NEW BMW 330e ordered.........
Discussion
myvision said:
I have the M Sport but i don't have the 'M Sport brake with blue painted brake callipers with M designation (330i and 330d only)' i have everything else on that list though.
Pretty sure you had to take the "plus" package to get the Brakes - definitely worth it as to be honest even with those the brakes still feel a bit behind the F30 330d fitted with the upgrade brakes.myvision said:
Lee540 said:
Ones you can’t charge?
There are some cars with dodgy battery backs that you can't charge BMW think they'll have a solution in February now.I was told at the end of September not to charge my car until they have carried out the recall work and the date keeps moving.
Had one of these today a courtesy car from dealership.
I thought it was great around town, very smooth ride, comfy seats, nice quiet cabin. Same on motorways/dual carriageways. Steering has a nice quick ratio,
Engine/power train is ok. Found the power delivery a bit off in the full on ;extra sport’ mode. As it got to 30-40 mph felt like a bit of a flat spot as I guess the electrical assist tails off. But it’s great off the line. Noise/enjoyment of revving it out was not really there and began to feel a bit breathless above 60mph ish,
The brakes were a bit irritating. There a definite non linearity/jump in the braking force with pedal travel as either the regen or mechanical braking kicks in after a small bit of brake pressure. I found this quite distracting, and it was harder than normal to consistently brake in a smooth or precise manner (it was not impossible to do, just tricky to do consistently. Perhaps familiarity would help).
Not much engagement in terms of cornering/handling. Didn’t seem to really respond to power through a corner in my attempts (i did have an estate though). You really feel the weight of it I have to say,
Head up display that it had was ace. What was less ace was how you couldn't set the instrument cluster not to display pointless irrelevant graphics about what music you’re listening to. I would have preferred more visible display of what gear it’s in. In general not a fan of the non circular, ‘dials’ that have the ‘needle’ rotating towards each other.
I really wanted to like it, and I sort of really did, but overall I just didn’t find it that engaging, certainly compared to the boggo 320d I have also driven.
But it;s getting towards quick would be interesting to try the 340 M or whatever its called for comparison.
I thought it was great around town, very smooth ride, comfy seats, nice quiet cabin. Same on motorways/dual carriageways. Steering has a nice quick ratio,
Engine/power train is ok. Found the power delivery a bit off in the full on ;extra sport’ mode. As it got to 30-40 mph felt like a bit of a flat spot as I guess the electrical assist tails off. But it’s great off the line. Noise/enjoyment of revving it out was not really there and began to feel a bit breathless above 60mph ish,
The brakes were a bit irritating. There a definite non linearity/jump in the braking force with pedal travel as either the regen or mechanical braking kicks in after a small bit of brake pressure. I found this quite distracting, and it was harder than normal to consistently brake in a smooth or precise manner (it was not impossible to do, just tricky to do consistently. Perhaps familiarity would help).
Not much engagement in terms of cornering/handling. Didn’t seem to really respond to power through a corner in my attempts (i did have an estate though). You really feel the weight of it I have to say,
Head up display that it had was ace. What was less ace was how you couldn't set the instrument cluster not to display pointless irrelevant graphics about what music you’re listening to. I would have preferred more visible display of what gear it’s in. In general not a fan of the non circular, ‘dials’ that have the ‘needle’ rotating towards each other.
I really wanted to like it, and I sort of really did, but overall I just didn’t find it that engaging, certainly compared to the boggo 320d I have also driven.
But it;s getting towards quick would be interesting to try the 340 M or whatever its called for comparison.
Edited by Polite M135 driver on Tuesday 8th June 05:56
Polite M135 driver said:
What was less ace was how you couldn't set the instrument cluster not to display pointless irrelevant graphics about what music you’re listening to. I would have preferred more visible display of what gear it’s in.
Press the end of the left stalk in and it cycles the right hand display, I leave mine showing the gear selection as I only drive mine in sport mode.Alex L said:
Press the end of the left stalk in and it cycles the right hand display, I leave mine showing the gear selection as I only drive mine in sport mode.
Doh, i should have thought to try this! But a relief to know its possible to change if I do end up with a bmw with this dash. Hi again e330ers. re-read this this morning before a bit of a walk, so naturally pondered further. I think my post is a bit off. Sort of the equivalent of going around someone’s house and pointing out all of the faults of their wife/husband. I think I wrote the post yesterday just trying to get my head around the car.
From a slightly more distant perspective (12 hours...), I think my hopes for the car were maybe too high. I pictured the great 3 series chassis (much better than the (older) 1 series that I have...) with a decent-ish turbo engine and an electric motor to fill in off the line and in the inevitable flat spots in power that a ICE has. I forgot to think about the weight of the batteries/electric gubbins. What you get is an excellent, very refined, comfy car for around town and cruising, but one that is less engaging that I had hoped for/imagined.
