BMW 3 SERIES Estate 2005‑2012

The BMW 3 series tourer is a robust choice with a robust build quality. The only caveat is check franchised dealer service costs

Superb Car. Not had any trouble. New tyres at 35000 miles would like to change for a newer version

Reliable, powerful car with tax and MOT. This car is a financial must if you travel lots as part of your work.

This car is a nightmare to drive. The seats are so low down it feels like you are sat on the floor and when you get out you have to do a squat like exercise to stand up straight. Im 6`02" so if I put the seat to its highest level my head is touching the roof. If its sunny and I have to use the visor then that`s my view totally gone unless I bend down.

If you drive this car normal then it will return a decent mpg. If you press that right foot though the needle drops like lead and you may as well have purchased a petrol sports.

Insurance companies love this car though........ You may as well say charge me whatever and I have 14 yrs no claims and live in a good post code area...

The engine is powerful and will get you in trouble. If you are not used to powerful rear wheel drive cars and the different feel they give then this car is not for you. If you like to power down through corners its good fun. Just a shame they put run flats on which dont help the ride.

My car is 2 yrs old and I have had numerous electrical faults and the front suspension is now knocking. Tyres cost a fortune for decent ones.

The interior is drab with the dated orange displays.. BMW should change this.

The recent snow/ice was hell. This car could not grip and I left it at home, when I did risk it the back end would snap out if to much power was put down. What is excellent though is the traction control. It is fantastic and much needed. You can switch it off but you really would have to be a pro driver to not wrap it up on a bend.

The other added extra with this car is its great getting up in the morning not knowing if its going to be still on the drive in the morning !!!!!

This car is both practical and in practical. It has decent room in rear for kids and luggage, has the performance when needed but other cars can do the job just as well and much cheaper. I would not have another .

Car runs and handles really well for an estate - General MPG is about 40mpg. The interior is really classy and the i-drive / sat nav works well too and is easy to use. One down side is the lack of i-pod control on the i-drive, but this has probably now been updated on the newer versions. All in all i would give this car 4.5 out of 5...there's always room for improvement but this comes close to being perfect!!

A fantastic family friendly sporty car that is so practical. The leather seats are very easy to keep clean with small children around. There is plenty of boot space too. Always reliable and it is a comfortable ride whether driving on short or long journeys. Averages 34 to 38 mpg around town and mid 40's over long journeys. Pulls a small trailer with ease without affecting the handling. Sat nav is a true bonus. Cruise control is very handy for motorway driving. A very good example of a high performance yet practical car.

Overall an excellent car though I only seem to use it on State Occasions taking the Grandson and dog and wife on day trips. Excellent acceleration when you need it, excellent road handling, very comfy.

Main niggles are these;

1. Cannot handle snow bound local roads unless one assumes you attach snow chains or have winter tyres fitted. I think this is in general a BMW issue and must be leading to a loss of BMW sales. (IMHO)

2. Is heavy on juice around town being a 3.30 but as I said only used on state occasions. On the motorway the average MPG at 70 is about 29mpg , again another reason only to use on state occasions. Hence the main reason why mine has only done 10K.

3. Other gripe is No Front heated windscreen, apparently I was told when I bought the car, Ford owned the patent. Very irritating when frosted, you have to wait several minutes for it to clear using the blower.

Other than that, I do like the car principally for its power and comfort.

Ive had the car for around two and a half years now ,there is no doubting the build quality .A joy to drive and look at and the handling is excellent,and if you enjoy looking at it,,then thats what youll be doing when the snow falls , rear wheel and drive,run flat tyres dont help, put the traction control on and it gets worse ,ive had to get the kids to sit in the boot so i can get back on the drive :)so get snow chains and carry a shovel. Excellent fuel economy , 35 mpg around town and if youre prepared to sit at 60 mph on the motorway it will do upwards of 50 mpg . I drove over to Germany last march ,I sat on the autobahn at 100mph for hours on end (cruise control on of course ) and it still returned 42 mpg , very impessive. Cheap to tax, though not to insure , Rear seat a bit of a squeeze with three in, but a good sized boot, Interior is very well put together .I do most of the servicing myself , All said and done , the best car ive owned and driven, I should also mention its done 106000 miles and drives like new .

This car is great to drive; it doesn't feel like an estate car and is loads of fun. If you have a family but you don't want to lose the fun, this is the car for you.

I was after the 320 diesel, but it proved hard to get hold of, so I opted for the smallest petrol engine. The power is adequate, but won't blow your mind. It is surprisingly frugal too - I can get 45mpg from it under the right conditions. Tax isn't so great due to relatively high emissions compared to the diesel.

This car isn't brilliantly practical. You can only fit one bike in the back (my last estate could fit two) and when the snow comes, give up. It's also very low, so even speed humps can ground it, let alone a mud track or unsurfaced car park.

Reliability has been a bit disappointing. It's a bit noisy for 4 year old car (rattles etc.) and it needed a new clutch at 3.5 years / 45,000 miles at the cost of £1,200. The run-flat tyres are mind numbingly expensive (£200 per tyre) and don't seem to last long on the rear wheels.

I'm likely to consider a more practical estate car next, but I wouldn't rule out a BMW again - the great drive goes some way to compensate for the slightly disappointing reliability. I'd also try harder to get the diesel next time for the lower tax and even lower running costs.

Had this car now for 2 weeks and still have a big grin. The build quality is fantastic and it drives like a dream, still yet to find out the true economy of running a 2.0 petrol car, but the touring with the SE spec I am sure will make the possible extra cost very worth while. Wish we could of afforded one sooner.

Christy