Test Bmw 330e Touring
Dannie Heinzen
Alright, so this luggage test wasn't literally conducted on our long-term 2022 BMW 330e. For some reason, John Snyder didn't want to spend 34 hours driving 2,350 miles to Oregon in order for me to throw some bags in the plug-in hybrid 3 Series then turn around and drive back. I offered him some doughnuts and a six-pack of something nice, but "Ah, no thanks," he said. Fine then, be that way.
Thankfully, I luggage-tested a 330e back in April 2021. Specifically, I compared it to the regular 3 Series for the purposes of demonstrating how much space you lose when stuffing a bunch of batteries under part of the cargo floor.
So, what's the difference? The M340i could fit the five biggest bags, but the smallest (fancy) bag had to stay behind. The 330e could fit the five smallest bags, including the fancy one, but the biggest bag had to stay behind. There was room left over in each for a large shopping bag and other extraneous items.
On paper, the 330e trunk has 4 fewer cubic-feet of space compared to a gas-only 3 Series. That checks out with this test. Officially, its 13.2 cubic-feet of volume, but as we've seen multiple times, BMW must be using a different measurement method than the rest of the industry since its trunk volume figures are consistently higher than what the space itself would suggest.
A ripple of excitement and nostalgia washed up on the driveway this morning with the arrival of this BMW 330e Touring M Sport. I drove a 320i Touring for the best part of four years and loved it, though the ride on the M Sport suspension left me wincing unless the road was lovingly cared for. How will this latest 3 Touring fare, and does plug-in hybrid power make it a decent fleet proposition?
This particular 330e Touring comes with the optional upgraded leather interior. It looks fantastic and the seats are supportive and comfy on longer drives. As always, I find the driving position of the 3 Series to be ideal for me in the way it hunkers you down while still affording good all-round vision. It also feels small and nimble on the road despite the latest 3 Series being a reasonably large car by footprint.
With gas prices going up and down (well mostly up), the idea of an electrified vehicle is an increasingly appealing one. And frankly, the time for wondering about the future of the electric format is over. The future is electric and all manufacturers are on board, now offering one or more electrified variants in their lineups.
While the arrival of electrified vehicles on the market allows motorists to save considerably on the price of gasoline, a new necessity arises out of it: access to a charging terminal. You need to have one at home and if you're going on a long trip you need to plan for frequent recharging along the way.
This is exactly the question we were asking ourselves when planning our family trip to Europe. We know that electric vehicles are more numerous there, and that fast-charging stations are more commonplace than in North America. But it's also true that these charging stations are much more heavily used there than at home.
Knowing this, we decided to hedge our bets and go hybrid for our trip. We made arrangements with BMW Canada to reserve a BMW 330e, which we would take possession of in Germany. BMW immediately accepted the project and even entrusted us with a magnificent 330e Touring as the icing on the cake. As we all know, Europe is a welcoming place for Touring versions, as wagons are considered the ultimate family transport cars. Sure, SUVs are gaining ground, but fortunately (at least in my own view), they're not yet the majority on the Old Continent.
The 330e
A quick reminder about the BMW 330e, which is a plug-in hybrid (PHEV). It has both a battery-powered electric motor and an internal combustion engine. Its estimated pure electric range is 32 km for the xDrive model with all-wheel drive. A PHEV like the 330e gives you the best of both worlds with electric range for local travel and a gas engine that kicks in when needed.
Under the hood is a 2.0L turbocharged 4-cylinder engine that delivers 181 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. The electric motor delivers 107 hp and 77 lb-ft of torque. The two engines combined reach 288 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque, including the XtraBoost feature that boosts power by 40 horses for 10 seconds when you need a little extra boost during acceleration.
Day One
We took possession of our "family" vehicle in Frankfurt after stumbling, a little jet-lagged, off the plane. We were all excited to discover this 330e. Or rediscover, since I had already driven it in a sedan version in Canada in the summer of 2021. The difference now is that we had to fit two adults and two teenagers plus the four suitcases accompanying us. The Touring version has 410 litres of cargo space, compared to 375 for the sedan. A little game of Tetris and all the suitcases were safely stowed in the trunk.
