5 minute read
BMW 330e
Real drivers love the BMW 3 Series ... but will they still love it with an electric battery added to the payload? Andrew Walker thinks so
330e gives drivers an electric edge
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Fleets love BMW 3s... they are always top sellers, and fleet managers and company car buyers make up a large percentage of 3 Series customers. But with the switch to electric motoring, the question was always whether BMW could retain that driver appeal while pulling the extra 200kg you get from a plug-in hybrid engine.
Still good to drive? Read on to find out.
Those who often make short journeys and can charge their car at work, at home, or both, are the customers who will really benefit from choosing the 330e. High mileage is still better taken in a 320d or 330i. The previous 330e only had a real-world electric range of 25 miles, while the latest version significantly increases this to 41 miles. BMW has also cunningly priced the 330e to appeal too, with the range costing from £37,875, rising to £39,980 for the range-topping M Sport, just a few hundred pounds more than the 330i, although the 320d is cheaper.
Having said that, company car drivers won’t care about the gross cost, just the Benefit in
Kind and this is where the 330e shines, with a rate of just 16% compared with the 320d’s 30-32%. Who doesn’t want money in their pocket? But despite the financial logic, existing 3 drivers may worry that the 330e doesn’t drive like a 3 Series. So let’s put that one to bed.
The 330e is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine in combination with an electric motor, both of which send power to the rear axle. The engine delivers 182bhp, with the electric motor adding an extra 67bhp for a total output of 249bhp. To add to the fun, the 330e comes with a new
XtraBoost mode, accessed when the 330e is in
Sport mode. This allows the electric motor to run in overdrive for short periods, taking the total power up to 289bhp and 420Nm.
The 330e offers the driver various driving modes to make use of the hybrid, electric-only and Sport functions. To further the efficiency of the car during real world use, BMW has added Intelligent Deceleration with Adaptive Recuperation. This tells the car whether to coast or to use regenerative braking to put power back into the battery pack. And there’s a Battery Control Mode to keep the battery charged at a selected level so that power can be saved for later. Have a full charge but about to embark on a motorway trip? Then save the power and use it next time you’re driving around town.
We only had a short time in the 330e but on a series of winding roads in pouring rain it felt both poised and purposeful. It helps that it uses an eight-speed automatic gear box and that it’s rear-wheel drive. In Sport mode, the torque of the electric motor is instantaneous and this makes for satisfyingly swift progress.
Don’t get me wrong, experienced drivers will get a feel for the 12kW battery under the rear
seats, especially in tight turns. But the extra weight doesn’t stop the 330e from being fun to drive, far from it.
We don’t always drive quickly, though. When you’re driving more slowly in town or in traffic, the 2.0-litre engine shuts out, allowing the car to operate on electric power alone. In theory, if your commute is under 40 miles you should be able to get to work using electric power only. However, we would surmise that 35 miles is a more likely range. More good news is that if you use the motorway on your commute, the new top-speed on the battery powered motor is an improved 68mph. Again, be warned: drive in electric power at this kind of speed and the 35 mile range will evaporate in front of your eyes.
As with the rest of the 3 Series range the 330e is larger than its predecessor: 85 millimetres longer (at 4,709mm), 16 millimetres wider (1,827mm) and just 1 mm taller (1,442 millimetres) than the Series 6. The wheelbase has also grown by 41mm, with the result of increasing leg room in the rear. The car’s front and rear tracks have also been widened, which in turn improve the ride and handling. More legroom also helps to increase headroom, which is better than in either the C Class or the A4.
Undoubtedly one of the best improvements over the previous model on the new 3 Series is the interior. Gone is the slightly Bavarian drabness of previous incarnations, replaced by a far more attractive and user-friendly layout. Higher quality materials have really improved the finish., and both the look and feel is more aesthetically pleasing and top notch.
Negatives? Inevitably the battery reduces rear boot space, from 480 litres to 375 litres, so that’s a quibble, and the 330e runs on low rolling resistance tyres, which in our experience don’t offer the same grip as normal tyres and are apt to need replacing. In addition, the regenerative brakes, designed to recoup energy, don’t feel as responsive as the standard 3 Series set-up. Brake hard and the car shudders more to a halt than in the 320d and the brake pedal takes a little bit of getting used to. But that is about it.
Hopefully, if you test one you’ll draw the same conclusions we have. The 330e is pretty damn good. Perhaps not quite as good to drive as the 320d or 330i but it’s surprisingly close. Close enough, we believe, that most won’t be put off, especially with a 41-mile electric only range, 16% BIK, fuel economy of up to 138mpg and CO2 emissions of only 39g/km.
CC&V VERDICT
The 330e is the best plug-in hybrid BMW has produced and is arguably the best executive plug-in, full stop.
