| First Drive | Munich, Germany | 2010 BMW 3 Series Coupé & Convertible |

BMW has facelifted the Coupé and Convertible versions of the 3 Series. It follows the mid-life update of the saloon and estate (Touring) versions, and means the entire range is all nice and fresh.

In the Metal

Actually, the changes bestowed upon the two-door versions of the Three aren't as aggressive as the Saloon's were, which seems a bit backwards to us, but there you go. They don't, for example, get the four-door's bonnet strakes, and the obligatory headlamp changes are subtle to say the least.

Park old and new side-by-side and you'll see that both valances are new - making the car longer and giving it new front and rear detailing. The lights are a bit different, with the option of all LEDs now, and there's a new 'character line' running through the lower flanks. There are three new types of wheel and three new colours (red, blue and white, basically).

Inside, the specification changes very slightly, with leather upholstery standard and a new smoother steering wheel finish. And that's it. Well, that's not quite true, as you'll find out.

What you get for your Money

BMW's prolific EfficientDynamics team puts all the maker's products on an ever-turning eco-conveyor belt (made from recycled tyres and powered using a hamster in a ball), continually refining and re-releasing them so as to absolutely optimise efficiency. The 'small step' approach also keeps the maker ahead of the game.

This facelift has seen the four-cylinder 320d engine get a tweak or two, bestowing 7bhp and 22lb.ft extra upon it, yet lowering consumption to 60.1mpg. The 325d gets exactly the same boost (making it 204bhp and 317lb.ft), and the 335i and 335d are tweaked similarly. The M3 gets auto start-stop as standard now too.

Driving it

The cosmetic changes don't do a jot to the performance, obviously, but the beauty of BMW's EfficientDynamics ethos is that it improves while having no negative effect on the car's dynamic ability. That's the idea anyway. We drove the Coupé and Convertible in 335i guise, and both behave exactly as per the old versions.

We find the 335i can feel a little anodyne, a little less exciting than the sum of its 302bhp and rear-wheel drive. For efficiency gain BMW now uses its single turbocharged 3.0-litre straight-six engine, dropping the twin turbo unit of the pre-facelift car. The 'twin scroll' turbo essentially does the same job as the pair of turbos did before, so there's no difference in power or performance. Its thrum is lovely near the limiter and it's nice and smooth - a bit too much at times. Where you might expect this coupé to be a junior M3, it's actually more like a quick 320i.

But it is quick, and it does have all the lovely balance, nicely weighted and accurate steering, and feel through all four wheels that the 3 Series is justifiably lauded for. There's a real sense of being 'pushed from the back' here, and the standard seven-speed twin clutch auto 'box is shockingly quick at jumping down any number of cogs to put you straight into the power band at any speed.

Surprisingly, we found more enjoyment from the Convertible. Sure it's heavier and the ride is slightly more fidgety (it's negligible, mind), but with the hood down there's an extra layer of aural bark from the engine. The sound of the turbo's waste gate opening at lift-off is especially dramatic.

Worth Noting

While the standard spec has improved, the prices have gone up too, by roughly £1,000 model-for-model. The Coupé range now kicks off at £27,845 for a 320i SE Coupé and ends at the £52,730 M3. Add about five grand for a roofless version.

Summary

We're big fans of the 3 Series Coupé and this facelift neither adds nor detracts from that. It's impressive that BMW keeps on pushing forward with the EfficientDynamics work to the benefit of efficiency, and that it does so without screaming about it, but the stuff here isn't groundbreaking. Want a well-built, rattle-free and good-looking coupé or cabriolet that's relatively excellent on fuel and CO₂ emissions? Look no further than any one of the 3 Series's massive range.

Unfortunately, the excellence of these cars is evidently noticed by plenty of others, too; buying a facelifted version isn't going to separate your car from the thousands of others on the road already.