I had a 330e saloon as a company car and because of my very short commute I did 7,000 miles but only used 200 litres of fuel, obviously I did use more electricity but it was super cheap to run. I now have a 320d Touring, not a company car, and it’s almost perfect.
320d Tourer is what I run. Fantastic fuel economy. In the summer when fully warmed up going down the dual carriageway my car is hitting over 60mpg. But and it's a big but get the diesel fuel filter replaced and it will pay dividends.Can not believe for a 2015 car I pay £30 in road tax and have 190bhp and 295ib torque on tap.Never had an issue with it in the 6 years I've owned it.
Not entirely true: The hybrid system charge the battery everytime you brake and than helps acceleration afterwards. Some Hybrid petrol getting over 50MPG even if the battery is flat..just saying
I would really like to see BMW use the touring body on the i4 40. Now that would really tick the boxes. More space, decent range and no trips to the £120 fill station for your 440 miles. Ok, only 260 to 280 miles of range (guessing) but at £22 at home based on home rates then that would be low running costs for 4 to 5 years. OK, it will likely cost £63 to £65K But it would tick some boxes the i3X and i4 don't. But for companies and company car buyers it would be ideal.
I am very happy with my 320i Touring (with the "old" idrive 6.0 and the more "traditional" clocks) for all the reasons you describe in this video. Excellent drive feeling, very well made interior, good overall practicallity, general looks (especially from the back). 190 horsepower more than enough. And since it's not xdrive, you can get some rear wheel liveliness!
I think you've missed the absolute 'elephant-in-the-room' fault with this particular model, Nicola and that is, sadly, the type of users that end up running this car. Because of the Government's (admirable) push towards lowering transport CO2 levels, this car has become very competitive for Company Car BIK tax. That means that the type of users that will end up running these models are company car reps, slogging up and down the UK's motorway network, probably averaging (speaking from personal experience) maybe 600-750 miles per week...? Even if the 330e is charged up religiously every night - highly unlikely, especially if, like I used to, the driver is spending days away from home in hotels etc - yes, the first 25 or so miles might be on clean electricity, but the remaining 100+ or so miles per day is then just driving a 200kg heavier petrol ICE car. Over such daily mileages, the 330e actually pumps out MORE toxic CO2 and drinks MORE gallons of fuel than the equivalent 320d model. So much for the Government's (admirable) push towards lowering transport CO2 levels, eh...! As with how the push towards running diesel-engined rep-mobiles in the 90s has come back to bite the Government in the a**e over this last decade, with air quality taking a hammering, so, I believe, PHEVs will cause similar 'shock' as future years roll by...
This review (and others to be fair) regularly misrepresent the true potential mpg of this and other PHEV’s because they are not being tested properly. I have been driving one of these for the past three months, and the most efficient way to use them is to use them in HYBRID mode. Not in electric only EV mode. Hybrid mode allows pure EV up to approx 69mph, and recaptures and tops up energy for the batteries while you drive using braking, coasting, lifting off the throttle etc. Drive around like a Tw@t racing up to junctions and traffic lights, thrashing it in sport mode and use it is pure EV with a heavy right foot and yes the mpg / range is average. However leaving it in HYBRID, and letting the car decide, I have achieved over 40 miles of electric travel this way exceeding the BMW figure with little effort, and exceeding 75 mpg on long runs and more on shorter journeys, and not putting out dirty diesel particulates into children’s lungs either. This my first PHEV and I would not swap back to a 100% fossil fuel car now. It is THAT good.
Almost 50% of electricity generated in the uk uses fossils. Driving a small car, keeping a car for longer, avoiding unnecessary trips etc are good measures. Ev's are just another new product to market and sell. The batteries will be an environmental disaster. But diesel burns dirty. That's true.
thats awesome to know. just ordered the brand new 330e G21 Touring Xdrive G21. most of day to day trip are around 10miles, but every two weeks I do 200+ mile journeys for work.
0-60mph in over 6 seconds.... even unloaded....briskish, but in no way quick at all. Also interior looks largely the same as my last 2011 BMW - its hardly moved on at all. But this over a stupid SUV anyway 👍
Not my cup of tea, wish washy and not enough depth or experience to the review…and she had her feet on the bumper’s paint when sat in the boot😡. A nice review for my wife, but not really much use for a car enthusiast who’s looking to part with £40k.
