Nearly the pick of the lot
BMW 330d: NOT QUITE SUPERIOR ENOUGH TO 330i TO WARRANT PRICE
Has class-leading dynamics, thanks to a low centre of gravity and load distribution.
BMW’s 3 Series is arguably South Africa’s most loved midsized premium sedan and it entered its seventh-generation last year. Like usual, BMW staggered their engine derivative releases and now, finally in 2020, we get to test the new 330d.
I am not going to waste much time getting into the styling as the 3 Series has been around for a while and we have spoken about these aspects.
What I will say is that if you don’t want the Standard spec model, you can simply tick the box that says M Sport, and for R876 000 – which is just short of a R50 000 premium over the run-ofthe-mill model – you get a host of sporty additions from the factory: large air intakes in the front end, distinctive side skirts and rear apron along with BMW Individual high-gloss Shadow Line trim, kidney grille bars in High-gloss Black, air intake trim in Highgloss Black and a rear diffuser in Dark Shadow.
The same sporty treatment is carried over to the interior where you will find sports seats with M-specific upholstery, an M leather steering wheel, an anthracite-coloured BMW Individual headliner and interior trim strips in Aluminium Tetragon.
So the 330d M Sport certainly looks the part, but the real news lies under the hood.
BMW’s 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbodiesel is the stuff of legends.
For generations, the wise performance enthusiast would opt for this derivative simply because it delivers tree-stump pulling torque while returning fuel consumption figures its petrol siblings could only dream of.
BMW remains the only premium manufacturer to offer a 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbodiesel in this segment, and although not as popular as it should be in South Africa, it still makes a lot of sense on an everyday basis. But what has slowly crept into the mix with small-capacity, high-power, fuel-efficient, turbocharged petrol engines is that they now come close to delivering the same sort of torque and fuel consumption numbers, but at a better price point.
For the record, the model I am alluding to is the 330i that comes in some R100 000 cheaper than the 330d and is not the lot faster M340i xDrive that is R200 000 more than the oil-burner.
In terms of straight-line numbers, and making use of the launch-control function of the eight-speed Sports Automatic Transmission, the 195kW/580Nm 330d is no slouch, and hits 100km/h in 6.02sec, covers the quarter mile (400m) in 14.33sec, and crosses the 1km mark at 205km/h.
And this is all done while still being able to offer you a real-world fuel consumption number of 7.1l/100km.
The fly in the diesel ointment is that pesky, better-priced 330i.
It is slightly quicker to 100km/h, with a time of 5.94 sec, quicker to the quarter mile at 14.26 sec and faster at 1km by 7km/h.
It is also quicker in all the ingear roll on acceleration tests and where it really hurts the turbodiesel argument is that it was only 0.5l/100km heavier on fuel.
As is to be expected, the 330d offers class-leading dynamics, thanks to a low centre of gravity, 50:50 axle load distribution and an increase in the front and rear track compared with the outgoing F30 model range.
Added to that you get increased camber up front as well as a body that is now some 25% stiffer riding on a finely tuned M Sport suspension and brake set-up.
But being agile is not the only class-leading aspect of the 330d.
The car also offers a host of standard and optional safety, connectivity and assistance systems, from “Hey BMW”, that now lets you verbally communicate just about any command or need to your car, to the car driving itself.
Well almost, anyway.