Discussion
Hi guys,
I am looking at 330e's at the moment but cant find much about real world MPG for longer commutes. I know there is a 330e thread but it is 223 pages long and hasn't been updated for a while!
I currently do around 18k miles a year. Most of my work is a 200 mile drive away and i'm usually doing a 450 mile round trip on average. 90% of which is on a motorway.
I have a Mini Cooper S at the moment which I can just about squeeze 420 miles at 40mpg but it isn't very enjoyable.
Does anyone have any real world data for that sort of journey.
From what I have read I could get around 20 miles on battery which would get me onto the motorway from my house, and that I could charge the battery whilst using petrol only mode. How well does the hybrid system work when sat at 70mph (or less, I drive like a granny) is it actively saving you fuel once the battery has ran down by charging it in short burst and cutting the engine when your cruising or does it just stick with the petrol engine until you slow down and then it has a bit of electric range?
From a full tank on that sort of journey, how many miles would you be getting from full to empty?
I guess im looking for a 2016-2018, any recommendations on things like warranty and battery life etc would be great.
Thanks
I am looking at 330e's at the moment but cant find much about real world MPG for longer commutes. I know there is a 330e thread but it is 223 pages long and hasn't been updated for a while!
I currently do around 18k miles a year. Most of my work is a 200 mile drive away and i'm usually doing a 450 mile round trip on average. 90% of which is on a motorway.
I have a Mini Cooper S at the moment which I can just about squeeze 420 miles at 40mpg but it isn't very enjoyable.
Does anyone have any real world data for that sort of journey.
From what I have read I could get around 20 miles on battery which would get me onto the motorway from my house, and that I could charge the battery whilst using petrol only mode. How well does the hybrid system work when sat at 70mph (or less, I drive like a granny) is it actively saving you fuel once the battery has ran down by charging it in short burst and cutting the engine when your cruising or does it just stick with the petrol engine until you slow down and then it has a bit of electric range?
From a full tank on that sort of journey, how many miles would you be getting from full to empty?
I guess im looking for a 2016-2018, any recommendations on things like warranty and battery life etc would be great.
Thanks
Thanks guys.
As I go into London quite a bit and with the rising cost of Diesel, it was definitely putting me off getting a Diesel.
Its a shame they don't do a 330e D!
My budget is up to £20k so im not sure I could get a full electric with a decent range for that. Might be a full Diesel is the best compromise!
As I go into London quite a bit and with the rising cost of Diesel, it was definitely putting me off getting a Diesel.
Its a shame they don't do a 330e D!
My budget is up to £20k so im not sure I could get a full electric with a decent range for that. Might be a full Diesel is the best compromise!
The 330e uses the same engine as your cooper s (2.0 B48) so youll have a decent idea of real mpg. I believe the 330e gets a reliable 15-20mile range depending on weather.
Probably not the best suited car for your needs. I have an i3 120ah with a reliable 140-150 mile range in decent conditions, again not ideal unless you can charge at either end of your commute.
Probably not the best suited car for your needs. I have an i3 120ah with a reliable 140-150 mile range in decent conditions, again not ideal unless you can charge at either end of your commute.
Although I'm in the G20 330e we went from a F30 330d to it as a company car - the d did 50mpg overall avg, the wife was doing regular 160mile commutes to work and back but with the bik benefit there was no way we could get a 330d and basically had to take a PHEV back in November 2019 it landed and for the first couple of months it did the same level of miles - whilst the actual mpg is hard to ascertain as it takes the electron miles in to the equation the 330e was at least beating the 50mpg.
During the pandemic everything changed, all of our "stay local" miles were done on battery power, the wife now works from home and I generally use it as a commute (60 mile round trip) couple of times a week - it averages 65-67mpg now with all our local battery powered miles balancing it out.
Best to let the car do it's Hybrid thing - run it in Eco Pro mode and it will dip in and out of the battery/engine without you needing to do anything.
450 round trip will be a pain if the F 330e has a similar tiny tank compared to the G 330e, can barely fit £60 in there at the moment- so you'll be filling up on a regular basis
Mercedes do a hybrid diesel - that might be something for you to look at E300 DE
During the pandemic everything changed, all of our "stay local" miles were done on battery power, the wife now works from home and I generally use it as a commute (60 mile round trip) couple of times a week - it averages 65-67mpg now with all our local battery powered miles balancing it out.
Best to let the car do it's Hybrid thing - run it in Eco Pro mode and it will dip in and out of the battery/engine without you needing to do anything.
450 round trip will be a pain if the F 330e has a similar tiny tank compared to the G 330e, can barely fit £60 in there at the moment- so you'll be filling up on a regular basis
Mercedes do a hybrid diesel - that might be something for you to look at E300 DE
I've had both the F30 330e and now the G20 330e. Both excellent cars, but my main driving is around London.
