BMW 330e ordered...

[BMW330enut]

Mine arrived yesterday. Very pleased with the oyster against the grey.

[rich2000]

My new toy arrived on Wednesday but only just got around to posting a pic up. Love the thing so far!

M Sport+ with pro nav, comfort pack, reversing camera and active cruise.

[Pjohnsp0407]

She's arrived 6 months almost to the day.

Quick review

Amazing, lovely colour, look and feel. Everything I'd hoped for.

Slight difficulties starting, as the car is so silent, I keep switching it off by mistake.

The ConnectedDrive is a doddle to use and operate.

Blistering fast, although I'd being sensible I have tested

a max E-drive sports mode traffic light scenario.....

Harmon sound system is amazing, insomnia full blast, takes me right back to the days I'd be out drinking Wednesday- Sunday ...

For some strange reason car goes into max e-drive automatically, when I thought it was auto edrive was the default.

It turns The ICE on as soon as it reaches 2000 rpm around 25 mile an hour, surely this can't be right? Even when 30% battery left.

Gutted, I'm almost 99% certain I ordered a 10m cable when I placed the order, it came with a 5m one, which makes it approx 30cm too short.

I'm moving soon so don't want to install a rolec or similar until I move, I know I have 4 months to place order, so don't know what to do?

Do I fix an outdoor socket which should be enough, though what spec should I get? I know someone has already posted a picture of his outdoor socket, but I keep reading how not having the correct wiring can damage the car.

Would a 13a ip66 outdoor socket be able to handle the power needed, it can handle up to 3000w, would running the charging on low be safe?

To some it up, awesome car but without the electricity I feel I'm missing out on, what the car is capable of

Edited by Pjohnsp0407 on Sunday 5th March 00:56

Edited by Pjohnsp0407 on Sunday 5th March 00:58

[Pjohnsp0407]

[Tonycv51]

Pjohnsp0407 said:

For some strange reason car goes into max e-drive automatically, when I thought it was auto edrive was the default.

It turns The ICE on as soon as it reaches 2000 rpm around 25 mile an hour, surely this can't be right? Even when 30% battery left.

Gutted, I'm almost 99% certain I ordered a 10m cable when I placed the order, it came with a 5m one, which makes it approx 30cm too short

Shouldn't default to max e-drive so are you sure it is ie start car, don't press anything and drive off and it will be in auto and comfort. If it's in Max e-drive then max e-drive will show on the driver display above the power / mpg slider. In auto/comfort it's blank.

With a low battery the engine will come on almost randomly depending on mode and how hard you are accelerating. With a full battery if you're gentle with the pedal then max e-drive you can get to 70, auto around 50moh. This is in comfort or eco pro. If you're in Sport mode then the ICE will be on pretty much all the time unless you're at a standstill. I haven't really driven much in Sport and max e-drive so guess it may be possible to get to 25 without the ICE coming on though.

Re socket/lead. The BMW lead on mine is an economical 5m but I now don't use it as have a Rolec. A cheap Screwfix weatherproof outdoor socket will do - that was what I was using before I had the Rolec fitted, from memory the car defaults to low draw anyway. Not sure from your comments if an extension lead would remove the need for a new socket. If so just put join in a waterproof box, again Screwfix sometimes have these on offer and use a decent extension lead, but if you don't already have those lying around a new sockets probably cheaper. That said the BMW cable from the 3 pin to the transformer is not particularly thick.

Car looks great - similar to mine which is m Sport in blue with HK, comfort pack and grey windscreen band. Still loving mine and I've had it since November. Thought about M-sport+ but didn't want the hassle of the extra wheels (previous audi had equivalent and were too easy to damage). With hindsight would have gone for pro-nav and CarPlay but it also was pushing the monthly cost a bit too much.

Edited by Tonycv51 on Sunday 5th March 09:33

Edited by Tonycv51 on Sunday 5th March 09:44

[Tonycv51]

Pjohnsp0407 said:

For some strange reason car goes into max e-drive automatically, when I thought it was auto edrive was the default.

It turns The ICE on as soon as it reaches 2000 rpm around 25 mile an hour, surely this can't be right? Even when 30% battery left.

