2019 BMW 330i review
The 2019 BMW 330i is certainly looks nice but it takes a lot to be a winning luxury car, does it have what it takes?
How does this compare on price?
With a starting price of $70,900 plus on-road costs, the BMW 330i sits in a pretty crowded segment where a slew of prestige rivals fight for the attention – and wallets – of buyers.
The circa-$70,000 bracket is the sweet spot in the mid-size prestige sedan segment. The Alfa Romeo Giulia, Jaguar XE, arch-rival Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and Audi A4 can all be had around that pricepoint.
Then there are the outliers with hybrid (Lexus IS300h), full-electric (Tesla Model 3), or premium Korean (Genesis G70) options, while a relatively bargain $64,990 buys you a fair bit of Volvo S60.
All offer similar levels of comfort and refinement, and come with a certain amount of badge cachet typical of the segment.
Our test car, though, didn’t come unmolested, wearing around $9000 worth of options to bring the as-tested price to $79,230 plus on-road costs.
In short, that $70–$80K bracket in the mid-size luxury sedan segment offers a gamut of choice, and that gives you, the buyer, some power at the bargaining table.
What is it like inside?
There’s a lot going on inside the new 3 Series, which errs on the side of sporty. From the low-slung seats, at once comfortable and supportive, to the chunky round steering wheel (no flashy flat-bottomed tiller for BMW), there’s a solidity to the interior that presents as a step up, or perhaps even two, from the previous generation.
There’s no doubting its prestige credentials either. Plush materials abound, a sea of soft-touch plastics augmented by leather trim and contrast stitching, the new 3 Series looks and feels as premium as its storied nameplate suggests.
The infotainment system is a step up (or two) as well, running BMW’s latest OS7.0 operating system with digital radio, satellite navigation, Bluetooth connectivity, plus wireless Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring.
That last feature is a boon, eliminating the need for messy cables while offering instant and seamless smartphone connectivity projected onto the slick 10.25-inch screen integrated atop the dash.
And in good news for techy heads, from January this year, BMW scrapped the cheeky $479 subscription it had previously charged for Apple CarPlay.
For the driver, the 12.3-inch digital driver display promises much, thanks in part to its sheer size, but fails to deliver. Whereas some brands offer a wealth of configurability to their driver display, allowing you to project things like sat-nav and other important driver information, BMW’s system is scant on customisation – a case of style over substance.
The back row is the biggest beneficiary of the new 3 Series’s 41mm longer wheelbase over the outgoing model. There’s a decent amount of leg and head room, although the middle seat is raised and compromised in terms of space.
Rear-seat occupants do score climate controls and air vents, as well as two USB-C charging points for their devices, while the fold-down centre armrest houses two cupholders.
There’s a decent 480L of space in the boot, while folding down the rear seats frees up more space.
Is it a safe car in this segment?
ANCAP certainly thinks so, awarding the new 3 Series a five-star rating in 2019. With airbag protection for both front- and rear-seat occupants, as well as a slew of safety tech – autonomous emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, emergency brake assist, forward-collision warning, lane-departure warning and lane-keep assist, plus rear cross-traffic alert – the BMW 330i certainly meets modern expectations in terms of equipment.
Crash-testing results and data saw the 3 Series score 97 per cent for Adult Occupant Protection, 87 per cent for Child Occupant Protection, 87 per cent for Vulnerable Road User (pedestrians, cyclists) Protection, and 77 per cent for Safety Assist (which measures how well the active safety systems respond to situations). Those results place the BMW 330i on a par with other cars in the segment.
How much does it cost to maintain?
BMW covers the 3 Series with its standard three-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, which looks pretty slim in a market where five years is increasingly the norm. That warranty includes three years of BMW roadside assistance.
BMW doesn’t provide nominal service intervals, instead the car itself indicates when servicing is required. The good news is that buyers can prepay servicing costs for the 3 Series at time of purchase under the brand’s BMW Service Inclusive. It’ll add $1765 to the bottom line, but covers the car for the first five years or 80,000km of its life, whichever occurs first.
The basic plan covers standard items such as oils, filters, spark plugs, brake fluid, and annual vehicle checks, along with associated labour costs. A more comprehensive package adds brake pads and rotors, clutch, and windscreen wiper blades.
What does it have under the bonnet?
A turbocharged, four-cylinder petrol engine makes a decent 190kW and 400Nm, and is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission sending those outputs to the rear wheels.
BMW quotes a 0–100km/h time of 5.8 seconds, which feels about right by the seat of the pants. It’s certainly a sprightly car, at once willing yet refined in the way it delivers its performance.
Peak power doesn’t hit until 6500rpm, but it’s the very usable peak torque band of 1550–4500rpm that really does the work of providing smooth and linear acceleration, even when on the move.
The eight-speed auto works away quietly, too, ensuring the 330i is always in the right gear for any given situation. If you prefer to select your own gears, you can use the steering wheel mounted paddle-shifters.
BMW has always nailed its colours to the ‘driver’s car’ mast, and the 330i certainly lives up to that lofty ideal.
What is its economy like?
BMW claims an ambitious 6.4L per 100km on the combined cycle, but our time with the 3 Series didn’t come close to matching that ADR claim. Over a couple of weeks of admittedly mostly urban driving, the 330i returned a figure of 12.8L/100km, which is on the thirsty side for a four-cylinder sedan.
Keep in mind, too, that the 330i requires the more expensive 95RON unleaded. As thirsty as that seems, longer highway runs should see fuel consumption dropping markedly.
What else should I consider in this segment?
That the BMW 330i was named Drive’s Medium Luxury Car of the Year last year is testament to how accomplished it is in the segment, edging out the Volvo S60 and Audi A4. Look no further than either of those two for a suitable candidate as a rival, and each with their own strengths in a segment brimming with strong suits.
Casting the net further outside the box, the upstart Genesis G70 is certainly worth a look, particularly in 3.3T Sport guise, which offers a similar experience behind the wheel for similar money, but without the obvious badge cachet and brand recognition.
Any problems I should look out for?
The BMW 330i is a well-resolved and accomplished car. Some minor niggles do present themselves, though, such as the jerky nature of the lane-keeping assist, which tugs on the steering wheel quite firmly in its endeavours to keep the car between the lines.
The gesture control of the infotainment system, where you can turn the volume up or down simply by waving your hand near the screen, is gimmicky at best and glitchy at worst. We’d venture it’s something to show your friends once, then forget about. Thankfully, there is a traditional volume dial augmented by buttons on the steering wheel.
But perhaps the 3 Series’s biggest brickbat is the fact it rolls on run-flat tyres. The tyre’s construction is such that if it is punctured, you can continue to drive at no more than 80km/h and for a maximum distance of around 150km, which is enough to get you to a tyre repair shop.
While the idea of not needing to change tyres in the event of a puncture is nice, the reality is the stiffer sidewall construction translates to a harsher ride on the road, with the tyre simply not as pliable or compliant as traditional rubber.
And, in the event of needing a new tyre, they’re expensive to replace, not to mention harder to get with tyre outlets traditionally not keeping a huge range in stock.
Should I buy it?
If you’re already shopping in this segment, then it’s hard to go past a well-specced BMW that offers refinement, brand cachet, and a sporty drive experience. The 3 Series has long set the standard in the segment, and this new generation not only lives up to that, but has quite possibly created a new benchmark.
And while the even sportier M340i impresses with its twin-turbo straight-six engine and 4.4-second 0–100km/h time, it’s almost $30,000 more than the 330i, making this mid-range 3 Series a relative bargain.