Bad points: electric range isn't that great. For me it was about 10 miles real range in the F30 and 20 odd in the G20 - perfect for my needs though.
I've done long journeys on both of them - even driving through Europe and I love them. If you get a decently specced one you get the best of both worlds. Electric driving through town when it's charged up, and all the toys you'd expect in a 3 series.
When the battery is depleted it drives like a normal petrol car with the start/stop function at traffic lights.
Bad points: electric range isn't that great. For me it was about 10 miles real range in the F30 and 20 odd in the G20 - perfect for my needs though.
I've done long journeys on both of them - even driving through Europe and I love them. If you get a decently specced one you get the best of both worlds. Electric driving through town when it's charged up, and all the toys you'd expect in a 3 series.
When the battery is depleted it drives like a normal petrol car with the start/stop function at traffic lights.
I owned an F30 330e for 3 months, then got shot.
On the motorway it was less economical than my Audi S5.
I'd be sticking with pure ICE if I were you.
edit: 35mpg on the motorway versus 37 for the S5 if driven at speed limit. As soon as you go a bit faster, economy drops off that quite quickly.
edit:, oh and from memory, fuel tank size is compromised by battery fit, so long journey range is lower as well.
On the motorway it was less economical than my Audi S5.
I'd be sticking with pure ICE if I were you.
edit: 35mpg on the motorway versus 37 for the S5 if driven at speed limit. As soon as you go a bit faster, economy drops off that quite quickly.
edit:, oh and from memory, fuel tank size is compromised by battery fit, so long journey range is lower as well.
Edited by JonChalk on Thursday 14th July 17:32
Edited by JonChalk on Thursday 14th July 17:34
I've had two F30 330es. Records show the first one did a long term average of 60mpg and the second one did 54mpg. Not counting the electricity though. While I had the second one I was doing a lot of motorway driving so that probably explains the difference.
I don't agree with the notion that once the battery is depleted it's just a normal petrol ICE. It's a hybrid and that means you get the benefit of it making its own fuel when you brake as well as not having that annoying stutter when it has to restart the engine when the lights go green.
Watch out for rusty brake discs though. The pads are used rarely and the discs can rust and the pads seize in the calipers.
As someone else said, the tank is rather small though. I presume to make space for the battery,
I don't agree with the notion that once the battery is depleted it's just a normal petrol ICE. It's a hybrid and that means you get the benefit of it making its own fuel when you brake as well as not having that annoying stutter when it has to restart the engine when the lights go green.
Watch out for rusty brake discs though. The pads are used rarely and the discs can rust and the pads seize in the calipers.
As someone else said, the tank is rather small though. I presume to make space for the battery,
Watchthis said:
The 330e uses the same engine as your cooper s (2.0 B48) so youll have a decent idea of real mpg. I believe the 330e gets a reliable 15-20mile range depending on weather.
Probably not the best suited car for your needs. I have an i3 120ah with a reliable 140-150 mile range in decent conditions, again not ideal unless you can charge at either end of your commute.
The OP has already suggested a round trip of 400 miles. So an i3 is a non starter pardon the pun. I also have a mini cooper and have done 50k per year in the past. I have used Volvos/Golfs/BMW over the years. The 320d or maybe a VW golf are the kings of long range proving reliable and relative low running costs. The 330d is not bad alternative.Probably not the best suited car for your needs. I have an i3 120ah with a reliable 140-150 mile range in decent conditions, again not ideal unless you can charge at either end of your commute.
Thanks guys, definitely some things to think about then!
I have also been looking at Volvo S90's and V60's with a diesel engine so that could be the way to go for all these miles im doing. I think in the next 3 years ill be able to pull the trigger on a Model 3 or similar so just need something that isn't going to rinse me for the next 3 years!
I have also been looking at Volvo S90's and V60's with a diesel engine so that could be the way to go for all these miles im doing. I think in the next 3 years ill be able to pull the trigger on a Model 3 or similar so just need something that isn't going to rinse me for the next 3 years!
jacko198 said:
Thanks guys.
As I go into London quite a bit and with the rising cost of Diesel, it was definitely putting me off getting a Diesel.
Its a shame they don't do a 330e D!
My budget is up to £20k so im not sure I could get a full electric with a decent range for that. Might be a full Diesel is the best compromise!
You can get some diesel hybrids/plug-in hybrids though! The question is whether they are worth it. As I go into London quite a bit and with the rising cost of Diesel, it was definitely putting me off getting a Diesel.
Its a shame they don't do a 330e D!
My budget is up to £20k so im not sure I could get a full electric with a decent range for that. Might be a full Diesel is the best compromise!
The Volvo V60 D6 offers up decent performance, the question is, on a run will they return anywhere near the official figure of 155 mpg? Honest John Real MPG (which itself is far from perfect) gives a value of around 60 mpg for this car. £0 road tax though.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202206307...
Or you have the Mercedes C300dh a non-plug in diesel hybrid with an official figure of over 70 mpg...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202201211...
