BMW 3 Series 320d Saloon Reviews

★★★★☆
3.8 / 5
76% of users recommend this
  • Performance

  • Practicality

  • Reliability

  • Value For Money

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Latest Reviews

★★★★★

“Excellent drive, very economical depends how driven....”

Written on: 23/12/2010

Excellent drive, very economical depends how driven. no problems in snow, depends if you knw how to use the traction control. Forget the previous reviews about the turbo failure. You will NOT have a problem with it as long as you change the oil breather filter which gets clogged up and is not covered in the service. it costs about £20 and is also found in range rovers, but the 2004 models and above come with the uprated version anyway. I have never had any problems other than the usual wear... (read more)

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★★★★★

“I bought a superb manual 330d M-sport touring in March...”

Written on: 17/12/2010

I bought a superb manual 330d M-sport touring in March 2010. It was written off in a collision (my passenger was a former Class 1 police driver); the other driver admitted liability on the spot. I am off to buy another. Driven enthusiastically, it still delivered good economy. Pinpoint accuracy in steering and excellent braking capability.
Tyres were expensive and I had the inevitable heater fan problem.
In every respect, better than my previous Audi, Saab etc.
Would I recommend a 330d? You bet! (read more)

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★★★☆☆

“i also had inlet manifold failure at 60000 miles, it...”

Written on: 08/06/2010

i also had inlet manifold failure at 60000 miles, it also killed the turbo and the cat,the car was repaire at a cost of £3500 + £250 to have the ecu remaped to rid the hesitation at 2000 revs any gear.
thats the downside, the upside is i now have an excellent vehicle with 183 bhp and an average fuel economy 0f 68mpg driving round in 4th gear.
would i buy another bmw NO only because bmw uk and gmbh did not want to know.
if you are considering buying one good look and beware? (read more)

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★☆☆☆☆

“Yes the 320d is a great car until the turbo breaks and...”

Written on: 14/04/2010

Yes the 320d is a great car until the turbo breaks and then the fun starts. I have been a BMW driver for 25 years and i am sad to say it will be my last. BMW will not admit to the fault in all 320d cars. My advise would be dont buy a 320d just google swirl flaps / faulty turbo and look at the problems people have been having. PS my bill was £3200 to repair. (read more)

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★★★★☆

“good car,great mpg for 150 brake,nice interior...”

Written on: 20/02/2010

good car,great mpg for 150 brake,nice interior reliable if kept serviced at normal intervals no real problems just bushings (read more)

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★★★★☆

“BMW 3 Series 320d Saloon is comfort reliable sticks to...”

Written on: 14/06/2009 by paulkeitho (1 review written)

BMW 3 Series 320d Saloon is comfort reliable sticks to road, mine is o4 now having turbo trouble (read more)

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★★★★★

“When i bought my bmw i was very aware of the turbo...”

Written on: 13/02/2009 by stoney2007 (1 review written)

When i bought my bmw i was very aware of the turbo problems but if you follow these few simple steps you shouldnt have any problems ! 1 take out swirl flaps from inlet manofold !2 change oil evry 10,000 miles (good oil NOT cheap oil) 3 make sure you change crankcase engine breather evrey 30,000 miles !always let car warm up before you boot the hell out of it !4 if you have been thrashing the hell out of your bmw always allow the engine to idle for at least i minite before turning engine off... (read more)

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★★★★★

“I have a E46 320D 2002. The best thing about the car...”

Written on: 11/02/2009 by BMWSTIG

I have a E46 320D 2002. The best thing about the car is how it drives and handles for a 4 door you wont get much better and it looks good to Over all BMW 3 Series is a very good car and you can get a very nice used one for not much money. It is very good on fuel I can get 50mpg on motor ways and thats wth 150bhp. It is a very good car to drive, it even feels sporty. I would strongly recomend one of these cars. But only after 2003 because the turbos have been sorted. (read more)

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★★★★★

“The BMW 320d is a dream to drive and has all the...”

Written on: 08/12/2008 by Les Neal (1 review written)

The BMW 320d is a dream to drive and has all the safety kit; you feel safe driving this car. Sticks to the road on tight bends as well as on the straights and the steering is brilliant. All the switch gear and clocks feel and look high quality; cruise control is just a dream on long motorway drives. For a diesel this car runs like a petrol and is pokey with excellent fuel economy. Its a good all rounder and feels like it'll last forever. Looks good as well. (read more)

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★★★★☆

“I have a 2003 BMW 320D F/L 6 speed. This is an...”

Written on: 03/07/2008

I have a 2003 BMW 320D F/L 6 speed. This is an excellent car aside from the turbo failure very early in the car's life (123000km's - 76000miles). (read more)

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★★★★★

“The BMW 320d is fast, reliable, comfortable, sporty...”

Written on: 03/06/2008

The BMW 320d is fast, reliable, comfortable, sporty and so much more than any reliable TOYOTA and please do not compare a VW as that is utter junk. (read more)

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★★★★★

“Overall very good car would recommend people to buy...”