Gutted, I'm almost 99% certain I ordered a 10m cable when I placed the order, it came with a 5m one, which makes it approx 30cm too short

Shouldn't default to max e-drive so are you sure it is ie start car, don't press anything and drive off and it will be in auto and comfort. If it's in Max e-drive then max e-drive will show on the driver display above the power / mpg slider. In auto/comfort it's blank.

With a low battery the engine will come on almost randomly depending on mode and how hard you are accelerating. With a full battery if you're gentle with the pedal then max e-drive you can get to 70, auto around 50moh. This is in comfort or eco pro. If you're in Sport mode then the ICE will be on pretty much all the time unless you're at a standstill. I haven't really driven much in Sport and max e-drive so guess it may be possible to get to 25 without the ICE coming on though.

Re socket/lead. The BMW lead on mine is an economical 5m but I now don't use it as have a Rolec. A cheap Screwfix weatherproof outdoor socket will do - that was what I was using before I had the Rolec fitted, from memory the car defaults to low draw anyway. Not sure from your comments if an extension lead would remove the need for a new socket. If so just put join in a waterproof box, again Screwfix sometimes have these on offer and use a decent extension lead, but if you don't already have those lying around a new sockets probably cheaper. That said the BMW cable from the 3 pin to the transformer is not particularly thick.

Car looks great - similar to mine which is m Sport in blue with HK, comfort pack and grey windscreen band. Still loving mine and I've had it since November. Thought about M-sport+ but didn't want the hassle of the extra wheels (previous audi had equivalent and were too easy to damage). With hindsight would have gone for pro-nav and CarPlay but it also was pushing the monthly cost a bit too much.

Edited by Tonycv51 on Sunday 5th March 09:33

Edited by Tonycv51 on Sunday 5th March 09:47

[bmwphever]

Tonycv51 said:

I haven't really driven much in Sport and max e-drive so guess it may be possible to get to 25 without the ICE coming on though.

In max e-drive it'll stay in electric-only until ~74. Even in Sport (unless you knock the gear box into sport mode or touch the paddles). I guess you might need to avoid kick-down as well.

I'm loving Sport mode max e-drive; performance is surprisingly sprightly.

And with charging sockets any outdoor 13Amp socket will cope. The more important thing to worry about is the wiring that feeds it. If you're unfamiliar the only safe thing to do is get a qualified electrician to take a look.

[Tonycv51]

bmwphever said:

In max e-drive it'll stay in electric-only until ~74. Even in Sport (unless you knock the gear box into sport mode or touch the paddles). I guess you might need to avoid kick-down as well.

I'm loving Sport mode max e-drive; performance is surprisingly sprightly.

Didn't realise that tbh as I tend to use max drive at weekends round town, and use Sport on parts of my commute usually in auto - but what difference does it make over max e-drive / comfort. Surely just steering and suspension rather than power ? I know in Sport it will enable more use of e-boost but thought that was in conjunction with the ICE ?

Edited by Tonycv51 on Sunday 5th March 10:03

[bmwphever]

Tonycv51 said:

Didn't realise that tbh as I tend to use max drive at weekends round town, and use Sport on parts of my commute usually in auto - but what difference does it make over max e-drive / comfort. Surely just steering and suspension rather than power ? I know in Sport it will enable more use of e-boost but thought that was in conjunction with the ICE?

Throttle response (although calling it throttle in electric-only mode seems wrong somehow). There probably isn't any additional power but what power there is is more readily available. Brings it alive a little more.

[Tonycv51]

Different question - what the best way of forcing back the car to use the ICE without using save mode. There are a lot of roadworks on my commute right now which means the portion of my commute normally done at 70 on the ICE is now at 40-50 and the car tends to use the electric as speeds tend to be just below the ICE threshold. For my commute this means it's sub- optimal for the overall return journey. I've been using Sport / Auto mode if I go down the a roads, or if I stick to the motorway knocking gearbox into S mode (and taking it out if I hit stop start traffic).

Think I would actually like a 4th e-mode which is predominantly ICE but not using petrol to re-charge like Save. And really pushing the boat out on my wish list why aren't the mode buttons on the steering wheel - I have 2 unused buttons on the left hand side

[XE11]

Tonycv51 said:

Different question - what the best way of forcing back the car to use the ICE without using save mode. There are a lot of roadworks on my commute right now which means the portion of my commute normally done at 70 on the ICE is now at 40-50 and the car tends to use the electric as speeds tend to be just below the ICE threshold. For my commute this means it's sub- optimal for the overall return journey. I've been using Sport / Auto mode if I go down the a roads, or if I stick to the motorway knocking gearbox into S mode (and taking it out if I hit stop start traffic).

