- Doors and Seats
4 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
2.0T/83kW Hybrid, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
298kW (comb), 265Nm
- Fuel
Hybrid (95) 2.1L/100KM
- Manufacturer
RWD
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
3 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
5/5 star (2019)
2021 BMW 330e PHEV review
Nearly every manufacturer is rushing headlong into electric vehicles, but not all are bypassing the plug-in hybrid technology that, when executed correctly, makes a lot of sense for Australian new car buyers. Trent Nikolic takes a closer look at the BMW 330e PHEV to find out whether it's one of the better ones.
- Electric range is useful in the real world
- Still retains elements of the 'driver's machine'
- Cabin refinement is excellent
- Options pricing adds up quickly
- Boot capacity is a fair bit smaller than the regular 3 Series
- Reduced fuel capacity hurts touring ability
Introduction
The 2021 BMW 330e is an interesting beast. ‘e’ might once have meant 'efficiency' for the German brand, but now it points to electrification. Not pure electric, in this case, but plug-in hybrid, or PHEV.
Right now PHEVs can make a lot of sense for a lot of buyers. A certain distance of pure electric range, a regular combustion engine if you need it to extend driving range, or a combination of the two, for a boost of performance.
The reason PHEVs make sense for so many buyers is the simple fact they don’t require you to change your behaviour. Forgot to plug it in overnight? No real problem. You have a regular petrol engine to get you from A to B.
Longer road trip in mind? Once again, the internal combustion engine can take care of that. However, if you undertake the average Australian commute, you might just be able to get to and from work every day without using any petrol at all.
The 330e is priced from $86,900 before on-road costs and direct competition is sparse. Lexus offers the IS300h in non-plug-in hybrid form costing either $64,500 or $73,000 before on-road costs. There’s a Mercedes-Benz C300e plug-in in the segment as well, which starts from $84,472 before on-road costs.
Tesla fans will point to the pure electric Model 3, which starts at $59,900 and runs to $84,900, both before on-road costs. The Model 3 has a solid spread of models and prices too. But the fact remains that in direct hybrid or plug-in hybrid competition, it’s thin on the ground in terms of medium luxury sedans.
Underpinned by BMW’s scaleable architecture, which also sits beneath the 5 Series, the 330e is a large medium sedan. If that makes sense. It’s attractive, too, cutting a stylish figure on the road. You can’t immediately tell it’s a PHEV, unless you notice the second – not fuel – flap, and that’s a good thing the way we see it.
The 330e sits up toward the top of the 3 Series range, currently asking for $7000 more than the regular 330i, but it does claim to offer almost the same performance while using less fuel into the bargain. Let’s find out, then, how that stacks up in the real world.
Key details | 2021 BMW 330e PHEV |
Price (MSRP) | $86,900 plus on-road costs |
Colour of test car | Portimao Blue Metallic |
Options | Visibility Package – $4800 Comfort Package – $2080 |
Price as tested | $93,780 plus on-road costs |
Rivals | Tesla Model 3 | Lexus IS300 | Mercedes-Benz C300e |
Inside
While the 330e is undoubtedly sporty in its execution, the cabin is practical, spacious and comfortable. In other words, it has lost none of its day-to-day usability. There’s plenty of tech to get your head around – especially if you’re making the step-up from a five-year-old car, for example – but it’s well designed and thought out in terms of ergonomics.
The doors, which are light when you open them, thud closed exactly like we want (expect) a BMW to, and it’s quiet and insulated once you’re inside the cabin. There’s not one element we can pick that feels downgraded or cheap – this is a premium cabin. The choice of trim, plastics, and all the touchpoints feel right where they should be for the badge and the price point.
Another 3 Series design feature that we always look for is the driver-focused nature of the seating position. The 330e delivers on that front too. The M leather steering wheel is meaty and you can get set exactly where you want to be seated. You can sit low into the cabin if you feel like it, visibility is excellent, and there's a sporty edge to the grand touring vibe. The electric sport seats are excellent.
