During the latest episode of the current series, the guys (and girl) put the new F30 3 Series BMW 320d EfficientDynamics Edition (EDE) to the Fifth Gear Team Test. Here's what they had to say.
The exterior design please almost all of them, excepting Johnny. He was the only one who had some issues with the exterior styling of the new executive saloon benchmark. Going inside the build quality is top class, in the traditional manner BMW got us used to.
The only flaw of the interior design, on which almost everyone agreed was the rather peculiar positioning of the navigation screen and the somewhat not-interesting dashboard. However, they all thought the buttons functionality of the Bimmer's cabin couldn't be questioned. It's all about practicality.
The driving experience is impressive, even though we're dealing with a slightly de-tuned engine from the 320d version. The EfficientDynamics Edition has the same 2-liter diesel engine found on the standard car but it was slightly altered for improved fuel efficiency. Now it has 163 HP and 280 lb-ft (380 Nm) of torque (21 HP less) and returns a combined fuel consumption figure of 57.37 mpg (4.1 l/100km).
Even though Tiff was worried that having less power will make the EDE somewhat less enjoyable, the test drive proved him wrong and surprised everybody. The 320d EfficientDynamics Edition BMW is still an enjoyable car.
Overall, the team concluded that the new 3 Series follows well within the previous generations' footsteps and is still "top of the class" in the executive saloon segment.
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