I guess, with the lower power and greater weight (and also longer wheelbase compared to my point of comparison), it’s inevitable that in cornering the attitude of the car will be less adjustable on throttle (i’m not talking massive top-gear type slides here). On the other hand, and despite the weight, the chassis is substantially more predictable and linear in terms of response than the 1 series (under corner/power the m140i can be a bit unpredictable because, i think, it’s not that stiff and doesn’t handle bumps that well).
The brakes were still annoying though, especially trying to modulate the brakes as you begin to turn in to a bend, it was very hard to come off them smoothly as you increase steering lock.
When BMW released the i3, I was pretty excited for the future of hybrid/electric cars. OK, electric/hybrid drivetrains would add weight, but maybe moving to composites for mass produced cars would let us keep vehicle weight constant, or at least close? Couple the drivetrain of the e330 with a car that’s 300-400 kg lighter and it’d be amazing. Sadly it seems like as batteries have become cheaper/higher capacity, manufacturers have abandoned the idea of weight reduction and just accept that these cars will be heavier. Most consumers don’t seem to care (why would they? Most people are just moving their car from one place to another, and aren’t engaged in driving. Neither am I, most/much of the time - hence why in one sense the 330e is still quite appealing). But It’d still be more efficient, so fingers crossed the future holds cars that are powered like the 330e (or all electric) but much lighter.
Anyway, so, more balanced... I think it’s a nice refined car that does handle well and predictably. It is reasonably quick, very enjoyably so up to 30-40mph or so. It’s a really nice thing to use, but it’s just, ultimately, not really that engaging, and a couple of points of interaction with it are quite distracting/frustrating in terms of driving experience (brakes, lack of throttle adjustability/just sheer momentum).
The other irony seems to me, given the incentive to have this car as a company car created by the tax system, is that the choice of this car - which is ideally suited to a life of multiple short trips and occasional long journey - is favoured over cars that would probably deliver better MPG on longer distance journeys (i.e. just a bigger engineer non-hybrid version). But if I were a driver in that situation (company car and associated BIK costs or whatever they’re called) I can really easily see the sense is choosing 330e over e.g. m340i. For at least half the time, it will be just as good (from a driving POV, if not fuel economy POV on longer/faster runs). More if you try and avoid using the brakes!
From a slightly more distant perspective (12 hours...), I think my hopes for the car were maybe too high. I pictured the great 3 series chassis (much better than the (older) 1 series that I have...) with a decent-ish turbo engine and an electric motor to fill in off the line and in the inevitable flat spots in power that a ICE has. I forgot to think about the weight of the batteries/electric gubbins. What you get is an excellent, very refined, comfy car for around town and cruising, but one that is less engaging that I had hoped for/imagined.
I guess, with the lower power and greater weight (and also longer wheelbase compared to my point of comparison), it’s inevitable that in cornering the attitude of the car will be less adjustable on throttle (i’m not talking massive top-gear type slides here). On the other hand, and despite the weight, the chassis is substantially more predictable and linear in terms of response than the 1 series (under corner/power the m140i can be a bit unpredictable because, i think, it’s not that stiff and doesn’t handle bumps that well).
The brakes were still annoying though, especially trying to modulate the brakes as you begin to turn in to a bend, it was very hard to come off them smoothly as you increase steering lock.
When BMW released the i3, I was pretty excited for the future of hybrid/electric cars. OK, electric/hybrid drivetrains would add weight, but maybe moving to composites for mass produced cars would let us keep vehicle weight constant, or at least close? Couple the drivetrain of the e330 with a car that’s 300-400 kg lighter and it’d be amazing. Sadly it seems like as batteries have become cheaper/higher capacity, manufacturers have abandoned the idea of weight reduction and just accept that these cars will be heavier. Most consumers don’t seem to care (why would they? Most people are just moving their car from one place to another, and aren’t engaged in driving. Neither am I, most/much of the time - hence why in one sense the 330e is still quite appealing). But It’d still be more efficient, so fingers crossed the future holds cars that are powered like the 330e (or all electric) but much lighter.
Anyway, so, more balanced... I think it’s a nice refined car that does handle well and predictably. It is reasonably quick, very enjoyably so up to 30-40mph or so. It’s a really nice thing to use, but it’s just, ultimately, not really that engaging, and a couple of points of interaction with it are quite distracting/frustrating in terms of driving experience (brakes, lack of throttle adjustability/just sheer momentum).
The other irony seems to me, given the incentive to have this car as a company car created by the tax system, is that the choice of this car - which is ideally suited to a life of multiple short trips and occasional long journey - is favoured over cars that would probably deliver better MPG on longer distance journeys (i.e. just a bigger engineer non-hybrid version). But if I were a driver in that situation (company car and associated BIK costs or whatever they’re called) I can really easily see the sense is choosing 330e over e.g. m340i. For at least half the time, it will be just as good (from a driving POV, if not fuel economy POV on longer/faster runs). More if you try and avoid using the brakes!
