In these days where CO2 outputs are all, automatic gearboxes have taken a backseat because, traditionally, they’re less efficient than manual ones.
However, BMW has now added an auto to the fleet favourite 318d for the first time with a minimal hit to the CO2 tax banding.
For an additional £1460 over the manual, the auto 318d comes in at 52.4ppm according to KwikCarCost and jumps just one BIK tax band to 19%. The only other penalties are a 0-62mph time that’s up a tiny 0.1 seconds to 9.4secs and a mpg figure that drops from 60.1 in the manual to 52.3 in the auto.
These figures are better than the car’s chief rival, the Audi A4, meaning that in the important cost-related areas the BMW’s a clear winner.
In driving terms, the auto is old-school super smooth, which is just what you want, and has a +/- selection mode for those after a little bit more control over gearing without having a clutch pedal.
All this combines to make the 318d the smartest choice against its rivals.
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