ROARING THIRTIES (some text hidden) SECTIONED_new_bmw330e_2021

By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 61

With the 'G20' version of BMW's plug-in hybrid petrol/electric 330e model, the conventional 320i variant's 184hp 2.0-litre petrol engine was matched with an electric motor and a larger battery to create quite a package. You could have it with the estate body style and xDrive AWD too. Let's check the pre-facelift 2018-2022-era version of this car out as a used buy.

Modelsword count: 6

4dr saloon / 5dr Touring estate

Historyword count: 138

Not everyone wanting futuristic engine technology wants their car to also look futuristic. To look like BMW's i-series models for instance. If you're buying a model from this Bavarian brand from the 2018-2022 period and want a petrol/electric powerplant, the 330e Plug-in hybrid offers a more subtle way to go. You get 37.3 miles of all-electric driving range when the car's charged up, which enables the creation of some impressive overall stats - up to 217.3mpg on the WLTP combined cycle and as little as 30g/km of WLTP-rated CO2. Those figures fall only fractionally with the Touring estate body style. Take some time to understand BMW's thinking here and it's hard not to be impressed. This 'G20'-series seventh generation 3 Series was subtly updated in mid-2022, but it's the earlier 2018-2022-era versions of it we look at here.

What You Getword count: 301

This isn't the kind of Plug-in hybrid model you'll buy if you want to make an eco-statement. Unless you really know your BMWs, there's almost nothing to visually differentiate a 330e from any other 3 Series saloon unless you happen to spot the side panel charging flap. The 3 Series styling theme by now should be familiar to almost every business buyer. Classic cues like the kidney grille at the front, the sharp lines of the flanks and the powerful rear end are all present and correct. The cabin looks predictably smart, with chrome finishing and high-gloss surfaces. The 'M Sport'-trimmed models get the full 'Live Cockpit Professional' package which gives you a 12.3-inch virtual instrument binnacle screen and a 10.25-inch centre-dash iDrive monitor. There's some clever stuff incorporated into this pricier set-up, including gesture control and what BMW calls an 'Intelligent Personal Assistant', which works a bit like the 'Siri' or 'Google Assistant' systems you might use on your 'phone and is there to answer questions you can voice to the car as you drive it. There's a respectable amount of rear legroom for what remains a manageably-sized car. There's certainly more room to stretch out than was the case with the previous 'F30'-generation 330e model, the distance between the front and rear seats having been extended by 11mm. There's slightly more headroom than before too and BMW reckoned that this cabin was wide enough to take three child seats side by side, though only the two outside positions come with Isofix attachment points. And out back? Well the 330e saloon's luggage bay measures 375-litres - that's 105-litres down on a conventional four-door 3 Series model. The Touring estate 330e derivative has a 410-litre boot, extendable to 1,420-litres - which is 90-litres down on a conventionally-engined 3 Series Touring model.

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