2004 BMW 3-Series Touring reviews

BMW 3-Series Touring 320 D Touring 2004

I rented one of these on holiday in France in 2004 and was very impressed. I am first and foremost NOT a diesel fan (at home I drive a 4.3L V8 Mercedes). However BMW have done a great job with the 4 cylinder diesel in this car. It would bog down off the line like all turbo diesels (what with that and the traction control I had a few nasty moments trying to pull sharply out of gravely side roads....) but once spinning it pulled quite well. It actually had a fairly broad power spread unlike most turbo-diesels with their blink-and-you-miss-it power band. The steering, gear change, brakes and suspension were all superb. I could hustle it along on the sweeping bends of Northern Provence in an effortless way (without upsetting the Mrs beside me). All in all a pleasant surprise. It’s not the most spacious of estates (the new one is supposed to be much better) but if you have to have a 2.0 diesel this must be one of the very best.