The climate controls, ambient lighting, quality of the seat material, and useful storage all combine to deliver a comfortable cabin that just asks for you to head off on long family road trips. On that note, if mum and dad are tall up front, then the kids won't want to be six-footers in the second row on longer trips. While there's around-town room, even for taller occupants, it is a bit tight back there for long trips. The seat itself in the second row is excellent – properly sculpted and comfortable.
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Two second row USB-C outlets will keep devices charged on those trips, and there is also a conventional 12V outlet back there. Passengers get temperature controls back as well, and there are door pocket bottle holders and centre armrest cupholders too. While the regular 3 Series boot is handy at 480L, the PHEV variant means that is down to 375L. Still useful, but not quite as space-efficient, then.
No spare wheel is a factor for those of you who head further afield, where run-flat tyres aren't as sensible as they are around town. The boot floor can be moved up and down to suit the load space you require and the seats fold 40/20/40.
2021 BMW 330e PHEV | |
Seats | Five |
Boot volume | 375L |
Length | 4713mm |
Width | 1827mm |
Height | 1440mm |
Wheelbase | 2851mm |
Infotainment and Connectivity
Changes to the iDrive control system have made big leaps forward in how you interact with the system that runs your infotainment. It was always an attempt to be as elegant as possible, but it wasn't always as intuitive as it is now. You can control almost every element of the car from here, with electric modes, chassis set-up, AC, telephony, the audio system, and engine/gearbox set-up all able to be manipulated through the system.
The 12.3-inch driver's display is digital now, turning its back on decades of beautiful BMW analogue simplicity. It works, but it is undeniably complex and information-heavy. This display will take most of you a while to get your head around, such is the level of information and control. That said, we spent some time working our way through it as we usually would, and it becomes easy to understand relatively quickly.
Atop the centre of the dash, there is a 10.25-inch infotainment screen that features BMW Connected, and that system means you can access features of your BMW via a smartphone app. This is something BMW owners tell us they use, and use regularly. There is proprietary satellite navigation, wireless charging, and wireless Apple CarPlay.
On test, Apple CarPlay worked faultessly, as did Bluetooth and the proprietary satellite navigation system. While there's a lot of tech in this car, and there's a bit for first-timers to get their heads around, it is quite intuitive and easy enough to understand.
Safety and Technology
BMW's 330e – and in fact the entire 2.0-litre 3 Series range – boasts a five-star ANCAP rating from 2019. And, as you'd expect, the 330e is comprehensively equipped in standard trim. Autonomous emergency braking operates between 5km/h and 210km/h, there are stability- and traction-control systems, ABS, EDB, cornering brake control, brake assist, active lane-change assist, lane departure warnings, lane departure intervention, front and rear cross-traffic alert with braking, and blind-spot monitoring.
Beyond this, there's also adaptive cruise control with stop and go, and a low-speed EV acoustic warning sound that runs up to 20km/h. Eight airbags are standard, as well as ISOFIX at the outboard rear seat locations and three top-tether points.
2021 BMW 330e PHEV | |
ANCAP rating | Five stars (tested 2019) |
Safety report | Link to report |
Value for Money
Fuel consumption is a tricky one to articulate. BMW quotes 2.1L/100km, which is entirely achievable over the first 100km, given up to 60km of that 100km will be powered with electricity without any fuel use. Thereafter, if you don't put any charge into the battery pack, we used 5.8L/100km. That doesn't match the 1.9L/100km claim from BMW, but it can't in reality either. Still, a figure under 6.0L/100km, almost entirely around town, is a solid return.
BMW's warranty is a letdown compared to just about every other manufacturer in the business, with coverage for three years/unlimited kilometres. A step-up to five years would be a minimum the way we see it, to bring BMW up to the likes of Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar.
Servicing is an interesting one in that it's condition-based, depending on how you drive the car and the distance you're travelling over time. Across five years or up to 80,000km, BMW Service Inclusive pre-paid servicing is available, starting at $1750.