I drive a 330i and get 7.2 litres/100km around town and 5.5 on a country run - I.e. 39.2 mpg and 51.3 mpg with petrol at AUD 2.00 per litre, that’s alright by me.
That's not really the point she's making though, though, is it? We know those vehicles are fast, and therefore we expect them to be fast. The 330e, we don't necessarily expect to be fast: but it is.
I currently have a F31 320d (ie a 2013 model, which I bought new). Fabulous car, I have had eight years of faultless and fantastic motoring, but I need to replace it, soon. Late last year, I actually ordered a 330e, but after thinking about it, I cancelled the order. Why? Because I realised that instead of getting the best of both worlds, with the 330e you get the worst of both worlds, as Nicky says in the video. I decided want an all-electric Estate, please BMW. I test drove the i4, and it's not quite spacious enough for me. The new iX1 looks good.... as does the Tesla Model Y, but I test drove that, and the build quality was noticeably worse, and the ride was too harsh. Augh. In the meantime I stick with my 320d. I just can't drive it in London.
I own a 2019 330ix. It only has one flaw. If you eat in the car, the crumbs can fall in the gap on the leg bolster . And a backwards tach. Other than that, perfect.
320d still the right car for me. I need to do more than 20 miles at a time and I don’t get a company car so, for me, BIK tax doesn’t offset initial expense or fuel costs. But I can see why many company car drivers choose the 330e.
Nobody bothered about how much this car costs?, don’t get me wrong I’m a BMW fan, had five of them, but this isn’t a sub £30K car, more like £40-50K (with options) car.
If you know how to drive it ,your Consumption will be even lower then factory say's ✌😉but if you race with him then Consumption get up ☝also when you not put him to charge ☝
I don’t think you watched Fifth Gear find out that the Skoda Octavia iV Estate was cheaper to buy, more practical, and surprisingly quicker than the 330e around a test track due to a lighter weight - Which also contributes to better MPG! So yes whilst the 330e can do everything, buy a Skoda instead…
What can't it do?? It cannot fit a standard size pallet flat in the back (seats down of course) as the loading area is less than a metre between the wheel arches, but u can in an F45 2-series active tourer and smaller F40 1-series. For a car I'd it's size the loading & rear passenger space is only mediocre. It's also very expensive. Drives well though 👍 Next year, 2023, the face-lift one is due to come out with the updated iDrive 8 which has even more info on the screens and not appealing graphics...
Fairly sure that was displaying 90mpg? But the flaw of plug in hybrids and their batteries is not exclusive to the 330e. I'd leave it in hybrid mode and only ever use the full EV for local journeys only I'd always choose one of these over a SUV...
I have a 330i touring and get anywhere from 29-34 mpg on the short school runs. Managed 51 mpg on a 160 mile drive the other day. I'm not really a hypermiler either so I'm sure you can get more if you try.
@@spudhead1161 the 330i has a 4 cylinder 2 litre with 260bhp. The m340i is the 3litre straight 6. I did ponder spending the extra for the 340 but the 330i felt a nice compromise between efficiency of the 320 and performance of the 340.
@@spudhead1161 no worries. I believe that use to be the idea bar a few exception. I think the introduction of turbo's has really destroyed the format now.
Up Ben Nevis? Good luck going off road - xdrive is optimised for on road driving, useful for a grass field but more than that, you’ll be lucky not to get benched!
As a daily proposition the 3 series is in another league to the Skoda. I imagine most people wanting a BMW are unlikely to consider a Skoda as an alternative despite being cheaper and quicker on a suspicious track test where the cars weren't driven the same.
Don't see the point in a plug-in hybrid, either make it self-charging or don't bother. Having to carry around 250kg for a 20-ish mile range is just bonkers. Buy a 320d instead of if you want more fun and the economy buy 340d, or even a used 335d. Or if you have to have petrol the regular 330i is great and doesn't cost that much to run.
The 330e was my first experience with a hybrid. I was sceptical, but driving it through the city centre of a metropol (Budapest in my case) completely electric is really nice, really quiet. If every hybrid is like this, I'm ok with the future.
and the 330e is not much heavier than the 330d. At list here in France, I'm saving money with a 330e compared to a a 330d from the 1st kilometer. And I'll need around 45000km to break even with a 330i.
