TOURING PARTY
The roomy and practical 3 Series wagon loses none of the fun of the sedan
Our 2019 Car of the Year contest came down to BMW’s 330i sedan and the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, the latter taking the award. When it came time to drive home from the event, we all wanted the keys to the BMW.
Why? Simply because, on the road, this seventh-generation 3 Series soars above the pack, including its German rivals, and is once again worthy of the “Ultimate Driving Machine” accolade.
Australians obviously agree, because in a market that’s heading south with a bullet, sales of the 3 Series are up 83 per cent.
At COTY, we pondered how BMW could possibly make the 3 Series better. It has done just that with the 330i Touring, a wagon that adds space and practicality without compromising the sedan’s sublime driving manners.
VALUE
There are two versions of the 330i Touring, both priced at $75,900 — a $4000 premium over the sedan.
We tested the M-Sport, which gets the customary go-fast (and faux-fast) items from BMW’s M catalogue, such as two-tone 19-inch alloys with wider rear rubber, M suspension with adaptive dampers, M sport brakes, aerodynamic body garnishing, black rooflining, patterned aluminium trim and thick-rimmed M steering wheel.
Luxury Line, as the name suggests, is more limo in specification (overseas version pictured), with timber and fake leather dash trim, lighter, brighter cabin decor, roof rails and distinctive wheels.
Up front is the same 190kW/400Nm 3.0-litre straight-six turbo as the sedan, driving the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic.
The 330i Touring has the same comprehensive standard equipment list that impressed us at COTY, including three-zone aircon, Type A and C USB ports, lots of handy oddment storage, keyless entry and start, automatic parking, wireless phone charging and BMW’s all-digital dash.
If ever there was a compelling value for money argument for picking a sedan-based wagon over its SUV equivalent, the 330i Touring is it.
The stablemate X3 xDrive 30i M Sport SUV is about the same size and costs $3000 more.
The X3 is 170kg heavier, its 3.0-litre turbo six produces 5kW less power and 50Nm less torque and, at 6.4 seconds, it’s half a second slower from 0-100km/h. It also drinks more fuel.
Compared with the Touring, which uses a newer, more rigid, lightweight body structure and suspension, the X3 also handles and steers like a truck.
You get an extra 50L of boot space in the SUV but at 500L the Touring has plenty. You can configure the extended floor as you like with the 40-20-40 split-fold rear seat.
COMFORT
The adjustable suspension has Comfort and Sport settings, both of which deliver a much more compliant ride on run-flat tyres than the previous 3 Series. Even in Sport setting, road shock is effectively absorbed while tyre noise is no greater than in the sedan.
The sedan and Touring sit on the same wheelbase. The second row gets generous legroom plus aircon, two USBs and a 12V outlet, so kids will be very happy travellers.
The boot’s low floor is easy to load via the power tailgate. Cargo cover and mesh barrier are standard.
SAFETY
BMW short-changes buyers of the base grade 3 Series on driver assist safety tech. In the 330i, you get the works, including 360 degree cameras and head-up display.
DRIVING
Clocking 5.9 seconds from rest to 100km/h ( just 0.1 sec slower than the sedan), the 330i Touring is seriously quick — especially in Sport and Sport+ modes.
No matter how many revs it’s carrying when you squeeze the accelerator, BMW’s best engine responds immediately, with zero turbo lag.
On the highway, it can average in the high fives; even around town, in Eco Pro mode, it will do single figures. These are remarkable numbers for such a potent engine.
The eight-speed shifts as quickly as a dualclutch transmission, with impeccable smoothness. Paddle-shifters are standard.
To recap: choose the Touring over the sedan and you sacrifice almost nothing in terms of driving enjoyment or dynamic ability, because underneath they are the same car.
The Touring gets slightly less adhesive Bridgestone Turanza tyres (the sedan runs Pirelli P-Zeros) and it weighs 105kg more, though at 1575kg it’s a featherweight by SUV standards.
HEART SAYS
I’d rather get Covid-19 than drive an SUV. This is a real car. Even better, it’s a real 3 Series.
HEAD SAYS
It’s not often you can call a German car great value for money but this one is. It has superb performance and handling with the practicality of a wagon. No options are required.
ALTERNATIVES
Less cabin and boot space than the BMW. Runs a 190kW/370Nm 2.0-litre turbo/nine-speed automatic. 0-100km/h in 6.0 seconds. Beautiful interior design and superior infotainment but the ride is a bit sharp and fussy.
Haven’t yet driven this. No shortage of go with 192kW/400Nm 2.0-litre turbo/eight-speed auto/all-wheel drive. As usual for a Volvo, it’s overweight, so 0-100km/h takes 6.4 seconds.