In-depth reviews

BMW 3 Series Touring estate (2012-2019): owner reviews

"The BMW 3 Series Touring is a more versatile – and arguably more stylish version of the sporty, economical and classy 3 Series saloon"

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28 Jul 2019

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Carbuyer Rating

3.7 out of 5

Owners Rating

3.7 out of 5

Price

£42,335 - £61,820

SPECIFICATIONS

Reviews

Owner Reviews

5 out of 5
4 out of 5
3 out of 5
2 out of 5
1 out of 5

75%of people would recommend this car to a friend

Common Problems

Suspension (1 case)
Brakes, Gearbox / clutch (1 case)
Other (3 cases)
Engine, Suspension (1 case)
Brakes, Other (1 case)
Electrics, Other (1 case)

Review 1 of 24

Tell us what you think about your car?

Bought this loaded exdemonstrator from the local dealer. Its a very fine car utterly ruined by suspension which may be fine on German roads but is utterly hateful on the typical modern English ones. You spend all your time trying to avoid imperfections on the road, when you fail and hit a pothole/ sunken drain cover the suspension seems to bottom out with a horrendous metallic crashing sound. Far worse than the infamous s-line Audis.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

The worst car I have owned in 35 years motoring, and I have had a few disasters. So many faults where do I begin. Really poor service from BMW and their dealer - avoid like the plague. X drive failed after 9 months, never fully rectified. The list of problems is endless. If you want German quality avoid.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

After 60,000 miles I've had no problems at all and have only just had to change the tyres. It's a great car for long journeys. I regularly drive over 250 miles in a day with occasional very long 700-mile European trips. Although now in my sixties I feel fresher after a long drive than I did 10 years ago when I drove other well known brands which says a lot for its set-up. With bluetooth phone set up, it will read out my text messages, it has a superb professional sat-nav and a memory that allows an upload of over 5,000 music tracks. It's full of cleverly thought out touches, like the opening rear window in the estate door. All in all, a great car.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Faultless - brilliant handling, performance and comfort. Only complaint is that the 4 cylinder engine doesn't sound as good as the 330i M Sport touring it replaced, but undoubtedly quicker and more economical to boot.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Perfect

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Loved the car; great engine and auto gearbox combination but.....about 1 month out of warranty it just caught fire when my wife was driving it, engine fire. The car was a write off. It had been meticulously looked after and serviced by main dealer. Would love another one but it kinda puts me off.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

Great build quality, but options are extremely expensive which ruins experience.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Usual high build quality but engine is exceptionally noisy and unrefined. Stability and handling is also suprisingly poor. I have owned several 3 series and BMW have certainly gone backwards with this version. My advice would be not to part with your money but if your mind is set on owning a 3 series then opt for a proper 320d and add dynamic suspension upgrade at 800 gbp. A very disappointing Vehicle that BMW should be ashamed of.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

Fantastic car. My only criticism of the car would be the tyre roar at speed from the run flat tyres. Mine doesn’t have the adaptive M Sport suspension and don’t understand why car reviewers say it’s an essential; it drives and handles pretty well. For a with 19 inch alloy wheels, I can’t believe how smooth the ride is and passengers have commented on this too. It has the comfiest seats in the business, too. This is now my third BMW – I have bought not for the ‘premium’ brand status but because of its engines, drive trains and general levels of comfort.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Excellent car. Mine has racked up 20,000 miles in 8 months. It's very comfortable, reliable and cheap to run. I have seen over 55mpg on a run and the automatic gearbox makes driving very easy.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

This is the fourth 3.0 diesel 3 Series I've owned and my third 335d (the other being a 330d). It's essential to choose adaptive suspension. I find it an excellent all round car – it returns an average of 42mpg (my best trip was 56mpg) which is impressive considering its performance. Has a well built interior, too. I'm looking forward to seeing new model in 2019.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Fantastic car. Definitely a keeper - the best car I have ever owned. Spacious, comfortable, well-equipped, powerful (particularly when the Sport setting is selected) yet economical - it returns around 50mpg without any special effort on my part. The 8-speed gearbox is fantastic - it is the first automatic gearbox I have driven where I am not looking down at the gear leaver screaming at it, wondering what the hell it is doing - the gearbox is in the right gear at the right time, all the time, and gearshifts are not only smooth, they are barely perceptible. I find the ride very comfortable, but then we specified the adaptive dampers, which all the reviews I read recommended. Bad points? It isn't very refined - the diesel engine makes a lot of clutter and there is a fair amount of wind noise from around the a-pillars. If I was buying it today, I would probably choose the petrol over the diesel, as we've barely done 20,000 miles in 3 years of owning it, so a diesel is a bit of a waste for us. But I am not planning on selling this vehicle anytime soon - I reckon we will easily keep this one for 10 years or more.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

