BMW 3 Series: 2019 carsales Car of the Year

The BMW 3 Series is the carsales Car of the Year for 2019.

But not one of the judges who arrived to decide the 2019 carsales Car of the Year presented by Shell V-Power expected the BMW 3 Series to win at the outset.

Sure, all 12 judges rated the BMW 330i sedan highly, with the potential for a podium place, but nobody expected it to romp home by a clear margin at the head of the 28-car field of finalists.

Yet, a week later, the new 3 Series completed a comprehensive victory in the biggest prize in Australian motoring.

The seventh-generation BMW 3 Series saw off two highly commended runners-up, trumped the technology in the Tesla Model 3, the value in the Kia Seltos, the class of the Volvo S60 and the practicality of a wide and varied line-up of SUVs that accounted for much of the 2019 field.

Indeed, despite a variety of predictions and expectations, it was the BMW 3 Series that ticked the boxes for everything from quality and comfort to driving enjoyment, resale value and running costs. It could not be beaten in the class of 2019.

“It’s the strongest consensus we’ve had in the history of carsales COTY,” chief judge Marton Pettendy said as he tallied the final votes.

“The 3 Series is a level above the rest.”

After a week of drive loops, comparisons, prodding and probing, the final result was close to unanimous -- a rare outcome from a large and varied judging panel with more than 240 years of combined experience in motoring journalism.

“The 3 Series is back to where it should be,” said Tim Britten, the quietly-spoken veteran of the judging panel.

“I love this thing,” stated Alexandra Lawrence, the newest and youngest member of the carsales judging crew.

The result is a tribute to the BMW comeback plan which has produced a car that returns to the core values that made the 3 Series a winner from its original arrival almost 45 years ago. Since then almost 16 million examples have found homes across the globe.

As such, this G20 BMW 3 Series is much more than a rework or upgrade, and follows two generations and close to 10 years of under-performing cars that were eclipsed on the road and in showrooms by cars from BMW’s arch-rival, Mercedes-Benz.

BMW once dominated the entry point for prestige motoring in Australia and around the world, but it took its foot off the gas at the same time as Mercedes-Benz shifted into top gear with its C Class.

For 2019, BMW knew it was time to hit back and the all-new 3 Series has a different look, more class and quality, impressive ride and handling, sweetly refined four-cylinder turbo engines and that all-important X-factor.

All this returns the BMW 3 Series to the pivot point of the German brand and justifies (once again) the Ultimate Driving Machine tagline.