Plug and play, without sacrifice
HYBRID GETS EXCELLENT FUEL ECONOMY WHILE RETAINING THAT BMW PANACHE
The electrification of BMW continues with the 330e plug- in hybrid ( PHEV). It delivers reduced emission driving without giving up on the quest to remain a true sports sedan. If you have driven a 3 Series of any stripe you have driven this car, with one key exception — the powertrain.
This means the key attributes remain very much in place. The chassis is balanced and this in spite of the added mass ( 107 kilograms more, when compared to the 340i rear- drive model). The suspension does a stellar job at balancing ride comfort with handling.
Pushed hard, the 330e likes to hang its tail out because it is rear drive, but the transition is benign and easily controlled, even in a snow- covered parking lot. Part of the reason is the weight distribution; as the rear- mounted main lithium- ion battery ups the rear bias to 51.4 per cent, the 330e has neutral driving characteristics.
The 330e’s steering is light and precise, and it holds the driver’s desired line very nicely. Throw in the P225/ 50R17 rubber and it tracks through a corner with an enjoyable tenacity, something one cannot say about most PHEVs. Even the regenerative braking is right on the money. It harvests maximum energy without making the brake pedal feel mushy under foot.
The big difference between the 330e and its siblings is found in the powertrain. The combination uses a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder with 180 horsepower and 215 pound-feet of torque. It is teamed with an eight- speed automatic transmission, with an 87- hp electric motor sandwiched between the two. The combination delivers a net system output of 248 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque.
The unspoken plus is the early arrival of peak torque; the electric motor kicks in from the first rev, with the engine hitting full stride at 1,350 rpm. The result is a speedy run to 100 kilometres an hour of 6.2 seconds, which is 1.4 seconds faster than the 320i and just a one second slower than the 340i ( 320 hp). That may seem like a lot of time, but the economy more than compensates. The 330e has an official city rating of 8.5 L/ 100 km, compared to the 340i’s 12.5 L/100 km.
However, the Hybrid has an even larger upside, as the test proved.
One morning, I left my driveway with 21 km showing as the electriconly driving range. Yet I managed to get 26.7 km of electric-only city driving, thanks to initial range and the positive effects of regenerative braking. As a result, the actual gasoline consumption for the city distance driven was not 8.5 L/100 km, but a big fat zero point zero.
On the highway portion of the test, the 330e was quite happy purring along at 110 km/ h using just electrons when the loads were low. The result, after a 128.8 km highway run, was a test average of 6.4 L/100 km, which is 0.5 L better than the posted highway rating.
A big part of the extended electric- only range was the ability to rely on regenerative braking rather than using the regular brakes. It is not a true one-pedal driving ex- perience like the BMW i3, but it’s effective nonetheless. The energy captured through regeneration accounted for the 5.7 km of free driving. In the end, the combined driving distance of 155.5 km had consumed an average of 6.4 L/100 km. By way of reference, the official combined rating ( 7.8 L/ 100 km) says the 330e should have consumed 12.1 L/100 km over that distance.
The test also proved the 330e switches between electric, gas and gas/electric in such a seamless manner it takes a sensitive butt to pick up on the transition. That cannot be said of many of its peers and it speaks to the work done to mask the transition.
Another conservation method was to use the battery- save mode to enjoy the electric upside at the end of a highway cruise. This does use more fuel on the highway because some of the engine’s power is used to keep the battery topped up. However, exit the highway and select the EV mode and the consumption drops to zero. Again, I managed to eke out 23.7 km of electric- only driving after 109 km on the highway.
As for the rest of it, the cabin is pretty much the same as other 3 Series models: nice materials, very comfortable front seats and enough rear seat room to accommodate a pair of six- footers. The only real differences are found in the instrumentation and cargo capacity. The instrumentation shows what the hybrid system is doing — using battery power or harvesting energy. The cargo capacity drops from 480 L to 370 L as the trunk floor sits higher because the battery lives beneath it. The plus is the 330e still benefits from split/folding rear seats and a flat floor with them down.
The BMW 330e plug- in Hybrid works very nicely and quite possibly ranks as one of the best of its breed. The larger battery translated into much better overall economy. When charged using off-peak electricity rates, it cost less than $ 1.50 to recharge the 330e’s battery. The beauty is it manages stellar fuel efficiency without giving up on being a driver’s car.