I'm not impressed with my 3 series. Unacceptably noisy suspension, buggy idrive and other electric gremlins such as random hesitation when pressing the accelerator down. BMW are unable to diagnose any of it. Steer clear is my recommendation.
I dont like this car, since interior space and only 410 L. Battery has really low range and when empty car is heavy... so stupid car not for future. Buy electric or normal. I drive Tesla 3 LG and it has way more space, front, rear even cargo.
So will this car catch on fire and BBQ it's owner/occupants when the PCV valve heater element heats up, melts the cheapo plastic housing when it gets gummed up due to cold exterior temperature? As another free bonus, does the overall performance slack off badly due to intake valve carbon fouling at around 30kish miles also? The next bonus I like are difficult to trace vacuum leak problems causing runability problems due to the plastic intake manifold and valve cover; for the money, you figure that'd be aluminum, but nope - cheapo plastic. I like this next bonus the most. The electric water pump has a plastic housing that wears out easily and cost over $1000 dollars. Why not a simple and cheap belt driven water pump like on the E46/M52 engined cars that cost say $75 dollars? 🤪😜
The company reps that get these don't care it's all paid for . Every time one of these 3 series came in our car park " REP ALERT !! " came over the tannoy.
I drive 330e, charge it every night, it’s been more than one and half month, I didn’t need to put petrol in it. It gives me 90 mpg. Love it
Weird choice to review a car after it’s facelift has been revealed.
I had a 330e saloon as a company car and because of my very short commute I did 7,000 miles but only used 200 litres of fuel, obviously I did use more electricity but it was super cheap to run. I now have a 320d Touring, not a company car, and it’s almost perfect.
Which was a better drive platform 330e vs 320d
320d Tourer is what I run. Fantastic fuel economy. In the summer when fully warmed up going down the dual carriageway my car is hitting over 60mpg.
But and it's a big but get the diesel fuel filter replaced and it will pay dividends.Can not believe for a 2015 car I pay £30 in road tax and have 190bhp and 295ib torque on tap.Never had an issue with it in the 6 years I've owned it.
Not entirely true: The hybrid system charge the battery everytime you brake and than helps acceleration afterwards. Some Hybrid petrol getting over 50MPG even if the battery is flat..just saying
I love Nicola's reporting style, I could watch her all day !
Making the piece more about you and less the product is offputting and smarmy...she does this!
@@michaelanderson7715 wrong.
@@jamgou Right; and I'm not getting into a repetitive right and wrong back and forth. It's my opinion, end of.
@@michaelanderson7715 if it's your opinion its not right or wrong 😂
@@michaelanderson7715 Then stop watching and commenting, best advice I can give
First time i’ve seen a review from her but she’s absolutely class, first female reviewer I’ve probably listened to and engaged with, more from her pls
I would really like to see BMW use the touring body on the i4 40. Now that would really tick the boxes. More space, decent range and no trips to the £120 fill station for your 440 miles. Ok, only 260 to 280 miles of range (guessing) but at £22 at home based on home rates then that would be low running costs for 4 to 5 years. OK, it will likely cost £63 to £65K But it would tick some boxes the i3X and i4 don't. But for companies and company car buyers it would be ideal.
I am very happy with my 320i Touring (with the "old" idrive 6.0 and the more "traditional" clocks) for all the reasons you describe in this video. Excellent drive feeling, very well made interior, good overall practicallity, general looks (especially from the back). 190 horsepower more than enough. And since it's not xdrive, you can get some rear wheel liveliness!
I think you've missed the absolute 'elephant-in-the-room' fault with this particular model, Nicola and that is, sadly, the type of users that end up running this car.
Because of the Government's (admirable) push towards lowering transport CO2 levels, this car has become very competitive for Company Car BIK tax.
That means that the type of users that will end up running these models are company car reps, slogging up and down the UK's motorway network, probably averaging (speaking from personal experience) maybe 600-750 miles per week...?
Even if the 330e is charged up religiously every night - highly unlikely, especially if, like I used to, the driver is spending days away from home in hotels etc - yes, the first 25 or so miles might be on clean electricity, but the remaining 100+ or so miles per day is then just driving a 200kg heavier petrol ICE car.
