera and BMW’s excellent eight-speed automatic gearbox included as standard.

M Sport trim adds £1750 to the list price along with leather sports seats, roof rails and sports suspension. The Sport Pro models added £2900 to the list price but get the best mixture of equipment, with lowered sports suspension, a performance bodykit and a fully digital instrument cluster. 

The used market usually has a healthy selection of nearly new 3 Series Touring diesels for sale. And savings of up to 30% can be made if you can find a dealer that is looking to sell a pre-reg model quickly. 

The 330e plug-in hybrid has the best advertised fuel economy, with a maximum 201.8mpg but real world figures will be very dependent on how often you charge the battery. With a full charge, the 330e will cover 32-37 miles (depending on trim) which means you can run the 330e as a pure EV over a modest commute. 

The 320d will officially return 55.4mpg. This is followed by the less powerful 318d, which returns up to 53.3mpg. The six-cylinder 330d is the least efficient diesel in the range. The 330d returns 45.6mpg or 43.5mpg when specified with xDrive. 

The entry-level 318i four-cylinder petrol engine has the lowest advertised fuel economy (42.2mpg) while the more powerful 320i will return up to 41.5mpg. The most powerful four-cylinder petrol engine is the 330i and this returns up to 40.4mpg.

Fuel costs drop by a considerable margin for the high-performance M340i. All versions of the M340i use xDrive as standard and the six-cylinder petrol will return just 33.6mpg, according to the official figures. 

The BMW 330d Touring returns up to 54.3mpg (depending on trim level) while the M340d's fuel economy is officially rated at an impressive (for the performance) 44.8mpg.

Insurance premiums vary from Group 25 to 42, depending on which model you choose. Generally, the sportier trims and high-performance engines attract the most expensive premiums. 

The 318i and 318d in SE trim sit at the lower end of the premium list, while something like a 330d M Sport will sit as high as Group 39. 

This looks unfavourable compared to the Audi A4, with low-spec petrol and diesel models starting at Group 19 and mid-spec versions seldom breaking the Group 30 barrier.  

Rear-wheel drive is standard on most models, but four-wheel drive is available as part of the xDrive pack. The system has rear bias that gives xDrive models a similar driving feel to the standard version, with torque only being sent to the front wheels when a loss of traction is detected. 

If you plan to choose one of the powerful petrol or diesel engines with xDrive, we’d recommend fitting the optional limited slip differential (LSD). It increases grip levels to mind-bending levels, with the LSD capable of detecting loss of traction on individual wheels and adjusting torque flow to compensate. This means the car sticks to the road like glue. 

M Sport models get BMW’s variable sports steering as standard, which sharpens the steering sensitivity. This is useful for making precise adjustments to the handling at speed. It also comes into its own when parking, owing to the fact you are not required to make half as many turns to guide the 3 Series Touring into a tight space, 

The sophisticated suspension provides excellent body control when cornering, which means the car does not pitch or roll uncomfortably when navigating a tight bend or roundabout. However, with most versions using runflat tyres, the ride quality is always on the firm side of comfortable. The optional adaptive damping does improve this.

Sport models strike the best balance between performance and balance, with the 17-inch wheels suppressing all but the heaviest bumps and lumps in the road. M Sport models get 18-inch wheels as standard, along with stiffened and lowered sports suspension. These harden the ride and sharpen the handling. If you want a sporty 3 Series Touring experience, M Sport should be your default choice. 

The 3 Series Touring is one of the most refined cars in its class, which means you can waft along the motorway in this BMW at 70mph in near silence, with road and wind noise reduced to a barely audible whisper.

The 330d does have a tendency to transfer some noise and vibration into the cabin during the winter months when cold -  at a set of traffic lights for example. But these imperfections are quickly ironed as the engine reaches optimum operating temperature. The four-cylinder engines are much quieter and refined at lower speeds. 

The 330e plug-in hybrid has a maximum range of 37 miles, which means it’ll run on pure electricity in silence until the battery depletes and the 2.0-litre petrol engine kicks in.

The potent M340i is theatrical at all speeds, owing to its powerful engine and sports exhaust system delivering a racecar soundtrack. Even in its most docile setting, the M340i will deliver a deep-throated burble as it pulls away, with the occasional crackle and pop as you lift your foot off the throttle. 

If you want to have your cake and eat it, there's even a hot diesel model badged the M340d. This uses the same six-cylinder diesel as the 330d but with power boosted to 340PS and an incredible 700Nm of torque. This makes overtakes an absolute breeze, while its 0-62mph acceleration figure of 4.8 seconds means it's one of the quickest diesel cars on sale today.

The 3 Series Touring is fitted with a comprehensive array of safety kit. The 3 Series scored a maximum Euro NCAP safety waiting of five out of five when it was launched in 2019, along with a 97% rating for adult occupant safety and 87% for children.

The 3 Series Touring uses a sophisticated array of cameras, radar and ultrasonic sensors to monitor the vehicle’s surroundings and alert the driver of nearby hazards or step in and take direct action. 

A smart front collision warning system, for example, is fitted as standard and will apply the brakes if it detects an immentante impact with a cyclist or pedestrian. It’ll also slow the vehicle or bring it to a halt if it thinks a collision with another vehicle is likely. 

The optional Driving Assistant Professional pack adds a range of semi-autonomous driving tech that includes adaptive cruise control that’ll automatically control the vehicle’s speed and gap between the car in front on the motorway. The pack also includes a rear view traffic alert system, which will warn you of approaching vehicles when reversing out of a parking space or driveway. 

The 3 Series Touring is advertised as a car that’s capable of carrying three child seats across the rear bench, but only two ISOFIX anchor points are fitted. This means the middle child seat will need to be affixed by the seat belt. 

There is no space for a full size spare wheel in the 3 Series Touring. All cars are supplied with a BMW Mobility Kit, which includes a can of tyre sealant and an electrically operated 12V compressor that can be used in the event of a tyre puncture. An optional 17-inch space saver tyre is available as an option, but reduces luggage space by 115 litres.

The BMW 3 Series Touring is a capable tow car. Depending on which model you choose, the 3 Series estate will tow between 1200kg to 1800kg. The plug-in hybrid 330e is also suitable for lugging a caravan, with the entry-level model having a braked towing capacity of 1500kg. 

Equipment levels are fairly generous across the BMW 3 Series Touring range. Entry-level SE models, for example, get 17-inch alloy wheels, LED lighting, touchscreen navigation, cruise control and BMW Park Assist with a reversing camera. 

Sport models add leather seats, 18-inch alloy wheels and roof rails. However, if you can live with the firm ride quality from the sports suspension, we think M Sport models offer the best level of standard equipment with a larger 12-inch HD infotainment display, fully digital instrument cluster, lowered sports suspension and a full M Sport bodykit. 

As with its premium rivals, the BMW options list is extensive and often quite expensive. Lumbar support isn’t fitted as standard to any of the models in the 3 Series Touring range.

This means many used cars will not have it, unless the first owner fitted the optional Premium Package (which adds electric seat adjustment) for £1900. 

Apple CarPlay is fitted as standard on all cars. BMW initially offered this as a 12 months freebie, with drivers expected to pay an £85 yearly subscription fee when the initial service expired. But in late-2019 they changed this policy and made it free for the lifetime of the car. Android Auto, however, is not available any 3 Series Touring.