Urgent recalibration required
In a family estate context, the 3-series is certainly at the sporty end of the spectrum. But swap it for a McLaren and it no longer seems quite so lithe.
1 NECESSARY EVIL
Heading to Silverstone to collect a McLaren, fuel up a few miles from home. 330i tank takes 59 litres of unleaded every 400-430 miles or so. Fuel economy hanging around 30mpg so far, against 39mpg o cial. Then again, lockdown’s meant shorter, more ine cient outings.
2
HERE WE GO
Roads south of Uppingham are favourites, with a nice, quick flow. I call up my pre-set Sport Individual setting: Comfort steering and chassis (though I often dabble with Sport chassis in twistier bits), Sport Plus powertrain, then loosen stability control’s shirt button and add manual gearshifts. 330i is enjoyable, plenty quick enough, nice and chuckable if no sports car.
3
RESIST! RESIST!
Ah, Silverstone. No laps today, just a meeting. Afterwards, I set the sat-nav, a reminder that BMW’s largely good iDrive infotainment is atrocious when it comes to inputting addresses. I lose five minutes after I accidentally activate the touch-sensitive top of the dial I’m trying to twirl to select letters and numbers. Cue Basil Fawlty best-of rant.
4
SLIPKNOT AGAIN
Underlying firmness to BMW’s ride on 19s (the trade for this being a more aggressively sporty model than its predecessor) and it’d be nice to quieten the road noise at a 70mph cruise, but no doubt the price you pay for firmer bushings and precision. Easily drowned when I’m alone and can crank the music, but family have commented on road-din before (and don’t do Slipknot).
5
DINNER’S IN THE DOG
McLaren 720S has almost three times the power of the BMW but it’s only 107kg lighter – and just you try inserting 500 litres of anything in its boot and carrying more than one passenger. And don’t get me started on mpg, benefit-in-kind, servicing… But the long way back?
Oh go on then.
BMW 330i Touring Month 6
The story so far
3-series Touring in 330i spec: lighter, cheaper and only 3mpg o 330d; more exciting/ less rattly than 318d/320d
+ Strong dynamics; space; tech; design; quality feel Ride quite firm; four lacks the magic of a good BMW six
Logbook
Price £40,170 (£48,495 as tested) Performance 1998cc turbocharged four-cylinder, 254bhp, 5.8sec 0-62mph, 155mph E ciency 38.739.8mpg (o cial), 29.7mpg (tested), 163g/km CO2 Energy cost 18.2p per mile Miles this
month 651 Total miles 5182