Over such daily mileages, the 330e actually pumps out MORE toxic CO2 and drinks MORE gallons of fuel than the equivalent 320d model.
So much for the Government's (admirable) push towards lowering transport CO2 levels, eh...!
As with how the push towards running diesel-engined rep-mobiles in the 90s has come back to bite the Government in the a**e over this last decade, with air quality taking a hammering, so, I believe, PHEVs will cause similar 'shock' as future years roll by...
This review (and others to be fair) regularly misrepresent the true potential mpg of this and other PHEV’s because they are not being tested properly. I have been driving one of these for the past three months, and the most efficient way to use them is to use them in HYBRID mode. Not in electric only EV mode. Hybrid mode allows pure EV up to approx 69mph, and recaptures and tops up energy for the batteries while you drive using braking, coasting, lifting off the throttle etc. Drive around like a Tw@t racing up to junctions and traffic lights, thrashing it in sport mode and use it is pure EV with a heavy right foot and yes the mpg / range is average. However leaving it in HYBRID, and letting the car decide, I have achieved over 40 miles of electric travel this way exceeding the BMW figure with little effort, and exceeding 75 mpg on long runs and more on shorter journeys, and not putting out dirty diesel particulates into children’s lungs either. This my first PHEV and I would not swap back to a 100% fossil fuel car now. It is THAT good.
Almost 50% of electricity generated in the uk uses fossils. Driving a small car, keeping a car for longer, avoiding unnecessary trips etc are good measures. Ev's are just another new product to market and sell. The batteries will be an environmental disaster. But diesel burns dirty. That's true.
thats awesome to know. just ordered the brand new 330e G21 Touring Xdrive G21. most of day to day trip are around 10miles, but every two weeks I do 200+ mile journeys for work.
None of this matters because company car buyers get these for tax reasons
Just a company car tax dodge. diesel is still the way. 680miles this week on a 2ltr tdi still wasn’t empty when filled up that took around 4 minutes
the difference in tax is MASSIVE between a plug in hybrid and diesel so just not an option for most users.
0-60mph in over 6 seconds.... even unloaded....briskish, but in no way quick at all. Also interior looks largely the same as my last 2011 BMW - its hardly moved on at all. But this over a stupid SUV anyway 👍
My worthless 2007 diesel gets 50mpg as a 500 mile average
Green ain't cheap it's a con
That the old one there Is a updated one out
won't be sold until autumn
Not my cup of tea, wish washy and not enough depth or experience to the review…and she had her feet on the bumper’s paint when sat in the boot😡. A nice review for my wife, but not really much use for a car enthusiast who’s looking to part with £40k.
I drive a 330i and get 7.2 litres/100km around town and 5.5 on a country run - I.e. 39.2 mpg and 51.3 mpg with petrol at AUD 2.00 per litre, that’s alright by me.
It was £2/lt in the U.K. for a lot of last year. Not great
she should apply for carwow job
yeh she's good!
She'd fit right in with Mat.
The car looks good but stil unreliable as every other bmw 😂
Please test the Mercedes C300e. I understand that can do 60 miles on battery power.
Painful watch, shocking presenter!
I thought this had the updated infotainment system?
Really great presenter, very natural, I would take the 340d touring all day long.
🎉 I've got the 330e Saloon I know it ain't the estate. It's all the the car you're ever going to need.
Gets me to work and back on electric.
Lovely
I'd love to be able to trade my E91 Touring for one of these. The E91 is really showings its age now.
Good review, like your style 👍
If that was your reaction to a six second 0-60 I would like to see what it looks like for a Lamborghini SVJ or Tesla Plaid.
That's not really the point she's making though, though, is it? We know those vehicles are fast, and therefore we expect them to be fast. The 330e, we don't necessarily expect to be fast: but it is.
Ours does 30 miles and on pure electric, average MPG with lots of town driving 85, needs to be charged to get there miles however..
Electric is gay, buy a 330i and be a G
If you don't like all the information in the display then you can switch some of it off and just leave the speed and power/revs on display.