...but honest john reckons more like 50-odd mpg. Again £0 road tax.
So then that begs the question why not just go for something like a BMW 320d ED Plus, that can get a geniune 60+mpg on a run without the additional complexity of a hybrid system? Here's a 2018 model
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202206237...
Better yet, go for a pre-2017 model and they are also £0 road tax
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202203294...
Not the same thing, but Joe Achilles did 1100 miles in his 2016 BMW 730d:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tisMPZeCHzI
Was getting between 64 and 67 MPG out of it. Ok, was a long distance and economy run, but shows that some of these modern diesel engines can get very impressive MPG, when used in the right circumstances. Not sure if this would work, but as others have mentioned, maybe a diesel one given the distances involved?
BEV's are perfect for mixed traffic and are great across a wide spread of uses - city, stop/start and depending on model, out on the motorway. But a modern one starts getting expensive and tracking one down that you want, can be a challenge.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tisMPZeCHzI
Was getting between 64 and 67 MPG out of it. Ok, was a long distance and economy run, but shows that some of these modern diesel engines can get very impressive MPG, when used in the right circumstances. Not sure if this would work, but as others have mentioned, maybe a diesel one given the distances involved?
BEV's are perfect for mixed traffic and are great across a wide spread of uses - city, stop/start and depending on model, out on the motorway. But a modern one starts getting expensive and tracking one down that you want, can be a challenge.
Not wanting to take this off topic from BMW but a Mercedes E300de was mentioned as a diesel hybrid option. I went this route due to company car BIC rates which made a pure diesel out of the question. Mine has been brilliant on the 33 mile each way commute, long work journeys and towing my race car.
Average mpg since last service has been 113mpg with the mix of driving above. It will average over 60mpg+ with a depleted battery on return work trips where I have not been able to charge at the other end.
Overall very impressed.
Average mpg since last service has been 113mpg with the mix of driving above. It will average over 60mpg+ with a depleted battery on return work trips where I have not been able to charge at the other end.
Overall very impressed.
As others have said OP PHEV's aren't suited to this kind of journey profile. Once the battery is the ICE is carrying the extra battery weight. Regeneration is OK for a small cumulative top up but to charge from the engine tends to be very slow.
PHEV's come into their own when you can do lots of your driving on the battery. We've not put any fuel in ours since a 400 mile road trip in May. 95%+ of our trips are within the battery range.
PHEV's come into their own when you can do lots of your driving on the battery. We've not put any fuel in ours since a 400 mile road trip in May. 95%+ of our trips are within the battery range.
I drove a 330e then a 340d and it took no time at all to decide on a 1 year old 340d. I liked it more in every single way. The mpg according to our electrician who owns one is cloud cuckoo land on the e anyway.
The 340d was faster, sounded much better (yes the 6 cylinder diesels sound good to me and most passengers) and it is no dearer over a year to run than the strained-sounding 4 pot car.
Electrics are a stop gap and the downsides are starting to be realised, plenty of them too.
I will admit i drove my uncle's Taycan Turbo S in Durham last weekend and the acceleration was stunning, just jaw dropping. But i drove 20 varied miles, mostly enjoying myself and the range dropped by 90 miles.
The 340d was faster, sounded much better (yes the 6 cylinder diesels sound good to me and most passengers) and it is no dearer over a year to run than the strained-sounding 4 pot car.
Electrics are a stop gap and the downsides are starting to be realised, plenty of them too.
I will admit i drove my uncle's Taycan Turbo S in Durham last weekend and the acceleration was stunning, just jaw dropping. But i drove 20 varied miles, mostly enjoying myself and the range dropped by 90 miles.
Shabaza said:
For that level of commuting, PHEVs are wholly unsuitable
It would be worth considering full electric if you can charge at both ends of the trip.
Otherwise a you'd b better served with a 320d/330d.
Left wing choice if you are set on phev, then perhaps a diesel hybrid such as the E class
My mind went straight to diesel, and the F30 330D is about the pinnacle of what a diesel engine can be imo. You'll get 40mpg all day long almost regardless of driving style and it'll do 60 in 5 seconds. I had one, and followed up with a 430d GC (four door coupe) which was actually even better to drive and even more practical.It would be worth considering full electric if you can charge at both ends of the trip.
Otherwise a you'd b better served with a 320d/330d.
Left wing choice if you are set on phev, then perhaps a diesel hybrid such as the E class
I really can't say enough positive things about BMW's straight six diesels. They even sound nice and rev freely. Witchcraft!
Electrics not for me said:
But i drove 20 varied miles, mostly enjoying myself and the range dropped by 90 miles.
Range is a constantly changing prediction. If it dropped by 90 miles as you were "enjoying" yourself, that figure is based on you continuing to enjoy yourself. No different to an ICE car IME.Gassing Station | EV and Alternative Fuels | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff