The BMW 330D Touring is a bit of a beast, writes our motoring correspondent Syd Taylor.
When BMW decided that as a mark of distinction they should not produce anything as common as an ‘estate’ car, they designated the estate variant of their 3 Series saloon a ‘Touring’ car.
Having had the delight of putting the 330D Touring to the test, it has to be said that BMW consistently and unarguably hit the bullseye. To use refined language, the BMW 330D Tourer is a ‘belter’. From the moment one claps eyes on its prepossessing, panther-like profile, one knows that here is a machine contrived to make men out of mice and ladies out of lettuce leaves.
Approach it slowly and one is immediately struck by the fact that it doesn’t just ‘sit’ on the road - it squats like a purposeful beast with a purity of form that mirrors elegant engineering.
Inside, one cannot place oneself in exceeding comfort behind the steering wheel without knowing that sublime feeling of assurance that tells one is well placed to relish the best that 21st century technology can offer.
There’s roomy accommodation for five and the load capacity offers up to 1500 litres of space, making it a very useful load carrier. Versatility is the key note and there’s no better car for the busy executive or for the family holiday. Nothing will beat its potential in transporting a ton of elk meat from Stavanger to Swindon. It’s certainly a ‘feel good’ cabin of ergonomic excellence with an attractive dashboard and lots of soft touch materials.
The 6 cylinder, 3.0 litre, 258bhp diesel is one of the finest and the eight speed auto box is as unobtrusive as one could wish for. Tickle the pedal and the car seems to drift forward into a motion that is more ‘willed’ than mechanically contrived.
A ‘sport’ button when depressed unleashes a jolly Pandora’s Box of pleasure: power upon power. This is a load carrier that feels like a sports car. A luxury tourer that takes off like a rocket and clings with the talons of a tiger.
It’s difficult to say of any car that has a list price of £36,300 (This one had a list of ‘extras’ that totalled a whopping £11,305) that it’s a snip - but believe me, a spell behind the wheel will convince you that every pfennig is well spent. Remember - you can’t put a price on the ‘feel good factor’ nor can you compromise - as BMW clearly understand - on quality.
