BMW 320d - 'B'ehold the 'M'otoring 'W'onder

The run-flat R16s are housed neatly in the wheel-arches and lend an aggressive look to the Bimmer with some help from the neat and massive five-spoked alloy wheels. The rear is as smart and taut as it can get. I even liked the outside rear-view mirror design. But, like the famous saying goes - nothing's perfect - even the BMW 3 Series isn't. That chrome bit on the hood above the grille looks a little odd and could have been better carried out. Perhaps could have been a bit more slender. Argh, now this is nitpicking really! The bottom line is, this is a damn good-looking example of an automobile.

So we know that the BMW 320d looks fine. Good that. And it is bloody solid too! The sheet metal exudes strength while the shut lines add to the feel of fit and finish. The doors shut with a reassuring 'thud' and the overall stance makes it look very balanced and sturdy.

When you are done admiring the beauty of the car from outside, you'll have more work on hand - admiring the beauty of her interiors! Sensible, smart and good-looking are some words that flash in your mind when you first see the cabin. The two-tone interior is lucid and sporty. But there are not many cubby-holes around and even the storage box between the front seats has limited capacity. The lack of storage space inside the cabin is an irritant. The glove compartment too is not accomodating enough. The boot space is more than sufficient but the loading-lip could have been lower for easy loading/unloading of luggage.

Equipment list is vast though. And I mean it. Try calling out the names of the goodies that this car is endowed with in one breath, and I am pretty confident that you will pant like a man who's ran a marathon! This car is a BMW, so it is business as usual when words like auto retracting ORVMs, automatic driving light control, automatic rain sensor, distance-to-empty, fuel efficiency reading, hands free for phone, traction control, climate control, parking sensor, ABS are uttered. But it gets dense when you get into the nitty-gritty of it all. This is where the comprehensive car manual will come for your rescue!

One thing that had me dejected was the ride quality. It is well suited for the performance oriented driver but not so for that tuxedo-wearing guy who prefers to sit at the rear seat of this oh-so-expensive car. This time, I am talking purely from a consumer's point of view. I love the car, no doubt, but ride comfort is average really. There is solace for you though. The seats are a pampering tool for your bottom and can be adjusted electronically to give you the perfect driving position. And how very thoughtful of the engineers and designers at BMW it is to give us auto-adjusting outside rear-view mirrors! All you have to do is arrive at the ideal driving position for yourself and the ORVMs would adjust themselves to suit the way you sit! What a novel feature. For the people who are going to occupy the rear seats, there's good news - the rear seats are extremely comfortable and offer correct amount of support at all the right places. Legroom is fine too.People with taller stature might find the headroom to be lacking a bit though. But tell me honestly, would you rather drive this thing or be driven around in? Drive it, is the answer, I know! And you will not regret.

A very good and particularly fast (on-road, speed wise) friend of mine drives a praticularly fast car. He was in town so we decided to have a drag (on a deserted piece of land, mnd you, lest the human rights activists make my life hell!). He was already lined up and I came along screeching to a halt on his side. He glanced at me, looked at the gleaming silver car with admiration, powered the window down and said "Hmmm, good piece of machinery. Watch it get smoked by my humble car!"