New BMW 3 Series Honoured

The new BMW 3 Series Saloon has been crowned What Car? ‘Best Compact Executive Car’ 2012. This is the seventh consecutive occasion that this mile-muncher has claimed the title - and this year the 320d SE took the honours. But why? The 3 Series is, inevitably, a tremendous all-rounder. The handling is a constant source of joy, the ride is composed, it has reassuring safety features, and enough gadgets to make life comfortable. It also has 'that' badge bolted to the front - and this alone virtually guarantees years of happy motoring.

Chas Hallett, What Car? Editor-in-Chief, said: “The new BMW 3 Series is great to drive, with sharp steering and a well judged chassis. But the biggest gains (compared to the old model) are in efficiency it delivers 60mpg and CO2emissions so low that it falls into the cheapest thirteen per-cent company car tax band for diesels. It’s a convincing winner of our Executive Car of the Year award.”

Tim Abbott, Managing Director of BMW UK, added: “It is a testament to the quality and refinement of the BMW 3 Series to win this prestigious award for seven consecutive years. To have this consistent recognition - across the generations - for all of the hard work that goes into producing BMW’s core model is a great honour.”

Prices for the new BMW 3 Series start at £22,695.

By Stephen Turvil, motoring.co.uk

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