Think I would actually like a 4th e-mode which is predominantly ICE but not using petrol to re-charge like Save. And really pushing the boat out on my wish list why aren't the mode buttons on the steering wheel - I have 2 unused buttons on the left hand side

if the drivetrain is set up to be the same as 225xe (which is the only experience I have), then save battery mode will only use ICE to charge up to 50%. I notice Eco Pro mode also reduces regen braking and allows the car to glide longer distance. sorry, not sure if my comment help in any way, lol.

[Tonycv51]

XE11 said:

if the drivetrain is set up to be the same as 225xe (which is the only experience I have), then save battery mode will only use ICE to charge up to 50%. I notice Eco Pro mode also reduces regen braking and allows the car to glide longer distance. sorry, not sure if my comment help in any way, lol.

Mine charges to 80 or 90 % (can't remember which) in save mode. That's a November 16 car, and think others have said there's a software update for cars from earlier part of last year to do the same. Not sure if the same update is there for the 225xe ?

I guess a charge to 50% might be slightly better for my current circumstances but can also see where a charge to 80/90 would be useful. A workable alternative would be if I could change the save battery threshold in I-drive, and / or change the ICE cut in speed in auto, though a 4th "use ICE" battery mode would be simpler

[bmwphever]

XE11 said:

Tonycv51 said:

Different question - what the best way of forcing back the car to use the ICE without using save mode. There are a lot of roadworks on my commute right now which means the portion of my commute normally done at 70 on the ICE is now at 40-50 and the car tends to use the electric as speeds tend to be just below the ICE threshold. For my commute this means it's sub- optimal for the overall return journey. I've been using Sport / Auto mode if I go down the a roads, or if I stick to the motorway knocking gearbox into S mode (and taking it out if I hit stop start traffic).

Think I would actually like a 4th e-mode which is predominantly ICE but not using petrol to re-charge like Save. And really pushing the boat out on my wish list why aren't the mode buttons on the steering wheel - I have 2 unused buttons on the left hand side

if the drivetrain is set up to be the same as 225xe (which is the only experience I have), then save battery mode will only use ICE to charge up to 50%. I notice Eco Pro mode also reduces regen braking and allows the car to glide longer distance. sorry, not sure if my comment help in any way, lol.

That would be my biggest criticism too, and seems to be the predominant complaint, except maybe the car being mis-sold as an efficient long distance vehicle.

Save mode is really Charge mode. A 4th 'Hold' mode would be useful. Most of my use is shortish distance so I haven't played with forcing ICE in the most efficient way, but simply putting the gearbox into Sport would bring the ICE in but still allow battery to assist rather than getting charged up. With the most recent software (from what other posters have said) Save will charge up to 90%.

[Tonycv51]

bmwphever said:

That would be my biggest criticism too, and seems to be the predominant complaint, except maybe the car being mis-sold as an efficient long distance vehicle.

Save mode is really Charge mode. A 4th 'Hold' mode would be useful. Most of my use is shortish distance so I haven't played with forcing ICE in the most efficient way, but simply putting the gearbox into Sport would bring the ICE in but still allow battery to assist rather than getting charged up. With the most recent software (from what other posters have said) Save will charge up to 90%.

Wonder if BMW monitor this thread ? A "hold" mode would be achievable with a software update, but guess they might say it can be done using Sport mode or Sport gearbox, though not as efficiently due to other characteristics of those settings

[XE11]

Tonycv51 said:

Mine charges to 80 or 90 % (can't remember which) in save mode. That's a November 16 car, and think others have said there's a software update for cars from earlier part of last year to do the same. Not sure if the same update is there for the 225xe ?

I guess a charge to 50% might be slightly better for my current circumstances but can also see where a charge to 80/90 would be useful. A workable alternative would be if I could change the save battery threshold in I-drive, and / or change the ICE cut in speed in auto, though a 4th "use ICE" battery mode would be simpler

I would love to have it charges itself up to 80% because I do trips between Manchester, Derby and London every month or so, I would love to have the car charged to 90% and ready for city use. Mine follows what bmw website says, which is charge up to 50% and from then onward it's charge only from regen braking. (https://www.bmw.co.uk/en_GB/new-vehicles/iperformance/2-series-active-tourer/2015/introduction.html). so after spending 3 hours on motorway, I typically only have 55-60% charge.

