2023 BMW 330i LCI Review.. NOT For Everyone

[@MeynMotorGroup]

See my 2022 BMW M440i Review here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fZjZd2x6dtmqlbc

[@MaverickEchoJuliet]

I have the 330i LCI M sport with Adaptive M Suspension and she rides like a dream !

[@Aniki1111]

These are my favorite reviews when you drive it and commentary. This is one of the best channels for automotive because you are real about things and down to earth

[@MeynMotorGroup]

Thank you my friend!

[@Aniki1111]

@@MeynMotorGroup I also saw you mentioned tail of the dragon. I was there with my Elantra a month ago when I was figuring out where I wanted to live. I should have stopped by if I knew you were so close 🤣. It was real scary honestly a lot of engine braking on that highway and body roll

[@louissnipe7094]

You have the best reviews hands down. The stuff I actually care about: How does it drive.

[@MeynMotorGroup]

I’m glad the content was valuable my friend!

[@jberry1979]

Is the screen far enough under the roof line to avoid glare from the sun?

[@eshanmirash2456]

I took delivery of one on Saturday and can confirm that glare does not affect the screens at all. It has a matte finish which also helps

[@E_N_D_E_R_G_E_B_N_I_S]

A real Bimmer driver needs that sporty suspension setup, for shure...;)

[@samrosen9823]

I'm happy they gave this one the regular grille. The larger grille actually looks great on the true M cars as it is sculpted to the hood and body, whereas it was kind of just tacked onto the 4 series coupe. Save the big grilles for the performance cars, bmw made the right call.

[@jeffamburgey7485]

Excellent review, Kevin, and proud that you mentioned the Alfa, which is so magnificent and probably overlooked because of the reputation of trouble and lack of dealer support in some areas. A close friend loaned me his new cloverleaf in the most beautiful shade of blue one over a year ago, I can not get the car out of my mind. I want one.

[@MeynMotorGroup]

Yes sir those who have personally tried an Alfa really understand and begin to appreciate those cars. Super happy you got to try their high performance Quad model, wish I could check one out I bet I would want one too 😅

[@jeffamburgey7485]

I guarantee you would, I cannot get the car out of my head, if ever the term "drivers car" could be defined for me, that car is it. The blue with the black is so striking, but the way the car is just so magical to drive is hard to put into words.

[@MeynMotorGroup]

@@jeffamburgey7485 niceee super happy you got to test that I wish I had better manufacturing support to test these vehicles

[@Turbs2008]

i think these are pretty decent all round cars, great review!

[@MeynMotorGroup]

Hey thanks for stopping by my friend and I def agree!

[@ShowMeWhatINeedToKnow]

I really like the G20 over the F30, in general. They fixed a lot of the F30 deficiencies - and it's a lot more fun than the F30 as well. Only issue, aside from iDrive8, is that every version of the G20 I've driven is way too firm to me.

[@MeynMotorGroup]

I agree with you my friend def an improvement over the older model and yes climate control in the new system is a pain and certainly firm. But could you please share your thoughts on the difference between M sport and standard suspension? Thanks as always for your support and the information you share.

[@ShowMeWhatINeedToKnow]

@@MeynMotorGroup -- The standard suspension was a bit too firm for a daily driver, IMO -- but FUN and agile. Too choppy over broken pavement on the freeway though -- it was a mess. The m-sport was fucking brutal, especially on 19 inch wheels -- I don't know who the hell could put up with that. I'm not sure if I've driven the adaptive or not -- I did take a M340i out at a BMW event and it may have had the adaptive, as it definitely wasn't as bad as the m-sport that I took for a drive -- that car felt closer to the standard suspension, which it may have had. So can't weigh in on the adaptive.

