BMW 320d Efficient Dynamics
Price £28,080
MPG 68.9
Top speed 143mph
Fun Fred, the ebullient old fellow who lives a couple of doors up from me, is delighted. In fact, he's "Absolutely frigging beyond delighted!" He's just heard he's been successful in becoming one of the 70,000 volunteers – "game makers" – for this summer's Olympics. "And it's a good gig," he goes on, jabbering with excitement. "I'm going to be one of the drivers, you know, chauffeuring athletes about. Can't imagine how I got through. Can't work a satnav – and I'm rubbish at sport…" I begin to worry that Fred may think he's actually been selected for the Games. He babbles on and on. If I was an athlete sitting in the back of his car, being pummelled by his good cheer, when all I wanted to do was get in the zone or whatever, I think I'd lose it. I'd unravel.
Whether Fred is driving you or not, you will at least be able to depend on the car. BMW is the official automotive partner to London 2012 and is providing a fleet of 4,000 vehicles for use during both the Olympics and Paralympics.
If it strikes you as unpatriotic that a German manufacturer is providing the vehicle support for the Games, remember that BMW owns the keys to both Mini and Rolls-Royce, two cornerstones of the UK motoring empire and both about as British as, well, the royal family. BMW also supports directly and indirectly about 46,000 jobs in this country, so as far as the Games go, they're one of us.
All the BMWs doing the business this summer will be super-efficient diesels, hybrids and electrics. Locog, the 2012 organising committee, set a fearsome benchmark for emissions and fuel consumption for its vehicles – a sort of qualifying performance for cars – of 120g/km and 62.4mpg in official tests. BMW didn't just qualify, it posted a record-setting fleet average of 116g/km and 64.5mpg – figures almost unthinkable for most premium manufacturers.
Fred could have ended up chauffeuring a Mini Countryman, a magisterial 520d or, confusingly, a Citroën C8 in full BMW livery (the German marque doesn't make people carriers so it had to add a French ringer to its Olympic team). In fact, Fred will be at the wheel of the new 320d with Efficient Dynamics.
As you may have guessed, this is the fastidiously clean smaller sister of the 520d – which is itself no slacker. But in the dirty world of performance doping, the 320d is a beacon of Corinthian wholesomeness. It'll knock out almost 70 miles to the gallon while sipping fuel as slowly as a camel with water-retention issues.
Agreed, it's not much of a looker. In fact, it borders on the plain – the only real departure from the outgoing model is that the front now boasts some friendlier-looking headlamps with "tear-duct" extensions linking to the classic kidney-shaped grille. But beneath that bland exterior you'll find a world-class runner boasting a remarkable package of fuel-saving innovations – from longer gearing to lowered suspension and low-rolling resistance tyres to improved aerodynamics – which means its lively four-cylinder, two-litre 180hp diesel will prove to be a real handful for both its industry competitors and – I suspect – for Fun Fred…
Don't try this at home
Rally car driver Tanner Foust and Hollywood stuntman Greg Tracy set a world record on 30 June by driving two Hot Wheels all-wheel-drive advance rally spec coupe cars through the 66ft tall Hot Wheels Double Loop Dare track at X Games LA. The track, two football fields long, was modelled on Mattel's Hot Wheels Double Dare Snare toy racetrack set. Foust and Tracy smashed the previous record for the largest loop in a car, set at 42ft in September 2011 by Chinese driver Li Yatao in a Lotus 5 Sportback in Shanghai. "The moment when it's go time, the heart rate slows down, the adrenaline goes away and it's a matter of letting it happen," Foust said. The drivers hit 52mph in the track and experienced approximately 7Gs going through the loop. "That was pretty hardcore: the 7Gs… I almost felt my chin hit my lap." Impressive stuff. To have a look at the stunt, go to hotwheelsmedia.com/i/videos/view/events/84
Top five driving test mistakes and how to avoid them
According to information released by the Department for Transport, there are several main reasons why learners fail their test. But don't panic. Here, Ian McIntosh, the CEO of Red Driving School discusses the most common mistakes people make and how you might avoid them:
Junctions – observations A key part of your junction routine is LOOK-ASSESS-DECIDE-ACT. Give yourself time to look and get into the best place to look. You may have heard your driving instructor refer to it as "effective observation", this means not just looking, but actually seeing what's there, working out what it's doing, making the right decisions and then taking the correct action.
Mirrors – change direction If you are in the habit of just looking at the mirror and not through them for the information they give you, this leaves far too much to chance and increases the risk of crashing. The key steps of LOOK-ASSESS-DECIDE-ACT also apply to the way you use your mirrors. Make sure you can say to yourself: "I've checked the mirrors and it's safe to move."
Control – reverse left, reverse park Studies have shown that spatial awareness can be improved through practice, so to be confident have plenty of practice at getting the car to move slowly on flat roads, on uphill and downhill gradients and corners with varying degrees of sharpness. When turning into a side-road if you find the car didn't go where it should; either hitting the kerb or swinging out too wide, then this is a mistiming of the turning point and is often caused by being too close to the kerb on approach or not looking into the road when turning left or turning too late when turning right, again often because of not looking into the road.
Response to signs – traffic lights You should scan the road ahead and if the lights have been green for some time, expect them to change. Look for clues such as vehicles approaching or waiting in the side-roads. Most traffic lights have some kind of sensor that is triggered by vehicles approaching – this is similar to pedestrians pressing the button at a crossing. If you can see these clues, reduce your speed to give you more time to react if the lights do change. Don't mentally switch off when you come to a stop at the lights; this is just a pause in moving forward so stay alert. You need to continue gathering information, such as watching the other moving traffic slowing down or stopping because their lights have now changed. However, don't be tempted to go too early on red and amber - wait until the lights are green and it's safe to go.
And finally: Simply Bond
Simply Bond on Sunday 29 July at Beaulieu is a special one-off event connected to the Bond in Motion exhibition at the National Motor Museum. If you own a vehicle of the same make and model as one that has appeared in any of the Bond films, then bring it down to Beaulieu and let your car be the star for the day, from a glamorous Aston Martin, Lotus or Rolls-Royce, to a more everyday BMW, or Renault. To find out if your vehicle has appeared in a Bond film, visit beaulieuevents.co.uk and click on Simply Bond, where you will find a full list of eligible vehicles. Visitors can vote for their favourite vehicle on display, and the winning vehicle leading a cavalcade of 20 vehicles selected from all Simply Bond participants through the grounds of the National Motor Museum. You can also see the Bond in Motion exhibition, the largest showcase of Bond vehicles staged anywhere in the world, it brings together 50 genuine vehicles from the Bond films as part of the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the James Bond films. For more information, go to beaulieuevents.co.uk
Email Martin at martin.love@observer.co.uk or visit theguardian.com/profile/martinlove for all his reviews in one place
