JOHN MURDOCH'S DRIVE TIME: We road test the BMW 330e plug-in hybrid model and bid farewell to the MINI Clubman

dailyrecord.co.uk:

In this instalment of John Murdoch's Drive Time, John casts his expert eye over t he BMW 330e plug-in hybrid model and the sad end of the MINI Clubman.

The 3-Series is BMW's most successful model and over its 45-year history it has clocked millions of sales all over the world - and improved with every new model.That isn't surprising because it offers class-leading technology in a stylish package combined with a sporting drive.The Lanarkshire Live app is available to download now.

Get all the news from your area – as well as features, entertainment, sport and the latest on Lanarkshire’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic – straight to your fingertips, 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories, and allows you to customise your page to the sections that matter most to you.Head to the App Store and never miss a beat in Lanarkshire - iOS - Android It comes with a choice of petrol and diesel engines, two or four-wheel-drive and in Saloon or Touring (estate) body styles as well as high performance M versions.I recently spent some time with the Touring model in the 330e M Sport guise, which has a 2.0-litre petrol engine combined with plug-in hybrid tech which enables the car to travel about 32 miles on electric only power.This means huge tax savings for company car drivers even although many of them will not bother with the plug-in feature.The combination delivers 292bhp and can tackle the sprint to 62mph in just 5.8 seconds before going on to 143 mph if you can find anywhere to do that legally.It can return more than 37mpg on average and costs £43,515 before you start ticking the option boxes.