[@MeynMotorGroup]

Yup that’s pretty much what I noticed, this M sport was pretty choppy on the freeway sad the regular suspension was still like that. Yea M Sport is pretty dang stiff I’m not gonna lie I kinda enjoyed it 😅 but def not for everyone at all, most should avoid. I drove an M440i and you’re right the M car was honestly softer than this 330i which is insane but like you I don’t remember if it had the adaptive suspension 😅 Other reviewers mentioned it makes a difference I would probably just throw it on the car if I was building one. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your detailed thoughts I think this will be very valuable to anyone reading. Please take care

[@ShowMeWhatINeedToKnow]

@@MeynMotorGroup Thanks for the review and keeping it real, man.

[@andhrax1]

Great music and informative review, but man M Sport is a must!

[@nashk935]

Bmw in my place, they tuned the suspension to less stiff because a lot of complains and bad review. Luckily they did heard us. And then quickly offer Adaptive M Sport Suspension for new 330i model build after March.

[@MeynMotorGroup]

That is great to hear! Do you mind sharing with us where you are located?

[@nashk935]

@@MeynMotorGroup Malaysia

[@MeynMotorGroup]

@@nashk935 👍

[@sv82350]

how would you rank the following sedans: 330i, TLX, ES 350, A4, CT5

[@MeynMotorGroup]

Man I totally forgot to mention the TLX and the caddy 😅 those def compete in this segment. 330i easily tuned to be the sportiest and stiffest if you enjoy that. TLX actually has an amazing chassis that hits way above it’s weight class but the engine and transmission bring the TLX experience down. I drove the CT4 and handled great, feels less aggressive than this 330i but almost the same capabilities. Interior felt pretty spartan and basic, but functional. ES 350 and A4 are the clouds but the A4 comes with some better capability/handling. Get the ES or IS 350 F sport if you are financing or paying cash they just have the better resale value.

[@alengreen589]

I like this 3 - series very much Kevin but i would never pay the price where BMW wants for this car, here in Germany. Thanks Kevin 😀

[@MeynMotorGroup]

Oh wow I thought these were a great deal in Germany.

[@alengreen589]

@@MeynMotorGroup great deal 😅, starting price for this 2 L Turbo, RWD and Autom. Transm. with 242 HP is $ 60k and if you go for the M Sport Modell with a few nice comfy and safety features + a little bit nice interior for your eyes, it cost $ 80k.

[@MeynMotorGroup]

Jeez that’s crazy. Do you think it’s because these cars are now made in Mexico and are technically considered an imported vehicle?

[@alengreen589]

@@MeynMotorGroup the 3 -series is being built in Germany, München for Europe, maybe thats why the car is so expensive?

[@MeynMotorGroup]

Man it seems like cars will never be affordable again. US should be thankful for how obtainable cars are here with the various ways of buying but no instead it’s a lot of complaining

[@beWorldly]

Thanks for this excellent review. I'm looking to buy my first BMW, 330i (or 340i to get the Advanced Driver Assistance Package - which, sadly, isn't available in the 330i). But my main question for you is: - whats the main reason you said that BMW is a lease car (and not a finance or cash car) - is it because they're unreliable? or the depreciate really fast, or something else? Thanks a lot man. Appreciate your awesome review.

[@MeynMotorGroup]

It's due to a mix of both my friend, reliability & cost of maintenance/parts is what causes these Euro cars to depreciate so fast. Not to mention, you may get bored of this car in 2-3 years so leasing just ends up being the best way to enjoy these Euro cars without headache. Helps if you have a business to write off the payments. Thanks for your support and kind words!

[@siddharthr1853]

I went with the 330i M Sport and here in India its a 90K USD car and misses on a lot of options like heated/cooled seats, lumbar support, passive entry, m-sport suspension and more. Now 3 months into the ownership I kinda wish that it had more power because I don't feel scared driving it. Hope someone declares war on India and setup a new government that does not have crazy taxes on cars.

