I road tested the 325d M Sport Saloon earlier in the year, gave it a superb review and as far as I was concerned it ticked every conceivable box. The 330D M Sport is however, the most exciting and dynamic variant of the 330d. The ‘M’ moniker means that it has been ‘breathed upon’ by Motorsport, BMW’s in-house tuning company.

The test car was finished in ‘Le Mans’ blue paint. I really like this colour - it is strong enough to compliment the powerful styling of the current 3 series saloons. The ‘M’ car has additional sports styling which accentuates the Chris Bangle design. The interior included stitched leather sports seats and brushed aluminium trim. Several subtle ‘M’ badges adorned various points in the cabin. An awesome 231 bhp is supplied by a turbocharged 3-litre 24-valve straight six unit, usually paired with a 6-speed manual as standard, however the supplied car was equipped with the optional 6-speed auto/tiptronic ‘box.

A reasonably low starting price (£32,870 OTR) will sit easily with a lot of consumers, corporate or private - this is a decent level of power, refinement and image for the money. Resale value, as expected with the BMW range is expected to remain good; the used market is driven by a high demand and value retention is among the highest in the entire world vehicle market.

The 330d M Sport represents the achievement of fine balances. The balances between, cost and value; performance and economy as well as that of practicality and beauty have all been attained with spectacular accuracy.