Great was the excitement and intense the anticipation around these parts when it was announced that a BMW 330d, one of the most splendid turbo diesels currently available, would shortly be appearing in the office car park. Except that it didn't. That car dropped out of contention at the last minute, so BMW sent along the petrol-engined equivalent instead.Still, a powerful 3-Series is always worth investigating. There is just something about BMWs which makes a visit to the home-made gallows slightly less appealing than normal. The looks, the style (not quite the same as the looks, but of course closely related), the sound, the quality, the feeling that this is a car designed to be driven rather than just for transport: all these are almost by definition included in the 330 package.Odd, then, that it took me a little while to get enthusiastic about driving the thing. A lot of road noise intrudes into the cabin, while the front end feels as though someone had dropped a very heavy engine into it - a diesel, for ironic example - and not bothered to adjust the suspension to suit. The result is that this is a fussy, slightly uncomfortable car to drive at low speeds.It ought to be a lot more impressive out of town, when the roads are open and clear, and certainly it was better in that environment, though still not the memorable experience I'd been hoping for.What was going on? It took a few days before the answer became clear. If you're really serious about driving you'll know that how the car settles into a corner is extremely important to the way it behaves through that corner. With lots of weight up front and damping that seems a notch too soft to cope with it, the 330 seemed to give a clear enough signal. Turn in, flump goes the front end, and now we're ready to go.Except that it wasn't. And the reason it wasn't is that the rear of the car doesn't start getting ready for the corner until the front end has finished doing so. You can hardly feel this at all, but if you wait maybe half a second for it to happen, the chassis suddenly comes alive. Driving becomes a treat rather than a chore.It seems very odd that a car presumably designed with fine handling as one of its principal objectives is so unbalanced. With a stiffer front or - perhaps preferably - a softer rear, the BMW would feel like a single unit, rather than two halves of two quite different cars. Or perhaps BMW wants the driver to have to work harder than normal in order to enjoy the eventual experience more fully?Introducing some compliance to the back end would certainly help to eradicate the tail-happiness that has been a notorious feature of the 3-Series for at least the last two generations (I can't speak for the pre-1982 version, not having driven one, but I bet it's the same).The test car did not actually try to go sideways everywhere, but the fact that the traction control warning light started flashing at even the mildest provocation - including putting one wheel over a damp manhole cover while driving in a dead straight line - suggests that it would be doing so all the time if you were unwise enough to switch off your electronic guardian.It's gone now, and I can't pretend I don't miss having a 3-Series parked outside the house. They do provide a feel-good factor which registers very high on the James Brown scale. And the 330i in particular has enough performance to make you wonder why anyone bothers spending so much extra on an M3. But it's a flawed car, and by no means my first choice among the range. I still wish we could have got our hands on the turbo diesel instead.Second opinion: Well, this is a bit odd. I had the 330i Sport down as a thoroughbred, from the action of the exterior door handles, and the etched fascia and door trim with its hexagonal pattern like one of those "which way is the box facing?" optical illusions of my youth, to the superb engine with no less than 38bhp more from a capacity just 200cc higher than the previous 2.8. At my own speeds, I thought the handling balance was fine at keeping pace with the driver's intentions, and far better than you could get with a front-wheel drive layout. I didn't like the twin-lens door mirrors, the low-profile tyres or the way they and the firmer Sport suspension dealt with road surface imperfections. Given the choice I'd rather have the all-round "softer" SE specification. But the 330i is a beautifully built, comprehensively equipped, really high-performance saloon. Just listen to that engine rev! And this is a car with its sporting heart in the right place - not a cupholder to be seen. Ross Finlay. Engine 2979cc, 6cylinders Power 231bhp @5900rpm Torque ib/ft @3500rpm Transmission 5 speed manual Fuel/CO2 31mpg / 218g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 6.5sec Top speed 155mph Price From £28181.00 approx Release date 01/06/2000
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