[@MeynMotorGroup]

Oh wow that is expensive literally twice the price of what it costs in the U.S. Sorry to hear it’s not powerful enough for you M340i would have been perfect for you but for 90% of people I feel they would have been happy with the 330i got up to 130 mph for me no issues. Hopefully countries can relax their taxes

[@Southpaw-qc9gh]

Don’t worry, wars coming. The dollars bout to break. Check out the protests in France

[@manofsesame3024]

Why not just ask some local industrialists to open a Bimmer production plant locally? Like Thailand and Malaysia (one of them produce Mercedes not BMW). Most of the BMW 3 cars we have here in North America are built from Mexico. Only some earlier batches were from Germany

[@siddharthr1853]

​@@manofsesame3024 BMW already has a local production plant in India. They only assemble the cars here and not manufacture them. The taxes are something like 30% for importing the disassembled cars + 28% GST + 22% CESS + 20% road tax. On top of this, the CEO of BMW India is really lethargic and a coaster who just does enough to not get fired. If he was passionate about his work and the company he would have assembled M3 in India but NO. He will not go through the effort it requires to setup assembly structure for complex vehicles like M3 or even electric cars for that matter which has basically 0 tax in India. We could get i4 M50 for 60K USD but he wont do it because he could not care less

[@sebasromero2505]

There are places where is even more expensive. Where I live you have to multiply the msrp (US) by 2,2 and that is the price. Yeah more than 100% in taxes.

[@darrell9616]

A well done and comprehensive review. Big thanks for including Alfa in the conversation. A lot of people sleep on that car, to their detriment. You also called out its biggest weakness, the dealer network, which is very true. If you're lucky to have a good dealer nearby, an extended warranty from FCA can be purchased very cheaply, which will address any potential concerns about reliability. The Guilia is, without question, the driver's car in the segment. It's far from perfect as an overall package, but it drives very well. Your comments about the previous C-class are interesting. I test drove two 2020 C43 AMGs expecting to be impressed, but the experience left me cold. I didn't understand why people raved about the car so much and still don't. I can't speak for the C300.

[@MeynMotorGroup]

Hey thank you for the Super thanks and for your love and support in general Darrell! Yea my friend loved how that Stelvio drived def had more character than this BMW. I think if you can get a great dealer near you as you said it can be a blast to own. I hope the new C class is better but I know many are sad that even the AMG models will be 4 cylinder only

[@darrell9616]

@@MeynMotorGroup You were also right about the Audi. I've driven several regular and S models and none of them encourage you to want to engage. They're capable cars to be sure, but fail to put a smile on your face, in my experience.

[@MeynMotorGroup]

Yea my friend I agree great cars very smooth but no real communication or excitement good for a certain crowd of people who are looking for that

[@freewilly5073]

What would you buy to own on the used market? I'm looking into m340i x drive models due to the aftermarket support. A sub 40k miles m340 is about 45k which is the same price as the is350 f sport awd of that year and mileage. I am looking for the sporty driving experience while still being reliable enough. Is the lexus fast enough or is the b58 with the zf8 just that much better?

[@MeynMotorGroup]

Life is too short to pass up on what you really want. You're already committed to buying a car so buy what you want. Get your BMW but just buy it the right way. Either you lease a new one from Autocompanion who is offering 6% off MSRP + $1,000 in lease incentive so a $63k M340i with those discounts will be $58k and lease for $920 a month with 0 down 36 months. If you buy used just make sure it is CPO from BMW as long as you are under warranty it doesn't matter what car you drive. Get a Dinan tune since that continues to get covered under BMW warranty. If you want to extend the warranty look into Route 66 or Fidelity warranties. Understand that modern day cars are disposable and not meant to be hung unto like a family heirloom. So it's imperative that you are always covered.

[@freewilly5073]

@MeynMotorGroup I watched your other videos about the lease route and it makes financial sense for those that want to get in and out of cars. I want to own the car for longer and modify it so I will go the CPO route. I will definitely look into an extended service agreement to keep me protected from the electronics. Thank you for the feedback since I was looking at spending 650 a month financing a 2021 m340i for 46k out the door before factoring in the service agreement. I will try to save up more and put 20k down instead of 10k down.