I currently have a F31 320d (ie a 2013 model, which I bought new). Fabulous car, I have had eight years of faultless and fantastic motoring, but I need to replace it, soon. Late last year, I actually ordered a 330e, but after thinking about it, I cancelled the order. Why? Because I realised that instead of getting the best of both worlds, with the 330e you get the worst of both worlds, as Nicky says in the video. I decided want an all-electric Estate, please BMW. I test drove the i4, and it's not quite spacious enough for me. The new iX1 looks good.... as does the Tesla Model Y, but I test drove that, and the build quality was noticeably worse, and the ride was too harsh. Augh. In the meantime I stick with my 320d. I just can't drive it in London.
Why buy a station wagon with only 410 lt of boot space? Is it a joke?
Costs around £3 to charge the battery and do 20-25miles on electric alone. I wonder how far £3 of diesel gets you in a 320d 🤔
Wouldn’t even reach the minimum required to be dispensed at a fuel pump 😂
330e? I'd rather have the 330D MHT to be honest.
I own a 2019 330ix. It only has one flaw. If you eat in the car, the crumbs can fall in the gap on the leg bolster . And a backwards tach. Other than that, perfect.
I have the previous version 330d. Awesome all rounder
I personally would take a Polestar-Engineered, Volvo V60 wagon.
I think the combined HP is 292 and not the stated 249. The petrol gives you 181 HP and the electric motor approx 111 if that helps. Its a quick car
320d still the right car for me. I need to do more than 20 miles at a time and I don’t get a company car so, for me, BIK tax doesn’t offset initial expense or fuel costs. But I can see why many company car drivers choose the 330e.
The seats look nasty and cheap
What a well done, whitey, and enjoyable review. Great job!
Nobody bothered about how much this car costs?, don’t get me wrong I’m a BMW fan, had five of them, but this isn’t a sub £30K car, more like £40-50K (with options) car.
If you know how to drive it ,your Consumption will be even lower then factory say's ✌😉but if you race with him then Consumption get up ☝also when you not put him to charge ☝
Trying to find a fault ?? Give it a few months when you have to endlessly fork out because something has gone wrong with HER.
I don’t think you watched Fifth Gear find out that the Skoda Octavia iV Estate was cheaper to buy, more practical, and surprisingly quicker than the 330e around a test track due to a lighter weight - Which also contributes to better MPG! So yes whilst the 330e can do everything, buy a Skoda instead…
But then you have to admit to owning a Skoda!
@@u102768 Why’s that a bad thing 😅
@@u102768 😂😂😂😂
What can't it do?? It cannot fit a standard size pallet flat in the back (seats down of course) as the loading area is less than a metre between the wheel arches, but u can in an F45 2-series active tourer and smaller F40 1-series. For a car I'd it's size the loading & rear passenger space is only mediocre. It's also very expensive.
Drives well though 👍
Next year, 2023, the face-lift one is due to come out with the updated iDrive 8 which has even more info on the screens and not appealing graphics...
Fairly sure that was displaying 90mpg? But the flaw of plug in hybrids and their batteries is not exclusive to the 330e. I'd leave it in hybrid mode and only ever use the full EV for local journeys only
I'd always choose one of these over a SUV...
I have a 330i touring and get anywhere from 29-34 mpg on the short school runs. Managed 51 mpg on a 160 mile drive the other day. I'm not really a hypermiler either so I'm sure you can get more if you try.
29-34 mpg from a 3 litre petrol engine on the school run? Not even in a 3 litre diesel.
@@spudhead1161 the 330i has a 4 cylinder 2 litre with 260bhp. The m340i is the 3litre straight 6. I did ponder spending the extra for the 340 but the 330i felt a nice compromise between efficiency of the 320 and performance of the 340.
@@romac4533 Ok i stand corrected. I thought it was a 3l like the 330d. We learn something new every day.
@@spudhead1161 no worries. I believe that use to be the idea bar a few exception. I think the introduction of turbo's has really destroyed the format now.
As good as it might be, it's still too expensive. I never understand the BMW hype.
Up Ben Nevis? Good luck going off road - xdrive is optimised for on road driving, useful for a grass field but more than that, you’ll be lucky not to get benched!
Nicola not sure you are appreciating plugin hybrid technology properly maybe a longer term test would help 😉
And no one knows the long term reliability, its too complex, too many electrics and german - what could go wrong? Well a lot!
