| Long Term Test | BMW 330d M Sport saloon |
Been anywhere interesting?
Sadly, back to BMW HQ in Bracknell. Not before the BMW and I had one last fling though, crossing the Irish sea once again and taking the time to drive the scenic route through Wales. From Holyhead, the first waypoint was Betws-y-coed, before heading south on the A470. Arriving at the hard to pronounce town the scenery is nothing short of spectacular, but I was enjoying the challenging roads too much to stop and sightsee. The surface is really good in this area too, which means it's the perfect place to enjoy the 330d. By some stroke of luck traffic was light and the weather even played ball. The result was probably the most enjoyable drive I've had in our long term BMW. As if it wasn't difficult enough to hand back the keys.
Anything stand out...?
The silly grin on my face having tackled the A470. No, but seriously, I've gone through this on numerous occasions and the 330d has to be one of the best all-rounders on the market. It combines impressive fuel consumption with a driving experience that can thrill in the right conditions. Yet it's also a classy family car.
...and for the wrong reasons?
There really was very little we didn't like about the 330d. Admittedly there were times where its practicality didn't quite live up to our needs, but the only gripe of note was with the ride comfort. Most of the time it wasn't an issue - and the trade off in terms of body control is one keener drivers will be all too happy to live with - but many will not appreciate the firmer damping that comes with the M Sport package. Good news though: BMW realises this and will soon allow buyers to opt out of the sportier suspension when they choose their M Sport model.
Where next?
Well, as I've said, our Beemer is no longer ours. It'll be a great second-hand buy for someone with less than 10,000 miles on the clock. Annoyingly we kerbed an alloy in the car's final days and cracked the licence plate, but those items should be relatively cheap to put right and with a bit of a clean the 3 Series will look as good as new again.
Its replacement in the
Car Enthusiast fleet comes from the same company, but wears a MINI badge. More on that very soon...
Many thanks to Irish Ferries. Check out www.irishferries.com.
