BMW 3 Series interior

Apple CarPlay preparation is also included as standard, although rather controversially this service is only available free of charge for the first year of ownership. Once that year is up, you’ll need to pay an annual subscription fee to continue being able to use it. BMW still refuses to acknowledge the significant portion of its customer base that use a smartphone powered by Google, with Android Auto remaining absent.

While the 3 Series may not feature quite the same level of glossy piano-black or textured metallic panelling as you’d find in a BMW 8 Series or a BMW X5, feeling short-changed in terms of both perceived and real quality seems an unlikely eventuality. This rings particularly true when you compare the 3 Series with its closest rivals: it’s simply leagues ahead of an Alfa Romeo Giulia, and only the Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Audi A4 offer comparably impressive material fit and finish. It’s a smart cabin, this, in both a visual and tactile sense.

The driving position is typically spot on. Our test car came equipped with the £1700 Premium Package, which introduces electronic adjustability and additional lumbar support to the already comfortable front sports seats. Thus equipped, the task of finding that Goldilocks-zone seating position between pedals and steering wheel is dispatched with a few prods of a switch.

As for space in the back, the trusty road test tape measure put typical rear leg room at 780mm. That’s still less than is offered by the C-Class, but the BMW trumps the Benz as far as head room is concerned. In any case, there’s more than enough space here to comfortably accommodate two taller adults – though squeezing three across the rear bench is an undertaking best reserved for shorter hops. A 480-litre boot is par for the course. Both the A4 and the C-Class offer the same amount, as does the previous F30 3 Series.