[RichardJS]

I've had my F30 330d from new for nearly 6 years now so thinking about changing. Thinking about a 320d as realised although the 330d performance is nice I only really use it's full performance for a few seconds a month so doesn't represent good value for money!

I took a 320d M Sport with passive suspension, technical pack and 19" wheels with P Zeros (I think non-runflat) for an extended test drive on a mixture of town, motorway, fast A road and a challenging moorland lane.

First impressions were good - looked nice in dark grey and the interior is a big step up from mine - fine felt definitely cheap and scruffy when I got back in! Not sure about the digital instruments though - not clear to read, especially the tacho, and information scattered all over the place. What's wrong with round dials with a needle?! There's a lot of information available though. HUD was good - I found it really annoying at first but then realised I was relying on it after a while. Seats are comfortable.

The engine was quiet (almost inadible at idle - much quieter than my 6 cylinder!) and perfectly smooth. It revved happily too, feeling and sounding like the engine from my previous 123d. Performance was adequate and was faster than it felt. BUT, a big problem for me was a poor throttle response - a noticeable pause even at higher revs in Sport mode in manual. Much more so than my previous diesel BMWs. I can't help wondering if there was something wrong with this particular car or is this the sacrifice you make for economy. Although speaking of economy it did 43.5mpg according to the trip computer so not great.

Steering was very similar to my current car - but mine does have what was then the optional variable sport steering. So pretty lifeless.

The ride was odd. Over things like sunken manhole covers it was more absorbent than mine is in Comfort (mine has the adaptive suspension). BUT, on the motorway and A roads there was a constant jiggling that was irritating and to me would be a show stopper. Also, sudden short dips and crests at speed on country roads caused a violent motion that I don't get in mine even in the stiffer Sport setting. I wonder if this was caused by the 19"wheels and if 18" wheels (like my current car) would fix the problem. I had an F30 320d M Sport on 19" wheels for a few weeks while mine was in for the EGR cooler and it had the same jiggly unsettled ride - actually worse than the G20.

Despite the issue with the suspension, when I drove 'briskly' down a small road across some moors, which I know well, with a nice mix of fast open parts and some very twisty and bumpy sections, I was very impressed by the handling. My 330d, even in sport setting, feels a bit out of its depth and 'loose' when really pushing down this road - but the G20 felt much more composed. It even felt fine over a very undulating section taken fast. Another plus is that the driver aids don't intervene as soon as on mine - the tail came around very niceley with power on a couple of tight bends in the wet with everything still fully engaged. I have to activate DTC by being in Sport+ or with the button to do this in mine.

Talking of driver aids, the lane keeping assist was still set for the steering to intervene, which was very disconcerting if not dangerous, especially when taking sensible lines through well sighted bends.

So, all in all, a nice car except for the poor throttle response and jiggly ride.

Has anybody else experienced a poor throttle response on a new 320d?

And can anyone with 18" wheels on passive M Sport suspension comment on whether the ride is less jiggly and more settled?

And can anyone comment on what the standard suspension (on SE and Sport) like? The chance of finding an SE or Sport for a test drive is I think rather small!