Big brothers are a very handy resource to be able to call on during your first days at school. Arising tear stained from the playground tarmac, trouser knees and dignity in tatters, a wobbly-lipped cry of 'I'm gonna get my big brother' can be a last and even sometimes effective resource.

Now, last month, we had a bit of a schoolyard scrap where the then-newcomer in the form of an Audi A4 2.0 usurped the BMW 318i. It wasn't a huge, nose-bloodying bullying session, but the cheaper, more powerful and more fun to drive A4 beat the BMW square and fair. That was a bit of a shock for a car that has become very used to having things all its own way in the class.

So here comes big brother, the next 3-Series up the family line, the 320i SE. The family resemblance is very clear indeed; in fact, with that face and athletic body, the 318i and the 320i might be twins rather than brothers. However, look a bit closer and you might notice that our 320i has pitched up with metallic paint and seven-spoke 8Jx17 alloy wheels. They are nice touches, even if together they do add £935 to the car's £22,370 price tag. On top of that, our car also gets sports suspension for just £310, I mean, come on, that's not bad value; some kids have trainers that cost more these days.

The appeal of big brothers is that they are always capable of packing a bigger punch, or at least that's how the theory is supposed to go. Under the bonnet the 320i gets a six-cylinder engine, unlike the four-cylinder found in the 318i. The 320i engine has the benefit of being almost 2.2 litres in size with 2171cc, and it knocks out a handy 170bhp and 155lb ft of torque. It is, needless to say, faster than the smaller 3-Series, with a 0-62mph time of 8.3 seconds as opposed to 10.5, but I'm afraid to say it still doesn't feel that quick. It certainly didn't feel like there was anywhere near 170bhp under the bonnet. I thought it was just me, so I got m'colleague Colin to have a blast one night and he came in the next morning to report a similar lack of urge and with grumbles about the steering.

Certainly the steering is very light. It's quite nice for tooling around town, but it does hack you off once you get out on a nice clear bit of road and it certainly doesn't complement the Sports suspension. That suspension makes the 320i a firm-riding car, but not an uncomfortable one.

While that six-cylinder powerplant doesn't offer big performance, it does get full marks for refinement. This is one very civilised car to live with. Once the central-locking button has been pushed, you really can sit back and relax. There are few cars around which can offer a finer interior or better seats, which in the case of our car came covered in leather for an extra £1,200. A further £250 spent on a six-disc CD changer and yet another £650 on a Harmann Kardon stereo system produced excellent sound quality.

If I was given this car to live with every day, I wouldn't howl with disappointment, no-one in their right mind would. But neither would I get terribly excited about it. BMWs normally hit the mark as fine driver's cars, but not this one. Time to yell for an even bigger brother like the 325i. That packs a proper punch.

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