You should know about this plug-in hybrid version that the battery takes up the bottom of the trunk, which kills some of the cargo space. The trunk capacity in a 3-Series sedan without electrification is still 480 litres. But in all versions, the rear seats can be folded down, which reduces the pain of losing that trunk space a little.
Once settled into cruising speed, thanks to the cruise control that was a frequent aid on our trip, traffic moved easily. The limit climbed from 90 to 110 and then to 130 km/h. Everything was going well, a small touch on the speed selector of the cruise control increasing our speed in increments of 10 km/h each time. I heard snoozing from the jetlagged back seat occupants. The car was warm, the morning sun almost dazzled us and the road, as it is always the case in Germany, was as smooth as a billiard table!
No limit
The long-awaited sign arrived, my cue to press the Sport+ mode and mash the right pedal. Until then, the vehicle had been very quiet and the car literally floated on the road. In Sport+, the engine made its presence felt and heard more in the cabin, blessing us with a more raucous sound. The suspension and steering also firmed up. Acceleration was lively and instant; the needle of the speedometer climbed quickly, very quickly, eventually plateauing at 230 km/h. Life was good, even as I dutifully respected the on-dash BMW instructions asking the driver not to exceed 240 km/h!
e continued at this incredible pace for several dozens of kilometers, the car showing not the slightest signs of effort. At one point, the highway narrowed to two lanes. No problem, we continued on at a cruising speed of between 160 and 180 km/h. At these kinds of speeds, this car is a serious mile eater, the distance from our destination shrinking quickly even as we continued to feel very safe inside. Acceleration and braking were straightforward and direct and the 216 km were completed in just over two hours.
Efficient
The rest of the way went smoothly and we enjoy the landscape of the Black Forest until we reached our destination in France. Once we arrived, the on-board computer indicated an average consumption of 8.2L/100 km. Not bad, considering our peaks of speed and our cruising speed. Once arrived, we tied up our car to the first socket we found in the garden.
In the days that followed, we plugged in at home when we thought of it, and otherwise we drove in hybrid mode in the city. We continued to use the automatic management system of our 300 Touring and found the transition between electric and thermal mode very smooth and discreet.
Instead, it could be the best 3 Series for most people, using a plug-in-hybrid powertrain to amplify refinement, comfort, and luxury over the standard 330i. And with a modest price premium and usable all-electric range, it could make better financial sense too.
Automakers tend to either go wild styling their hybrid vehicles or stick as close to the gas-powered variant's design as possible. BMW took the latter approach, making few changes to distinguish the 330e from the 330i.
That means you'll score the same conservative styling (at least compared to other modern BMWs), with a modest pair of kidney grilles flanked by an attractive set of headlights. We actually prefer the expressive lamps of the new 4 Series to the scalloped shapes of the 3er, but this treatment is attractive enough. In back, you'll find the same slim taillights and a subtle duck-bill decklid as other sedan models. The profile is mostly free of overzealous design, aside from the aggressive kickup of the lower character line as it extends rearward from the front fender.
Adding a dose of sportiness to our tester's exterior is the M Sport package, which introduces standard 19-inch wheels (shod in meaty winter rubber in our tester's case) and adds some menace to the benign front and rear fascia designs. The price is a tall order at $3,800, but the improvements to the exterior design are substantial. This is the stance all 3ers should have.
The cabin is a nice enough place, but as we complained about during our first drive several years ago, it lags behind the Mercedes-Benz C-Class in terms of overall attractiveness. Still, our specific tester deserves credit for its handsome Cognac Vernasca leather upholstery and Ash Gray wood trim. Subtle touches of aluminum add brightness, while the switchgear features the same premium look and feel we expect of a German luxury sedan.
Softening the blow of the M Sport pack's price tag are its standard sport seats, which are ample and supportive in the way all good sport seats are. We'd happily spend hours and hours, be it on a twisting road or on a highway slog, in these well-bolstered, 14-way, heated and cooled chairs.
Despite the 19-inch wheels and the winter rubber, the 330e is a comfortable thing on the road, too. The standard adaptive dampers mitigate the harshest surfaces and the overall suspension tuning is such that crossing rough sections of road rarely flummox this BMW. In addition to the limited engine noise, there's little wind noise or tire roar either. Really, the 330e is just a very good place to spend some time.
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