Written on: 02/04/2008

Overall very good car would recommend people to buy this car. very fun to drive and acceleration is very good. Not much luxuries provided but main things are given and at the back there is not that much space to fit in 3 adults. (read more)

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★★★★☆

“Over all, I do recommend this car. very reliable, fun...”

Written on: 06/03/2008

Over all, I do recommend this car. very reliable, fun to drive. I have a new shape 320d, it looks amazing, has a massive boot space, good performance and has a presence on the road. Really enjoy driving it. (read more)

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★★★★★

“Lovely car to drive and very reliable. Would...”

Written on: 13/01/2008 by squealia

Lovely car to drive and very reliable. Would recommend BMW. (read more)

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★★★☆☆

“Very nice when bought with the expensive trim such as...”

Written on: 31/12/2007 by sammyadd

Very nice when bought with the expensive trim such as the leather and the M sport like mine, but my wife with the same as mine but not an M sport and it still has leather seats is very very basic for the money, my wifes cost £27,000 and mine cost £33,000 and that £60,000 on expensive but cheaply made cars, we recommend the Porsche 911TurboS and the Porsche Cayenne 4X4 TurboS because these cars are fanstatic we have recently bought both of them and are very good price, (Cayenne £87,000) (911... (read more)

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★★☆☆☆

“In my five years of ownership I have suffered a failed...”

Written on: 12/06/2007 by brokenbmw (1 review written)

In my five years of ownership I have suffered a failed turbocharger @ 33k miles, failed fuel injectors @ 57k miles, failed pre-supply pump @ 99k miles, failed engine @ 133k, failed front wishbone rear bushes @ 83k and broken rear springs @ 128k. Whilst a number of these faults were sorted out under warranty the engine failure caused by swirl flap collapse (they use plastic inlet manifolds and the instance of failure is increasingly significant on older vehicles) was not and will cost £10k to... (read more)

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★★★★★

“”

Written on: 02/08/2006 by bmw320d (1 review written)


I have BMW E46 320d model 1998-2001 and I can say only good about this car. I have 105.000km on my clock, and it still works very well. It's got a silent yet powerful diesel engine. When comparing performances power, sound of the bmw 320d and any other make of disel engines in 1998 you will see a big difference. 135.9 horse power with 9.9 second from 0 - 100km/h is very good for fuel use of 5-6 litres per 100km.
320d as with every bmw is made to be driven, great handling, steering and... (read more)

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★☆☆☆☆

“Thisis my first BMW, and I am sorry to say my last....”

Written on: 29/05/2006 by mobiledisco (1 review written)

Thisis my first BMW, and I am sorry to say my last. The 3 Series 320d Saloon has a reputation for turbo failure, which I believe applies only to pre July 2003 models. This failure can happen at any time regardless of service history and so cannot be predicted or circumvented and is a widely publicised failure amongst 320d owners on the internet!. The cost of repairing this can vary between £2000 - £3000 and can sometimes cause damage to other components and is not something which I would... (read more)

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★★★★★

“I've had my 320D-ES for about four months and I'm...”

Written on: 25/06/2004 by jeremysanthouse (3 reviews written)

I've had my 320D-ES for about four months and I'm delighted with it. It's great to drive (rear wheel drive, excellent mid-range acceleration, good brakes, positive handling and cornering) and it's a practical family saloon with decent rear legroom and a proper-sized boot.

I drive about 15,000-18,000 miles a year, split between urban roads in a large city (slow moving, lots of traffic jams etc) and motorway driving. The fuel economy figures are consistently around 42mpg. On a long motorway... (read more)

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★★★★☆

“This review refers to a 2002 150 hp model. I now have...”

Written on: 21/02/2004 by MarkB001 (1 review written)

This review refers to a 2002 150 hp model. I now have 38.000 km on the clock and use it most days with a mix of town, motorway and national road driving. This is a very good car in all these situations without any surprises and giving a real feeling of quality. Driving fast on a motorway you feel completely safe as it tracks beautifully (although a 5 series diesel that BMW lent me for a day was even better)and the braking is super effective - listen to the tire squeals behind and watch out... (read more)

193060_Arkan007's Response to MarkB001's Review

Written on: 12/05/2005

Have the 2002 BMW 320D myself..has the looks the economy and comfort rolled in one..In dry and wet conditions the car handles quite well, however if it should snow or should there be a heavy frost be prepared to have front wheel drive shitboxes pass you out, otherwise any attempt to leave them in your wake will leave your rear wheel drive BMW firmly lodged somewhere between the hard shoulder and Farmer Brown's pig trough...if you're lucky!!

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★★★★☆

“Overall I rate the BMW 320d Saloon 2 litre diesel...”

Written on: 10/11/2003 by jezyg (1 review written)

Overall I rate the BMW 320d Saloon 2 litre diesel although I find the lag can be somewhat disconserting especially if you are use to driving a petrol.

If you are stuck in traffic the clutch can feel very heavy and even though it is damped can make the transmission shudder due to the imense torque.

Economy is good and the mid-range performance can leave many a hot hatch standing. (read more)

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