I didn’t have a great deal to say about the 330d last month because I didn’t use it much. Due to the M3’s exhaust being rather too vocal for most of this month the 330d has seen a fair bit of use, but I’m afraid there’s still not much to say that I’ve not said in the past: it’s just a really good all-rounder.

The diesel revolution continues, and more and more former petrol-heads now seem willing to sip from the black pump. Recently a couple of friends have acquired a 335d each; one owner from an E46 M3, the other from an E39 M5. Both are of course extremely enthusiastic about their new steeds, boasting of the crushing torque and usable power that combines magically with economy.

However, there is a crack in the dream. It’s the same crack that made me long for the E30 M3. The 330d delivers, perfectly, all day every day. It eats miles effortlessly, it can be fast and corners as if on rails – a brilliant companion, and yet there are times when it’s just not enough. And though the 335d appears to be even better than my E46 330d, it still fundamentally lacks a certain something that we drivers crave.

Quite why it’s not completely satisfying is up for debate. Certainly I imagine the lack of any clutch and H gate must be quite distressing in the 335d, and an LSD would certainly be an improvement, but what I feel it really needs is another three thousand rpm and a howl to match. On paper these diesels are superb, but there’s no sense of occasion, no sensation that it’s trying or more importantly, that the driver is masterfully jockeying it to victory.

So sometimes I feel it lets me down. Certainly, pulling out of a junction swiftly in the wet is always tricky and embarrassing; either nanny cuts all power or, should I have been so brazen as to switch Her off, the inside wheel spins up. The LSD equipped M3, of course, behaves in a more feral style.

But I’m picking hairs really. After a long day, when I just want to get home, the 330d is the place to be. It’s reliable, comfortable, socially acceptable, frugal and smart. It’s the intelligent, pretty wife who puts the kids to bed and has a meal on the table. In fact, it’s better than that: it doesn’t even mind me spending time under the filthy mistress at weekends.

E46 330d Sport Touring
Year: 2002
Mileage This Month: 616
Total Mileage: 98,475
MPG this month: 39
Cost this month: £0