[@MeynMotorGroup]

@@freewilly5073 you can certainly put money down if you want to my friend but really the purpose of financing is to save one’s capital, it takes an eternity to save up that type of money but can be spent in mere seconds. If you want, you can do a $0 down finance and once your balance drops to $10k or $20k, then you can pay it off but up to you brother. CPO is good because you should be able to get more favorable interest rates from BMW you can check on BMWs website. Best of luck my friend and when you pull the trigger, let us know!

[@Leader246]

Thank you for a truly informative review. I particularly appreciated your comments on the suspension options

[@MeynMotorGroup]

I'm glad it was helpful sir!

[@premiermusicgroup3245]

Thank you for the honest review. What kind/size of tires do you recommend for smooth and quiet daily driving? Thanks.

[@MeynMotorGroup]

no problem my friend, I think continental all season tires are one of the quieter tires on the market while still offering plenty of grip. Performance all seaons are a great choice for cars like the 3 series.

[@jasondai6276]

it suck that they only offerred regular tire when the car was first launch in 2019-2020 as an option.

[@kennyli5838]

wireless charging isn't something you would want to option on. From what I've seen, ppl say it heats up a lot, and judging by the way where BMW puts it in and without additional vent at the slot, it will overheat the phone.

[@MeynMotorGroup]

This is very true actually

[@mobster2]

Your videos are awesome! So informational and technical which i love. Only thing, could you do some POV driving? Maybe some 0-60 pulls? Would be nice to connect your thoughts to what your experiencing first hand. Thanks!

[@MeynMotorGroup]

Hi my friend I’m very happy that the content is valuable to you. I used to do some POV content but sadly they didn’t get very many views. I personally don’t do instrumented testing like 0-60 primarily because every other Tom, Dick, & Harry is doing the same. In my experience, some of the cars that excel on paper, suck to drive in person or have no character. This is part of the reason why I started to review cars because I just wasn’t agreeing with the mainstream, all they did was worship specs and not all those spec sheet cars were great. Hopefully this helped to give you some insight in how I look at cars and the reason why I test vehicles the way I do, I just want a car that you can connect with and has just a bit of soul.

[@chiquiiflow]

ma boy has 2022 330i with msport package and I got my self a 2023 330i with msport package but for some reason he has limiter at 130mph and I don’t, do you or someone knows why is that ?

[@Excalabur50]

Awesome review Thanks Kevin!

[@MeynMotorGroup]

Appreciate you my friend!

[@jgionti3]

Fantastic review. Thanks for posting.

[@MeynMotorGroup]

Glad it was helpful!

[@gregjones2472]

Kevin, do you have a bang for the buck pick in the used sedan category currently? Anyone else feel free to chime in as well. Thanks

[@MeynMotorGroup]

Yea I think 2013 and up GS 350 is pretty solid I do like the 09-14 TL SH-AWD but I think GS will be less problematic

[@gregjones2472]

@@MeynMotorGroup Thanks for the reply. I must admit that I've never paid that much attention to the GS line. I'll take a look at your videos on it.

[@Unfinished_sentenc]

Another perfect review, thank you! I prefer better steering feel, a more supple ride and old-school control dials. Audi checks these boxes and so many more from my perspective.

[@MeynMotorGroup]

Hey thanks again for stopping by, yes the Audi is certainly a great all-rounder for sure!

[@Drivescape]

Why would you go the leasing route instead of purchasing it outright? I plan on keeping this car for a long time, is it a reliable car?

[@MeynMotorGroup]

You do know you can purchase the vehicle after the lease is over right?

[@Drivescape]

@@MeynMotorGroup okay thats good to know

[@MeynMotorGroup]

@@Drivescape this way you can take advantage of the relatively low interest rate on a BMW lease of around 4.5% along with manufacturing lease cash on top of a dealer discount that you otherwise would not be able to get if you financed or paid cash. But the primary benefit, is if God Forbid an accident takes place or vehicle is totaled, in a lease contract the dealer has to take the vehicle back at the end of the lease no penalty to you. If you financed the car is completely on your head. Leasing has a set buy back price or residual baked in that protects from an insane drop in value. Last benefit is pretty much all the lease payments go towards building equity in the vehicle. When you finance a car for 60-72 months, the first 2-3 years those payments primarily go towards the interest and very little to the principal which is why so many people are upside down on their cars when they finance.

