BMW 33OI GT
The 330i gets a new petrol engine with 248 horses under the hood
TTHE BMW 3 SERIES GT isn't a car for everyone. It's a unique (and unconventional) proposition that caters to those who want the goodness of a good old 3 Series, but with something extra. And that is exactly what the 3 GT brings to the table, with its fastback styling, the extra room and the slightly more premium bits. The bonus of course is the exclusivity factor. It's unlikely that the car at the traffic signal next to you will be another GT. There was a catch however. You could only buy a diesel 320d GT for there was no petrol on offer. That has now been rectified with the arrival of the 330i GT.
And it isn't just a petrol engine that's new on the car. The 330i GT also includes a host of styling upgrades, most of which we have already seen on the 3 Series sedan launched last year. To give you a rundown of these updates, the front and rear bumpers are new, as are the tail lamp clusters and alloy wheel designs. BMW has also thrown in adaptive LED headlamps and generous dollops of chrome to make the 3 GT more desirable.
The interior layout is similar to the 3 Series sedan's with materials used and finish being as top quality as you'd expect in a BMW. The new iDrive system, which is more intuitive than ever, and the reworked 22.3cm LED display has graphics similar to the one in the 7 Series, minus the touchscreen and the fancy hand gestures. There is a high quality 9-speaker audio system, sat-nav and a 20GB hard drive that's useful to store your music. What BMW has retained are the analogue speedo and tacho dials, which I feel have a charm of their own when compared to digital dials one has grown accustomed to these days. The GT also retains the active rear spoiler that deploys at speeds over 110kmph or at the touch of a button located behind the power window switches.
Now that we've got the cosmetic bits out of the way, let's get down to the business end of things – the new petrol engine. The badging is slightly misleading of course and you'd be forgiven for thinking that under the hood is the old three-litre straight six that many (actually few, there weren't that many takers for the old 330i) found so endearing. This two-litre twin scroll turbo petrol puts out a healthy 248bhp, which is 67 more than what the turbo-four makes in the 320i sedan. There's a whole lot of turbocharged torque too – 350Nm to be precise, available at a lowly 1450rpm, which stays with you all the way to 4800rpm. That gives the 3 GT plenty of grunt through the gears. Power goes to the rear via a quick-shifting eight-speed torque converter that ensures the engine is always singing in its sweet spot (when you are in the mood) or delivering the best possible efficiency (when pottering around in the city). The motor is smooth and free revving with a nice exhaust note, not a very sporty one, but there's a nice build up as the engine speed increases.
The 330i GT gets four drive modes – EcoPro, Comfort, Sport and Sport+, which tweak throttle sensitivity, at what revs the gears shift and amount of steering assist. The first one, as the name suggests is tuned to extract the best possible fuel efficiency. The throttle response is a little dull and upshifts happen before 2000rpm. There is also a start/stop function that works its charm to save fuel while driving around in the city.
Comfort mode on the other hand is a better all-round mode which offers a blend of efficiency and performance, one you will find yourself in most of the time. The engine is quicker off the line without sacrificing too much in terms of economy. In Sport and Sport+ you get a lot more aggression from the engine and the gearbox, and Sport+ reduces the traction control's interference until you get it totally wrong and the car needs to right your wrongs. The throttle response is a lot sharper and the shifts happen with a lot more urgency. During full bore acceleration runs, the company claims the GT will clock the 0-100kmph sprint in 6.1 seconds flat.
Push a button and the GT changes guise from a calm daily runner to an aggressive fastback
Cruising along the highway, I got a chance to stretch the new fourcylinder mill. In Comfort mode the GT's linear acceleration gets you to triple-digit speeds with ease and it feels firmly planted. But driving up to Lavasa is where I truly enjoyed the GT. Slotted in Sport mode driving around a corner, the electrically-assisted steering is accurate, just the right weight you want when you are giving it the beans. The front end grips well and the rear-driven GT turns in with a lot of enthusiasm.
Living up to its Grand Tourer name, BMW have tried to offer a perfect balance between ride and handling, instead of leaning more towards the latter like the previous generation models. There is no air suspension or adaptive dampers, but the dampers have been tuned for better compliance to iron out most of the bumps and potholes on our roads. It is a perfect mix of supple yet sporty.
As a car, the BMW 330i GT seems to have multiple personalities. The new turbo has all the performance you need. All it takes is a push of a button for it to change guise from a calm daily runner to an aggressive fastback. When compared to the 3 Series, the GT is 191mm longer, 79mm taller and 17mm wider. This means there is more leg, head and shoulder room and allied to the massive 520-litre boot, makes it a very comfortable touring car. One does have the option of the 320d GT which maybe more efficient, but if you are an enthusiast and are looking for a little more drama, at `47.5 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), the 330i is the one to pick.