BMW 320i (2020) Review – Expert BMW 3 Series Car Reviews

Mary Poppins would be proud

To quote a spoken line from the Disney family film “practically perfect in every way”, is the best way to describe this offering from BMW.

Released last year, the new seventh generation G20 model hit our shores and all but steam rolled the executive sedan market. The 330i and 320d were first to arrive with our test mule, the 320i, arriving very late in 2019. The test of this 320i was eagerly anticipated, and we were not dissapointed.

Related: Complete guide to buying, owning and selling your BMW 3 Series

Styling

The new G20 takes on an overall more pointy appearance, even the LED lighting solutions take on an angular shape, out in front, the element of BMW’s classic kidney grille fits perfectly with the sharp styling around it leading into the headlights. The overal lines and profile of the vehicle, are very pleasing to the eye and it is instantly recognisable in a line up of previous generations.

The Drive

Cast your mind back to high school or college… now imagine that one student…. you know the one that played first team sport, excelled academically, was incredibly popular and was really nice to everyone? Well the 320i is the vehicular equivalent to that person. 

It wafts along in Eco mode, soaking up the undulations in the road, conversely, flipping the switch into Sport mode livens up the suspension and engine programming turning this sedate cruiser into a sporty drivers’ car. The engine note matches the snappy gear changes to near perfection, it really is an experience to drive

Having spent countless hours behind the wheel it is simply impossible to find anything negative to say about this car.

Performance

The G20 320i is powered by an in line, 4 cylinder, turbo petrol engine, mated to an 8 speed torque converter automatic transmission – enhanced in our test car by the optional “Sport Auto” upgrade, which sharpens the gearbox’s responses and makes the most of the engine’s output. Delivering 135kW and 300Nm, the engine is perfectly matched to the size of the vehicle. 0-100 times of 7.1 seconds and a top speed 235km are easily obtainable from the 320i, and it is all accomplished with barely a whisper. Braking is just as efficient but you barely feel the deceleration from speed. 

In short the 3 series is the perfect driving accessory. 

Space and Comfort

The G20 3 series is slightly larger than its predecessor meaning that the interior dimensions of this generation are longer and wider. With outer dimensions of 4709mm in length, 1827 in width and 1437mm in height the occupants now have a lot more room for activity. Our test car had the most stunningly comfortable seats and beautifully crafted interior that we’ve encountered in a BMW yet. Boot space is absolutely cavernous at 480l able to swallow up a set of matched luggage and a set of golf clubs.

The 320i was fitted with all of BMW’s latest gadgets and technology making any length of time behind the wheel an absolute pleasure. Automatic Climate Control and a Harmon Kardon sound system ensure that you will be as comfortable as can be while cruising the highways and byways of the city.

Safety

The new G20 has a host of safety features. Starting on the inside, the vehicle is fitted with no fewer than 6 airbags protecting driver and all passengers as well ISOFix in the rear for little ones. There is PDC (Park Distance Control), 360 degree camera, tyre pressure monitoring, lane keeping assist, blind spot detection, heads up display, traffic sign recognition, adaptive cruise control and the regular alphabet soup of vehicular safety systems such as ABS, EBD, TSC and BAS and EBA. Overall you are safer inside the 320i than walking on the pavement. 

Fuel Consumption

Due to the smaller engine size and overall bulk of the 3 series we were expecting a heavier consumption figure but were pleasantly surprised to return figures that were almost spot one to factory claims. BMW claims just 6.3l / 100km and our figures came in at 6.9l /100km with combined city and highway driving.

Price

Perfection does come at a price though… R 688 386 for a base model without any of the extra packages or accessories. Using BMW website and configurator, we specced our test model up to R 773 536 as tested. Naturally the 320 is sold with BMW’s 2 Year / Unlimited Km warranty and 5 Year / 100 000km service and maintenance plan.

Verdict

In all fairness BMW has done their homework on this one and it shows. The 320i delivers in spades and is as close to perfect a car that one can get. It is the market leader for a reason and this particular model is proof thereof, if the DNA from this makes its way up the chain one cannot wait to see what the new X3 is going to be like.

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