At a glance | 2021 BMW 330e PHEV |
Warranty | Three years / unlimited km |
Service intervals | Condition based |
Servicing costs | $1750 (5 years) |
Fuel cons. (claimed) | 2.1L/100km |
Fuel cons. (on test) | 5.8L/100km |
Fuel type | 95-octane petrol |
Fuel tank size | 40L |
Driving
We managed – twice – to get 55km on electricity alone; a distance that easily gets the average Aussie to and from work. That means you won't need petrol Monday to Friday, but you have the flexibility you need for longer road trips once the petrol engine kicks in. Getting up to speed and cruising along, on electric power alone, is an effortless, serene experience. There's only the slightest wind and tyre noise to interrupt the serenity.
The 'e' focuses on the addition of the electric drivetrain of course, and in the case of the 330e, there's an 83kW synchronous motor, a 10.3kWh lithium ion battery pack, and an included charging cable that you can use in a regular powerpoint at home. That regular powerpoint will charge the PHEV up in around six hours if it's completely drained, which is why the PHEV concept works so well for the average driver. Plug it in when you get home after work, and you're good to go the next morning. No fancy charging infrastructure required. And as we saw in our road drive, there's useful real-world range on offer, too.
Off the mark, the 330e punches strongly up to freeway speed, and keeps accelerating tidily no matter how hard you're asking it to move. Aside from electric propulsion, there's the impressive 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine with 135kW and 300Nm to deliver the grunt, and it does so impressively. Out on the open road, it wears its grand tourer tag effortlessly. The petrol engine delivers its peak torque down low, too, meaning it's never breathless or working hard to deliver its best.
We've noted it before, but what a sensational gearbox the eight-speed automatic is. Another shining endorsement for a regular torque converter over any other alternative, it's smooth, fluent, responsive and sharp. It's effortless at any speed, as is the engine combo as well. Cruise, thrash, flow, whatever it is you ask it to do, it does so without fuss.
On the subject of driving, the 330e responds well to the coaxing brought on by your favourite section of twisty road. This is a genuine driver's car, as BMW is expected to deliver, not hindered by the heft of the PHEV additions. You can switch between magic carpet ride and sporty easily, and the 330e delivers both with aplomb. Switching to Sport obviously sharpens everything up, but it's not like the less manic modes are doughy either.
The ride is beautiful – comfortable without being wallowy and sporty without being harsh. The chassis contends with any road surface easily, never interrupting the sense of calm inside the cabin. Adaptive dampers assist here, but it's an intrinsically excellent chassis to begin with. You'll only ever find the limits of the dampers if you hit nasty bumps too fast.
Steering, for mine, is a strong point. The 330e has a sharp, responsive feel to it, responding effortlessly to changes of direction and subtle input from the driver. This is not a sedan that you have to muscle around. There is a small deficit that comes due to the extra heft of the PHEV system, and back-to-back with a regular 330i, the 330e won't ultimately be as scalpel-precise, but there won't be a gulf between them either.
Lastly, the 40L fuel tank – reduced to make space for the hybrid drivetrain – will impact long-distance touring despite the real-world efficiency of the powertrain.
Key details | 2021 BMW 330e PHEV |
Engine | 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol |
Power | 135kW @ 5000-6500rpm (petrol), 83kW (electric), 215kW combined |
Torque | 300Nm @ 1350-4000rpm (petrol), 265Nm (electric) 420Nm combined |
Drive type | Rear-wheel drive |
Transmission | Eight-speed torque convertor automatic |
Power to weight ratio | 123.6kW/t |
Weight | 1740kg |
Turning circle | 11.4m |
Conclusion
The 330e wears its clever hybrid boast on its sleeve, and a real-world range approaching the claim is useful. Yes, it's more expensive than a regular non-hybrid 330i, but it also offers something the non-hybrid car can't. That is, day-to-day zero fuel use in the right use case.
It won't come down to money, though, because buyers keen to save might not be shopping at this end of the pricing spectrum. For mine, it's impressive that BMW has delivered a driver's platform with as much ability as the 330e while still delivering hybrid tech. Like a pure electric car, it's not for everyone, but it will suit some buyers down to the ground.