The new BMW 330e comes to respond to the challenges of today… and tomorrow. More than a technological whim, the rampant electrification we have witnessed in the automotive industry, which BMW has not been unfamiliar with, is the way to ensure that the targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, namely CO2, are met — the penalties for not complying are heavy, but very heavy fines.
What's more, the restrictions we've been seeing on access to the main European urban centers oblige builders to have electrified solutions — plug-in hybrids and electric — to ensure that their models can circulate without restrictions.
The new 330e (G20) takes up the same solution as its predecessor (F30) by combining an internal combustion engine, in this case a 2.0 l 184 hp gasoline turbo, with a 68 hp (50 kW) electric motor. combined power of 252 hp and homologated consumption and CO2 emissions that impress — 1.7 l/100 km and 39 g/km, respectively.
As a plug-in hybrid, it has the advantage of allowing a 59 km electric range (+18 km than the predecessor), integrating a 12 kWh battery in the luggage compartment — the consequence is the reduction of the luggage capacity from 480 l to 375 l, just an average value.
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The only way we can aim for consumption levels as low as those advertised is to keep the batteries charged at all times — in a 3.7 kW wallbox it takes 2h30min to charge the batteries to 80% of their capacity. Otherwise, the combustion engine will mostly assume the burden of moving the BMW 330e, which, having much more hardware than a “normal” 3 Series, gains a significant 200 kg, ballast not friendly to consumption.
The 59 km of electric autonomy proves to be more than sufficient for small day-to-day commuting and we are not limited to urban routes — in electric mode, the BMW 330e can reach 140 km/h of maximum speed, also contributing to reduce the consumption bill on highways or even highways.
At the wheel
Diogo takes us to discover these and other peculiarities of the new BMW 330e in this first dynamic contact and apart from the fact that it is a plug-in hybrid, there is very little that differentiates it from the other 3 Series:
It doesn't have to be a spaceship. It's a BMW like any other and that's not necessarily a bad thing.
There are some elements specific to the 330e, namely the loading door between the wheel and front door; and inside we find some new buttons — it lets you choose between Hybrid, Electric and Adaptive modes — as well as specific menus in the infotainment system.
At the wheel, it's still a 3 Series, and that means we have access to one of the best chassis in the segment. Despite the “eco” focus, with 252 hp at our disposal, it's also very fast. The 0-100 km/h is done in 5.9s and the top speed is 230 km/h , services worthy of a hot hatch. What's more, when in Sport mode, the 330e still has a trick up its sleeve. We now have access to XtraBoost function which, for eight seconds, releases another 40 hp, with total power rising to 292 hp — a precious injection of “nitro” to achieve that overdrive…
The new BMW 330e comes to us next September, but the final price has not yet been announced, with indications that it could be around 55,000 euros.
Time to give the floor to Diogo: