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    318d M Sport

    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:







    (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:
    theeldestboy

    Silver 2005 E46 M3 Convertible
    Alpine White 2004 E46 M3 Coupe
    Topaz Blue 2002 M-Spec 330ci Sport Convertible
    Blue 1998 318ti M-Spec Compact Sport

    #2
    Diesel has come a long way...I drove a Cummins Dodge Ram for a few months in the US, the full tank range was 900 miles, and it would pull an avg of 700 miles. I love diesel engines, but they don't work well in our weather nor with our diesel quality. A few years back Audi sent their V10 diesel engines to test for Middle East conditions, they went bust in TWO DAYS :) Diesel quality was barely fit for European tractors.

    Comment


      #3
      i always enjoyed your reviews. keem em up


      i didn't have a good experience with Avis this year. i was expecting some decency and etiquette with their staff but on the contrary they were given a lesson in manners and how to respect customers.

      glad that the 318d was a joy.

      Comment


        #4
        Sure the experience of driving a 318d M sport was great and amazing, cuz I hired a Ford Focus diesel back in UK, for me that was the best car Ive driven, probably better than some BMWs, but then i realised its not the car that gives me the good feeling, its the weather and weather plays an important role to make the worst cars feel like the best..

        On the other hand, lets bring this 318d M and Ford Focus (both diesel) to drive here in UAE, trust me the opinions about these cars will differ in no time, cuz in ME these cars wont perform as good as they do in Europe's weather..

        P.S: Mind me asking, how much did you hire the 318 for ? Im asking cuz I might hire it when im there too..

        Thx for sharing your experience

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by SSense View Post
          P.S: Mind me asking, how much did you hire the 318 for ? Im asking cuz I might hire it when im there too..
          ssense, my original booking was 4 days with a 5 series, and as i recall the cost was around 350GBP. In the event, they gave me the 318d and they gave me around 40GPB back and said i could have the tank of diesel for free. When you go to the AVIS website and enter the details of your booking, when the various quotes apear you should see a tab for "Select Series", which will show the prices for the selection at that particular AVSI office. At Heathrow, they had a lot of nice Merc's too (am i allowed to say that?!?!).

          http://www.avis.co.uk/VehiclesAndServices/Select-Series

          Bruno, i echo your comments about AVIS staff. I had to fight go get them to agree to give me the 318d, and initially they didn't want to refund me any of the money. I booked the 5 series about 3 months in advance of the actual hire date, but when i got to the office, they basically laughed it off and said it wasn't their fault and couldn't understand my anger. They offered me a Megane or something and couldn't understand why i wouldn't take it...i stood there stubbornly insisting that i would only accept the Merc SL they had sat in the car park! Still, having said all that, their prices are pretty good and their cars are new and clean. I definitely think it's worth the extra couple of hundred dirhams per day to hire a nice car than some awful hatch-back.

          I didn't realise that the diesels wouldn't perform well here. I guess that's because of the heat and harsh conditions...but what exactly happens to make them fail so badly?

          Phil
          theeldestboy

          Silver 2005 E46 M3 Convertible
          Alpine White 2004 E46 M3 Coupe
          Topaz Blue 2002 M-Spec 330ci Sport Convertible
          Blue 1998 318ti M-Spec Compact Sport

          Comment


            #6
            Thanks for sharing the info Phil, will sure give AVIS a try ;)

            Comment

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