Going the distance

The BMW 320d EfficientDynamics Saloon offers seriously low emissions for a premium segment car and yet performance is impeccable. Is there a catch? Angela Pisanu finds out

Before I test drove the BMW 320d EfficientDynamics Saloon, I’d read an article about how motoring journalist and TV presenter Tom Ford took the car to Munich and most of the way back to the UK on a single tank of petrol – a staggering 1,013 miles in total. So my expectations for fuel economy were high. I was also wondering how such a premium car could have CO2 emissions of just 109g/km – something even super minis find hard to achieve. Surely there had to be a compromise somewhere?

But there wasn’t. I was truly impressed with the car. While I didn’t take it as far as Munich, I did over 700 miles with fuel to spare and managed an average combined fuel consumption of 62.7mpg. The fact that I managed to get so close to the manufacturer’s figure of 68.9 mpg without changing driving style was very impressive.

THE PERFECT PERFORMER
Performance wise, the car was a dream. Sprinting to 62mph in eight seconds and with a top speed of 142mph, the car still offers sporting performance while being efficient. It had power, held the road very well and was quiet at high speeds. It was also the most comfortable car I have ever had the pleasure of driving, with the seats snug and supportive.

A feature I particularly liked was the car’s cruise control. It was easy to use and made motorway driving more comfortable as I didn’t have to constantly look at the speedometer or try to maintain a constant speed with the accelerator pedal. No doubt this is great for fuel consumption too.

BEHIND THE BONNET
So what makes the car so efficient? It has a host of BMW EfficientDynamics technologies, including auto start-stop, brake energy regeneration, optimum gearshift indicator, and electric power steering. More crucially, it has innovative engine construction, a longer transmission ratio, lowered suspension and the use of specially designed aerodynamic alloy wheels with energy saving tyres.

The car also comes with a full list of safety features, such as belt tensioners and belt force limiters, dynamic stability control, traction control, corner brake control, anti lock brakes, and numerous airbags.

The car also received a five-star rating by Euro NCAP.   

LOW CO2, LOW TAX
The BMW 320d EfficientDynamics Saloon has lower tax implications too. There is no VED to pay for the first year of purchase due to its low CO2 figure and it has a 13 per cent benefit-in-kind company car tax rating. The sub 110g/km emissions also mean 100 per cent first year writing down allowances.

The BMW 320d EfficientDynamics Saloon shares exactly the same retail price as the 320d SE Saloon at £26,480 (£27,245 OTR) and has an identical specification. So for those that want lower tax and running costs, low emissions, and still enjoy a premium segment car with strong performance, the BMW 320d Efficient Dynamics Saloon makes perfect sense