THE sixth generation BMW 3 Series is a car that needs little in the way of introduction; writes Jonathan Crouch.

Launched in 2012, it’s since been recognised as a benchmark in the compact executive car sector and whether you opt for the four-door saloon or the five-door GT hatches or Touring estates, there’s plenty of talent spread through the range. Buying used should be a fairly trouble-free experience.

There’s stacks of used stock out there and with a bit of careful trawling, you ought to be able to turn up a car in the right spec, condition and colour.

What You Get Here’s a car that looks better in the metal than it does in pictures - really good in fact.

Sit this sixth generation model next to its predecessor and it looks lower and more aggressive - longer too, by 93mm.

The cabin seems quite minimalist at first, with many of the minor functions being marshalled by the iDrive controller, but there are still plenty of buttons scattered around the dash.

The back seat always used to be the 3 Series weak spot, especially so when it was trying to take business away from huge mainstream medium range models like Ford’s Mondeo.

Just as well then, that this car offers noticeably more space in the rear. Pop the boot and you’ll find 480-litres of fresh air.

What To Look For According to a survey of the 50 largest contract hire and leasing companies, BMW produces the most reliable company car in the UK, in the shape of the F30 3 Series.

Proving its reliability, the BMW 3 Series was also awarded the title ‘Used Car of the Year’ at the Car Dealer Used Car Awards 2013 and ‘Executive and Luxury Used Car of the Year’ at the What Car? Used Car awards 2013.

The F30 has been extremely reliable to date, although it’s clear that at launch, cost had been taken out of the car, even compared to its predecessor.

You only need to look at the cheaper boot hinges and deletion of front LED turn indicators to see this.

Also, make sure you’re actually buying an F30 rather than an E90 model as some E90s were held over as dealer specials and can carry very late plates as a result. An M3 needs a good look over to ensure that the suspension alignment is good, that there’s been no crash damage and that oil servicing has been performed on the button.

Overall This sixth generation ‘F30’ generation 3 Series is the first we can remember since the old third generation ‘E36’ version that generated a bit of grousing from journalists.

Rather than being too different, some complained that the F30 wasn’t different enough.

But look under the skin and it’s a huge leap forward, offering all wheel drive, a hybrid, a range of efficient all-turbocharged engines and some delicious driving tech.

It’s no longer the standout driver’s choice in its class but it offers a range of qualities that has seen sales march steadily upwards.

As a used buy, it looks a strong bet. The biggest slug of depreciation is over and even the cars introduced right at the start of the model run were excellent.