3 SERIES TOURING

There are more affordable family estate cars than the 3 Series Touring, and many have more room for luggage. However, if we could pick up the keys to any of these six to drive home, it would be the BMW.

It’s a superb car to drive, with brilliantly balanced handling and strong performance from a range of powerful but frugal engines. The 3 Series is at its best with adaptive damping, which allows the driver to tune the suspension for greater comfort or sharper responses. A pricey upgrade, but worth considering.

Most of the range is rear-wheel drive, but the xdrive 4x4s are our favourites for towing. As well as putting their power to the road more cleanly when the surface is wet and slippery, they’re also slightly heavier than two-wheel-drive models.

Buyers have the choice of petrol, petrol-electric and diesel. Although we’re very tempted by the 330e hybrid (and would choose it for its low tax bills if we were a company car driver), the 320d xdrive Touring would be the model we’d spend our own money on.

Towing ability

When we tested the car it narrowly missed out on a five-star overall verdict, but scored the maximum five out of five for its towing ability. With 295lb ft of torque, the 320d quickly towed a 1375kg caravan up to speed, feeling secure at 60mph on motorways. The BMW proved economical as well as quick and stable, returning 32.3mpg while towing.

The 500-litre boot is similar in size to those of the Audi A4 Avant or Mercedes-benz C-class, but if ultimate space is your priority, the likes of Škoda and Volkswagen offer bigger estate cars for less.