Hi guys,
I was recently back in the UK for a few days, and before i went i booked a 5-Series with Avis. They have an offer called "Series Select", which is a little more expensive than standard hire, but it enables you to specify an exact vehicle, rather that being given one that falls within a particular range i.e. "economy, "family" etc. So, i was quite excited at he prospect at having a 5 to run around in for a few days.
However, when i actually arrived at Avis in Heathrow, i was rather disappointingly told that the website needed updating, because in fact all the 5 Series cars had been sold :banghead:. I was pretty annoyed (not helped by the fact that i'd taken the 02.45am flight so by now hadn't slept for about 28 hours) and i refused the various Renaults, Fords, Vauxhalls etc that they tried to offer me instead :rofl2:
In the end, they offered me a 318d, which to be honest i wasn't particularly interested in. However, as i'd been there for about an hour, i went to take look. In fact, it was a 318d M Sport, not a standard 318d, and there was just 1km on the clock. This thing was literally brand new, just been delivered.
The exterior was silver, the interior black leather.
Though the below photos are not the actual car, they show the exact exterior and interior of the car i had:
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(Note the car i had had leather interior)
This car is superb. I couldn't believe how nice it was inside and what a brilliant drive it was. I guess i assumed that the diesel engine, especially the one in a 318, would be sluggish, noisy, unresponsive. But how wrong i was!
The interior is absolutely lovely. Plenty of room, nice driving position. As you would expect from an M BMW, the interior finish was just beautiful. The leather was soft, the trim immaculate. The M steering wheel, gear stick etc gave the car a really sporty feel, but also one of real quality.
Externally, the slightly more aggressive front spoiler and nice alloys enhanced the sporty quality of the car.
And performance? Amazing. In the past, i have owned an E46 330ci M Sport and and E46 M3. In their own rights, they are both superb cars, and each does a great job with its class. Obviously it's impossible to compare a 318d, a 330ci and an M3, because they are built to do very different things, the engines are very different and they each cost different amounts. But, i can honestly say that, based on what i was expecting, how much fun it was and how relatively cheap this car is compared to the 330ci and M3, this is the best BMW i have ever driven.
The performance was excellent. I expected the diesel engine to be noisy; it wasn't. Yes, it's noisier than it's petrol counterpart, but nothing like the diesels of old. I expected the diesel engine to be slow and sluggish; it wasn't. In fact, from a standing start, the car was really nimble. The acceleration is good - it doesn't feel slow at all. In 3rd-5th gear, it's a real pleasure to drive. I had worried about mid-range acceleration (for overtaking etc), but that was never a problem. Dropping a gear and putting your foot down give a really nice, confident acceleration, even from 60mph/100kph +, which again surprised me given that this is a diesel.
Through corners, the car felt sharp - you feel quite low down in this car and the balance is good so there's very little roll. The grip from the (18"?) tyres felt really assured so you could have a bit of fun, and the steering was, as always with BMW, pin point accurate. Similarly, the brakes were excellent, but then, this was a brand new car so i'd expect nothing less!
One final point to note was the fuel economy. My god, it's ridiculous!
I drove from Heathrow to my home (about 80 miles), drove around for 4 days (say another 60 miles) and then back to Heathrow (80 miles). When i returned the car, i hadn't even used 1/4 of a tank. I think that with the right conditions, this could do 800 or even 1000 miles on a tank. Amazing efficiency.
I would like to drive a standard 318d to see how much of this excellent performance is down to Motorsport and the M modifications, and how much is already there. But at the end of the day, it doesn't matter. I can't say enough good things about the 318d M Sport.
Superb looks, beautiful interior, great handling, excellent fuel economy and a brilliant sporty 318d engine. If i lived in the UK, i would seriously consider buying one of these.
318d M Sport :///M:
I was recently back in the UK for a few days, and before i went i booked a 5-Series with Avis. They have an offer called "Series Select", which is a little more expensive than standard hire, but it enables you to specify an exact vehicle, rather that being given one that falls within a particular range i.e. "economy, "family" etc. So, i was quite excited at he prospect at having a 5 to run around in for a few days.
However, when i actually arrived at Avis in Heathrow, i was rather disappointingly told that the website needed updating, because in fact all the 5 Series cars had been sold :banghead:. I was pretty annoyed (not helped by the fact that i'd taken the 02.45am flight so by now hadn't slept for about 28 hours) and i refused the various Renaults, Fords, Vauxhalls etc that they tried to offer me instead :rofl2:
In the end, they offered me a 318d, which to be honest i wasn't particularly interested in. However, as i'd been there for about an hour, i went to take look. In fact, it was a 318d M Sport, not a standard 318d, and there was just 1km on the clock. This thing was literally brand new, just been delivered.
The exterior was silver, the interior black leather.
Though the below photos are not the actual car, they show the exact exterior and interior of the car i had:
(Note the car i had had leather interior)This car is superb. I couldn't believe how nice it was inside and what a brilliant drive it was. I guess i assumed that the diesel engine, especially the one in a 318, would be sluggish, noisy, unresponsive. But how wrong i was!
The interior is absolutely lovely. Plenty of room, nice driving position. As you would expect from an M BMW, the interior finish was just beautiful. The leather was soft, the trim immaculate. The M steering wheel, gear stick etc gave the car a really sporty feel, but also one of real quality.
Externally, the slightly more aggressive front spoiler and nice alloys enhanced the sporty quality of the car.
And performance? Amazing. In the past, i have owned an E46 330ci M Sport and and E46 M3. In their own rights, they are both superb cars, and each does a great job with its class. Obviously it's impossible to compare a 318d, a 330ci and an M3, because they are built to do very different things, the engines are very different and they each cost different amounts. But, i can honestly say that, based on what i was expecting, how much fun it was and how relatively cheap this car is compared to the 330ci and M3, this is the best BMW i have ever driven.
The performance was excellent. I expected the diesel engine to be noisy; it wasn't. Yes, it's noisier than it's petrol counterpart, but nothing like the diesels of old. I expected the diesel engine to be slow and sluggish; it wasn't. In fact, from a standing start, the car was really nimble. The acceleration is good - it doesn't feel slow at all. In 3rd-5th gear, it's a real pleasure to drive. I had worried about mid-range acceleration (for overtaking etc), but that was never a problem. Dropping a gear and putting your foot down give a really nice, confident acceleration, even from 60mph/100kph +, which again surprised me given that this is a diesel.
Through corners, the car felt sharp - you feel quite low down in this car and the balance is good so there's very little roll. The grip from the (18"?) tyres felt really assured so you could have a bit of fun, and the steering was, as always with BMW, pin point accurate. Similarly, the brakes were excellent, but then, this was a brand new car so i'd expect nothing less!
One final point to note was the fuel economy. My god, it's ridiculous!
I drove from Heathrow to my home (about 80 miles), drove around for 4 days (say another 60 miles) and then back to Heathrow (80 miles). When i returned the car, i hadn't even used 1/4 of a tank. I think that with the right conditions, this could do 800 or even 1000 miles on a tank. Amazing efficiency.I would like to drive a standard 318d to see how much of this excellent performance is down to Motorsport and the M modifications, and how much is already there. But at the end of the day, it doesn't matter. I can't say enough good things about the 318d M Sport.
Superb looks, beautiful interior, great handling, excellent fuel economy and a brilliant sporty 318d engine. If i lived in the UK, i would seriously consider buying one of these.
318d M Sport :///M:
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