BMW 3 Series takes 22nd Consecutive Car and Driver 10Best Award

The sixth-generation BMW 3 Series is once again a part of Car and Driver’s 10Best Cars list for 2013. It is the 22nd consecutive time that the 3Series made it to this 10Best list and no other vehicle has been able to achieve an unbroken string of wins.

Car and Driver said: ” Regular readers of this publication may have felt inklings or heard the notion that we have a certain fondness for the 3-series, as we’ve lofted it to this list now for 22 years in a row. This being a transition year for the model, the F30 sedan stands alone as the winner, without support from the rest of the lineup. Recent comparison and road tests suggest that we haven’t gone ga-ga for the F30 as we did its predecessors, but it nevertheless delivers one of the best overall packages on the market. Two turbocharged engines offer improved fuel economy while the inline-six in the 335i maintains nearly undetectable NVH levels. The body and interior may have grown slightly, but that imposes little or no weight penalty. Front seats are comfortable and supportive, and the back seat is adult friendly. There’s virtually no performance gap between the six-speed manual and the eight-speed automatic. With five equipment lines to choose from (base, Modern, Luxury, Sport, and M Sport), the 3’s appeal has expanded to reach a larger audience without breaking its grip on the sports-sedan segment. Many would-be challengers have benchmarked this winning formula, and some even match or beat it in one way or another, but they all fall short of the gestalt. The F30 is just getting started, too—a hotly anticipated M3 version slides into view next year. ”

“To receive this honor for 22 years straight shows how consistently the BMW 3 Series has delivered on the promise of The Ultimate Driving Machine,” said Ludwig Willisch, President and CEO of BMW of North America, LLC. “The 3 Series has been named to Car and Driver 10Best Cars through three complete generations and has now continued its streak into a fourth generation. We are committed to producing cars worthy of this sort of recognition.”

Source: Car and Driver