Like its little brother the 1-series, BMW’s 3-series has grabbed a sector victory in 2014, and in doing so reinforces it position in a category in which it is looking increasingly dominant.
The 3-series has now owned the upper medium class of the BusinessCar Awards since the Audi A4 won it in 2009, so this year makes it five victories in a row for the car seen by many drivers as the ultimate reward in the company car park.
The latest generation of 3-series, our 2013 Business Car of the Year, didn’t move the game on in terms of an ultimate low-emissions figure, matching the predecessor’s 109g/km for the Efficient Dynamics model, but it makes that figure more accessible with an automatic version also at 109g/km and a 3-series Touring at 112g/km.
Like the 1-series, BMW has introduced a Business trim version of the 320d ED, offering a range of equipment as standard including navigation, heated front seats and Bluetooth.
Also like the 1-series, the coupe and convertibles of the 3-series are now being spun-off, and are now marketed as their own 4-series range of models.