cars

This is the Efficient Dynamics version of the 320, and while that sounds tediously Germanic, it's also deeply impressive. Consider this: 10 years ago a 320d managed 50mpg and 152g/km CO2, figures that impressed at the time and would still beat some rivals today. A decade on, this one manages 69mpg and 109g/km, making it the first PremiumExecMobile to duck below the magic threshold of 110g. In fact, this is the most efficient BMW ever.

So you might reasonably expect it to be dawdly and dull. Thankfully, you'd be wrong because the most excellent thing about the ED is that it drives like a regular 3. Essentially this is a lightly de-tuned 320d with 163bhp - 20 less than the standard engine - though torque remains the same at a pleasingly twisty 280lb ft.

How has BMW done it? It's complicated, but basically through many and varied subtle bits of engineering. The most fantastic of which is a Centrifugal Pendulum Vibration Absorber that allows you to pootle around in a high gear at, say, 900rpm, without the engine juddering like a tumble-dryer on full chat. So you can use fewer revs and therefore consume less fuel. This pendulous magic helps the ED feel more refined than the engine on which it's based, and most other 2.0 litre-ish diesels currently on sale.