"When the battery charging status is low, the SAVE BATTERY mode enables the battery to be charged by the combustion engine or allows the charging status to be maintained at 50%. In this way, the driver can save the battery capacity for purely electric driving later."

but also read somewhere that try to keep the car battery between 20-80% because apparently battery life can be degraded if it is full or depleted all the time....

[Tonycv51]

XE11 said:

I would love to have it charges itself up to 80% because I do trips between Manchester, Derby and London every month or so, I would love to have the car charged to 90% and ready for city use. Mine follows what bmw website says, which is charge up to 50% and from then onward it's charge only from regen braking. (https://www.bmw.co.uk/en_GB/new-vehicles/iperformance/2-series-active-tourer/2015/introduction.html). so after spending 3 hours on motorway, I typically only have 55-60% charge.

"When the battery charging status is low, the SAVE BATTERY mode enables the battery to be charged by the combustion engine or allows the charging status to be maintained at 50%. In this way, the driver can save the battery capacity for purely electric driving later."

but also read somewhere that try to keep the car battery between 20-80% because apparently battery life can be degraded if it is full or depleted all the time....

Might be worth asking BMW if there's an update for your car then as this has changed on 330e. Assume this is a dealer update, as think the software updates on BMW website are for media functionality only (and also maps separately)

[Tonycv51]

Tonycv51 said:

bmwphever said:

I'm not sure that will be the problem; the car will precondition the cabin (not the battery) if not plugged in and there's sufficient battery charge. Sometimes I've forgotten to disable a departure time when I've been not plugged in, and coming to leave at that departure time the battery is down below 90% (about 80% when it was pretty chilly).
So the charging rate should only affect how charged the battery is after its preconditioned...

Orion917

Did you ever get this working ? The fan light on means the car has a pre condition timer set, and you said the instant on press works from the app i.e. Pre condition comes on and light starts flashing. Looking in the drivers guide there is a list of conditions required so have you checked those ie fan vents open etc. One is that the car date and time need to be correct ? Assumed they were sync'd to satnav but if not then check those and I guess any angles on that like app and car have am/pm wires crossed. As bmwphever says, having checked the list the problem won't be charging on low - just says must be plugged in or have a reasonable level of charge in the battery. Not sure what else I can think of

Edited by Tonycv51 on Sunday 5th March 15:07

[donny4.0]

Tonycv51 said:

Yes (if it's not too late ). Pre conditioning is stored in the car and can be set in i-drive. Also when you switch the car off it does show you the pre-condition menu. Just make sure pre condition is on as well as departure timer i.e. Time you plan to drive off in the morning

Other option is a long press on the diamond symbol button on the bottom of the key fob half an hour before you plan to leave (or less if not too cold)

Ah well to late the car has gone back now, just got to wait now mine is coming in June right when i am away at the TT for the bikes, so get week of blasting around the TT course on my bike and come home to a brand new car waiting for me at the dealer to boost my TT blues RESULT

[Robv1]

Bumferrets7 said:

Hi

Some feedback on the piano black trim I have it in mine

It's really nice makes the car look really good

Downside is it does show dust on it but easy to clean with a micro cloth
I have the pearl chrome finish that's nice too but wish I had gone with the red
Got red stitching on the wheel but still very nice interior you will love car

It's got everything you need for any driver cruise in silence or speed in sports very additive

Chris1712 said:

Had Piano Black in my Z4. Absolutely stunning but does show dust like mad, I kept a cloth in the glovebox at all times to wipe it down lol. If it weren't a paid option on the 330e I'd have it again.

Thanks guys, appreciate the feedback! I can live with it getting dusty as that's easy to clean, but I was more concerned about scratches, especially on the doors.

I'm getting the pearl chrome finish too, but then I don't have the read stitching on the wheel as it's an M sport.

[Robv1]

rich2000 said:

My new toy arrived on Wednesday but only just got around to posting a pic up. Love the thing so far!

M Sport+ with pro nav, comfort pack, reversing camera and active cruise.

Beautiful! I've got the Astoril blue on order as well, and with the same alloys.

Do you find the active cruise sensor annoyingly noticeable? It's far better hidden on the regular (none M sport) cars somehow.