The BMW 316d Touring is a very flexible car, as it offers sufficient performance and great economy. Although a 1.6-litre engine may seem small in terms of displacement, it delivers good punch when you stamp on the throttle. However it does lack in terms of building up speed. On to the economy, every Christmas we have to drive an outstanding 600 miles to Aberdeen from Paris and we did it on a full tank, averaging 48.5mpg with a roofbox on top, a little off from 60+ mpg. Onto practicality, in terms of boot space this car has managed to fit everything possible that we've ever needed, from 3 week trips to Spain, to European tours lasting a month. It has managed to do it all without fault fitting up to 5 big suitcases! This car is very quite and subtle on long cruises, it is so refined in the cabin that you almost feel as if you are sat inside a library. The cabin is also luxurious for an entry-level car, with soft-touch leather and hardly any hard plastics in sight. The cabin is also very driver centric as all the driver necessities are tilted in such an angle that it makes the driver feel the centre of attention. Overall this is a great car to drive and cruise in on long distances without worrying about economy (I just wish they could make the engine less noisy).

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Amazing engine, smooth gearbox and decent brakes. The roadholding and handling are both really good. However, even in Eco Pro mode it's nigh on impossible to get over 50 mpg. The acceleration when you put your foot down is pretty astonishing even if you aren't in Sport mode. I have the 19-inch wheels with run flat tyres and the ride is ok. It's low to the ground so you have to be careful when you are near a kerb at the front and the parking sensor only kicks in if you have been in reverse gear. But it's a brilliant car to drive.

What's the one thing you like most about your car?

The engine

If you could improve one thing, what would it be?

The parking sensors

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Fantastic car to drive, better than the C class merc by a country mile. The Mercedes has more gizmos and gadgets and has a more pleasant cabin though. The BMW iDrive system is a joke compared to its rivals, it's very old fashioned and pretty naff. The auto gearbox is truly amazing, though, and reason enough to choose the car. This is my first BMW and I'm now a fan.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

First: Fuel consumption. 50mpg? Dream on, lucky if you can get 30/32. Engine has lots of power but no way can you get the 0-62 times down to the figures BMW claim – you'll put a good second on the times! Gearbox is a dream. Brakes are very poor for a car with this kind of performance. The cabin very rowdy, lot's of road noise. The iDrive system is a nightmare. All in all I'm very disappointed by the car and will not buy another BMW. BMW service is very good, it's just a pity about the product!

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

Great car to drive and economical but let down by Sat Nav failure , radio failure. Repeated visits to 2 dealers to get this fixed. Failed its first MOT due to rear differential oil seal leaks. Won't have another BMW.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

Comfortable drive, I will often have to drive for 6 hours in a day on motorways and A roads. This is such a good car to drive. I feel better after 6 hours driving than I did driving three hours in fords/Vauxhalls. This is my third 320d covering over 300,000 miles to date and not had any reliability issues. It's quiet, reliable, comfortable and fast. The perfect tourer.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Nothing has gone wrong at all

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

has not boken down yet

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Brilliant car which has the best engines/gearbox/roadholding combination on the market. I would only swap it for a 335D.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

I love everything about this car. It combines performance, practicality and economy in a balance I would never have thought possible. 0-62 in under 5 seconds on a diesel estate car, that is also capable of carrying a family of 4 and all associated luggage and paraphernalia, whilst still returning up to 45mpg under real driving conditions. What more could you ask for? Well, you could ask for a slightly bigger boot, or a slightly larger rear seating area, or maybe a little less road noise through those hateful run flat tyres, but let's not get picky! This ones a keeper.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up