Saw one of these at the weekend.... very nice...and was surprised to see they can be had for £18k on a 57 plate..It looked way more exotic than that in the car park... nightmare cleaning them wheels though



Am I right in assuming they have the diesel 2.0L twin turbo unit running 214bhp?

One lapped 3 seconds quicker than the 330i M sport round Donnington

 

Well Evo mag raved on about their long termer - reckoned it was the best allrounder they've had. Pricey to add options to but otherwise good vfm and quick. The motor is a bit like the 23d engine (bi-turbo 4 pot as you say) - which BMW don't put in the 3 series (and they should)

Graphics, wheels and orangey wood interior are a but suspect though...

 

I own a MY06 D3 and it is a smashing car. The sheer grip it produces is very impressive. Mine is the mono turbo one (197hp ) so not much below 2000 RPM, but it comes aline at 2k with 300 FT of torque kicking in. The ride on the 19's is better than a 330 D I tried on 18's which is odd.
I like it because I hardly ever see any on my commute. It does have a lack of toys like cruise and parking sensors but it is a proper drivers car so makes up for it. I cannot get more than 44MPG though, even on a run. The stereo is pony to.

Take one for a test drive I'm sure you will be impressed. I'm doing a track day at Bedford in August and I can't wait to see how it does on track.

And yes the wheels are an absolute b@stard to clean !

 

The single turbo model with 197 bhp can be had for around 16-20k depending on the age and mileage. The latter twin turbo engines are the same unit's that are found on the 123d models. The twin turbo model compensates the issues surrounding the apparent small power band issues of the single turbo models, although having been a passenger in the single turbo'd model, this does not appear to an issue with smooth powerful delivery right through the rev range.

I think they are the best looking 3 series you can get at the moment regardless if they are totally poverty spec!

Think this will be my next motor. Just waiting for the twin turbo models to drop a little more.