Even so, I feel pretty chipper. But I’m struck cold to the core when the very nice people at BMW hand me the keys to a new 320d M Sport. I can barely utter the phrase, ‘Surely some mistake ...

However, the 2019 BMW 320d M Sport presents such a compelling package on paper, we thought we’d better take a closer look. What’s the initial appeal? Well, it’s almost as quick as the 330i ...