I’m amazed that BMW would put in basic battery?, it’s not a mobile phone!
Making the piece more about you and less the product is offputting and smarmy.
This is where Nicola migrated to!! There's There's new presenter on Car Buyer. Keep up the great work Nicola!!!
Isn't it (or she) lovely?
Hybrid version downside… have a look in the booth and you’ll know… very very tiny for an estate…
Great video but you don't have to use the touch screen on a Merc either, well not on my A250e anyway...
Er wheres sutcliffe ...
Only a sensible option to save tax as a company car. Otherwise? Meh.
I drove a 340i recently and the ride was so fidgety I crossed it off my list
Everything is perfect in this video. I want one!! LoL
156 mpg? Where’d they get that number? 🤔
Looked at this…. Then ordered an M340d.
Lovely it is all the car you need Lovely review Nicola
Rather have 3 series touring over X3s!
what an anti-charismatic presenter
Nicola enjoying your presenting.
So this video is about nitpicking 🤣
Information is everything....
Or buy a Skoda Octavia iV and save a few grand. And it's quicker too, check out the 5th gear track test.
As a daily proposition the 3 series is in another league to the Skoda. I imagine most people wanting a BMW are unlikely to consider a Skoda as an alternative despite being cheaper and quicker on a suspicious track test where the cars weren't driven the same.
BMW 0-100 5,2, Skoda 0-100 7,9 and if you compare the times at higher speeds the difference is even bigger 🤣.
Good,but a year too late..
3litre diesel is best.
What kind of creamy?
Don't see the point in a plug-in hybrid, either make it self-charging or don't bother. Having to carry around 250kg for a 20-ish mile range is just bonkers. Buy a 320d instead of if you want more fun and the economy buy 340d, or even a used 335d. Or if you have to have petrol the regular 330i is great and doesn't cost that much to run.
The 330e was my first experience with a hybrid. I was sceptical, but driving it through the city centre of a metropol (Budapest in my case) completely electric is really nice, really quiet. If every hybrid is like this, I'm ok with the future.
I have one and they self charge and you can plug in. you also still get the full 290bhp with a depleted battery as it always keeps some in reserve.
and the 330e is not much heavier than the 330d.
At list here in France, I'm saving money with a 330e compared to a a 330d from the 1st kilometer. And I'll need around 45000km to break even with a 330i.
Love those birch trees.
Can you tow a caravan ?
Lovely young lady.
...LOVELYYYYY!!!
Diesel is king
Good review
Golf GTI rapid? GTIs are not rapid. Pretty annoying her.
Wow, that was painful.
I enjoyed watching the Video Review. The ultimate Estate Car with some great kit as standard
Its still a shitbox after its warranty has run out like all BMW's. Stretching and snapping timing chains, leaks all over and crappy electrics.
Trying a bit to hard
I'm not impressed with my 3 series. Unacceptably noisy suspension, buggy idrive and other electric gremlins such as random hesitation when pressing the accelerator down. BMW are unable to diagnose any of it. Steer clear is my recommendation.
I dont like this car, since interior space and only 410 L. Battery has really low range and when empty car is heavy... so stupid car not for future. Buy electric or normal. I drive Tesla 3 LG and it has way more space, front, rear even cargo.
So will this car catch on fire and BBQ it's owner/occupants when the PCV valve heater element heats up, melts the cheapo plastic housing when it gets gummed up due to cold exterior temperature? As another free bonus, does the overall performance slack off badly due to intake valve carbon fouling at around 30kish miles also? The next bonus I like are difficult to trace vacuum leak problems causing runability problems due to the plastic intake manifold and valve cover; for the money, you figure that'd be aluminum, but nope - cheapo plastic. I like this next bonus the most. The electric water pump has a plastic housing that wears out easily and cost over $1000 dollars. Why not a simple and cheap belt driven water pump like on the E46/M52 engined cars that cost say $75 dollars? 🤪😜
ok
And, relax…
The company reps that get these don't care it's all paid for . Every time one of these 3 series came in our car park " REP ALERT !! " came over the tannoy.
How about the reliability of this? That can be problematic.
Reliability is something German brands simply cannot match any true Japanese for.