What's white, weaves about and follows old men in cardigans? These playground conundrums are the stuff of cheap joke books yet can sometimes be quite ambiguous. For example, if I were to ask you what is blown, has 24 valves and is highly polished, you could perhaps say the trumpet section in a big band.
On the other hand, if you've bothered to read the title of this piece you will have guessed that I am referring to the BMW 330d, with its turbo-charged in-line six. Moreover in M Sport trim, the 330d, as tested, is highly polished in more ways than one: part of the M Sport treatment is high-gloss shadow-line exterior trim, along with many other enhancements that I shall get to in due course.
But even if you opt for one of the regular 330ds - sans M – the performance will remain equally polished thanks to the most powerful diesel engine ever to appear in a 3 Series. The 330 bit is a slight misnomer, given that the actual swept volume is 2993 cc, making 300d a more accurate moniker. But semantics aside, the 330d is thoroughly entitled to its inflated numeric: the output of the larger-than-life engine justifies a few extra noughts, let alone a modest 10 per cent hike.
Full review here