BMW 3 Series Touring (2019) Review
BMW 3 Series Touring (2019) At A Glance
If you want something that combines the practicality of a family estate with the fun and reward of a sports saloon, the 3 Series Touring will be everything you ever need.
All versions of the BMW 3 Series Touring get a first class interior, filled with lots of high quality and soft-touch materials. Premium features like interior ambient lighting are fitted as standard, along with LED headlights, touchscreen navigation and Apple CarPlay.
The key to the success of the BMW 3 Series Touring, however, lies in its ability to deliver an exciting, sporty driving experience. From behind the wheel, there is very little to tell the BMW 3 Series saloon and Touring apart - both are equally excellent.
You get a comprehensive choice of petrol and diesel engines. There’s also a petrol plug-in hybrid. Designed for company car drivers, the hybrid has low CO2 emissions (32-41g/km) and an electric range of 34 miles.
For most drivers, the 2.0-litre petrol and diesel versions will give the best balance between performance and running costs. The 330i is the best of the petrols, developing 184PS and returning up to 40.4mpg. If you want a diesel, you should aim for the 320d with its 190PS and official fuel economy of 53.3mpg.
That said, the six-cylinder diesels are very competent all-rounders, combining impressive performance with wallet-friendly economy. The 330d uses a smooth 3.0-litre turbodiesel that develops 265PS while the M340d uses the same engine but packs a hefty 340PS and 700Nm of torque. Both of these will accelerate to 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) was available as an optional extra. These cars are rare, but worth seeking out if you need more grip from your daily drive. The M340i and M340d both come with xDrive as standard.
The 3 Series Touring will easily accommodate four large adults, with lots of head and legroom in the front and rear. However, while there’s technically space for five adults, the raised floor in the rear of the car limits legroom in the middle rear seat. BMW advertises the 3 Series as a car that will fit three child seats across the rear bench, only two Isofix anchor points are fitted as standard to the rear seats.
Boot space is a respectable 500 litres, which means the 3 Series Touring is a smudge short on the 505 litres you get in the Audi A4 Avant. However, compared to the Mercedes-Benz C-Class Estate (460 litres) the 3 Series Touring is more practical.
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 cars.