Edited by Polite M135 driver on Tuesday 8th June 09:17
wassap said:
I really like the power train, in sport mode it’s fantastic, certainly not breathless and it’s a revvy lump.
Handling is so so though, the weight is noticeable, that said, it’s still fairly nimble for what it is, and I’ve have lots of fun on country lanes.
Certainly wassap, it’s all relative! I think most non-X BMWs (have not driven ‘active tourer’ 2 series or new FWD 1 series) are fun in a country lane, just by virtue of the the fact that BMW do at least (still, a bit) seem to engineer their cars from the perspective of someone who cares about driving. THe control weights are good, they are generally linear, you can easily get into that zone where you are stringing corners together and you feel like you are flowing/‘loping’ along. I can definitely see that possible in the 330e (I took it on faster moorland type A roads rather than twisty country lanes, just a factor of what’s nearby). Handling is so so though, the weight is noticeable, that said, it’s still fairly nimble for what it is, and I’ve have lots of fun on country lanes.
I also took it work to charge it up - I have never charged a vehicle before. I spend the first 2 minute trying to pull the cable out the (2-car) charger that I parked next to, before I realised that the cables came with the cars, and not the chargers!
I have one as a company car.
It’s a big heavy lump of a car. No amount of suspension work can change that. But for what it is its decent. It’s comfortable, quiet and I feel fresh coming out of it after 6 hours driving.
The powertrain does its job and nothing more. A 345e would be superb. A nice straight six and battery to help it along. But then it would weigh more.
I would definitely recommend one to friends and colleagues.
My next car will be full electric. I prefer it in electric only mode to ic.
It’s a big heavy lump of a car. No amount of suspension work can change that. But for what it is its decent. It’s comfortable, quiet and I feel fresh coming out of it after 6 hours driving.
The powertrain does its job and nothing more. A 345e would be superb. A nice straight six and battery to help it along. But then it would weigh more.
I would definitely recommend one to friends and colleagues.
My next car will be full electric. I prefer it in electric only mode to ic.
sam.rog said:
I have one as a company car.
It’s a big heavy lump of a car. No amount of suspension work can change that. But for what it is its decent. It’s comfortable, quiet and I feel fresh coming out of it after 6 hours driving.
The powertrain does its job and nothing more. A 345e would be superb. A nice straight six and battery to help it along. But then it would weigh more.
I would definitely recommend one to friends and colleagues.
My next car will be full electric. I prefer it in electric only mode to ic.
Isn't it barely any heavier than a similarly specced 340i? 1800KG or so?It’s a big heavy lump of a car. No amount of suspension work can change that. But for what it is its decent. It’s comfortable, quiet and I feel fresh coming out of it after 6 hours driving.
The powertrain does its job and nothing more. A 345e would be superb. A nice straight six and battery to help it along. But then it would weigh more.
I would definitely recommend one to friends and colleagues.
My next car will be full electric. I prefer it in electric only mode to ic.
SWoll said:
Isn't it barely any heavier than a similarly specced 340i? 1800KG or so?
M340i is available in rear wheel drive but not in the UK (thanks, UK consumers...)So if you compare the X-Drive versions:
330e xDrive - 1845kg
M340i xDrive - 1745kg
Of course, the difference is that when it cannot use the battery, the 330e has only 181hp and the 340i has, well, more than double (374hp).
Polite M135 driver said:
M340i is available in rear wheel drive but not in the UK (thanks, UK consumers...)
So if you compare the X-Drive versions:
330e xDrive - 1845kg
M340i xDrive - 1745kg
Of course, the difference is that when it cannot use the battery, the 330e has only 181hp and the 340i has, well, more than double (374hp).
When can you not use the battery? Sure, it has only 181hp when muddling along at 70mph on cruise control during longer journeys. But even with the battery sitting at the usual 10 / 15% it maintains, you still get the full circa 250 and 290hp with extra boost if you need some acceleration. And the fuel consumption is better than decent at around 40mpg on longer runs. I suspect the full 290hp is only used as often as the 374hp in the 340i as well.So if you compare the X-Drive versions:
330e xDrive - 1845kg
M340i xDrive - 1745kg
Of course, the difference is that when it cannot use the battery, the 330e has only 181hp and the 340i has, well, more than double (374hp).
But as a company car the 330e tax advantage is a no brainer. And if you are lucky enough to get private fuel as well, your total motoring costs are less than you could depreciate or lease a basic Corsa for. Way better if you are lucky enough to have a 330e with an EC cert of conformity with 64km / 40 miles and dropping a tax band.
cc3 said:
With the amount of full electric cars coming to market with good range these are all of a sudden starting to look like yesterday’s news. Technology moves very quickly.
I disagree. Full electric doesn’t give you the range of the BMW. 330e is perfect for me - commute is covered by electric but I can go further afield like a normal ICE car.
And it’s quick.
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