[@MMMitchell673]

@@MeynMotorGroupso how would u maintain low mileage while leasing

[@carlosalfaromora4882]

Where do u get the trunk lip?, very nice!!!

[@MeynMotorGroup]

This came with the test vehicle my friend

[@praetorian3571]

What is reliability going to be like?

[@MeynMotorGroup]

Lease one and find out

[@Billybobthor]

Excellent, thorough review.

[@MeynMotorGroup]

Thank you my friend glad it was valuable

[@tonle9292]

Thank you for your review!

[@MeynMotorGroup]

And thank you my friend for stopping by

[@donaldduck2801]

I just wonder , by touching so many times the screen doesent you get a lot fingerprints on it ? And if it does you can wipe them off I suppose. But doing that will there be a risk of scratching. That would be verry anoying after a couple years.

[@MeynMotorGroup]

That is correct will def show the finger prints, microfiber cloth is really the only way to keep it clean

[@donaldduck2801]

@@MeynMotorGroup If wiping out everyday Im afraid someday the screen will be scratched . Do you think its glass or plastic ? With hardened glass its not a problem. Greetings from holland.

[@maxidrivemaxidrive4330]

Best fair review!

[@MeynMotorGroup]

Glad you found value my friend!

[@hichsham6848]

Here in morocco the Lexus es 300h fully loaded and the mid range 3 series are priced the same ( around 60 000 USD ) , but the resale value of the Lexus here is terrible compared to german cars ..

[@Travler-xr]

why Japanese car don’t hold value in your country just curious?

[@taylorj959a]

The bad ride quality is due to the run flat tires. If you had the xDrive model it would be quicker and JUMP without tire spin.

[@MeynMotorGroup]

Hello my friend, replacing run flat tires will help a vehicle feel smoother over broken roads but sadly will not help in the bouncy jolting ride quality most bmw products have. There is no wheel spin with the rwd model of the 330i so do you think xdrive would still make the 330i faster as it is adding more weight and parasitic lose? Thank you and God Bless!

[@AntLive29]

This or a base M340?

[@MeynMotorGroup]

That’s a great question. From an MSRP perspective base M340i all day long. But it’s become extremely expensive to lease now like $900+ even with loyalty so for those reasons, I would stick to an under $50k 330i and buy something else if I wanted something faster.

[@FURDOG1961]

8:40...LOL

[@MeynMotorGroup]

😅

[@ivanbodurov]

Everyone is talking about 300 horsepower cars. It's like you were born to be a motorsport racer and you have to improve world acceleration records every day.

[@MeynMotorGroup]

You kind of have to when you start shelling out $50k of peoples hard earned money. Some might be satisfied with mediocrity and not care about getting what they pay for, but the vast majority of people do care and want to know exactly what they’re getting for the price tag.

[@Smy65]

Your hand is to high,bring down the steering,it looks cool.

[@darrell9616]

Thanks!

[@MeynMotorGroup]

Thanks so much my friend really appreciate the support!

[@tonyleung2442]

The best way to enjoy this machine is through Rental company during a trip😂 Zero worry about car theft. No Maintenance issue 😂

[@MeynMotorGroup]

Yea this is why I lease and dump new cars

[@theodoreyoung8777]

Yo bro good morning 🤝😎👍🏾👍🏾

[@MeynMotorGroup]

Hey bro Good morning!

[@theodoreyoung8777]

@@MeynMotorGroup 🤝😎

[@losangeles.ie91]

I love the LCI exterior HATE the interior 🤮 it’s cold, bland and not driver focused. Just a long iPad on the dash that also looks hideous.

[@tonyn3227]

Looks nice but so overpriced, no thanks

[@weablewabble]

So I bought the 2023 330i xdrive in Brooklyn grey (more like New York Grey) and Tacora interior. I Have no idea why the put everything into the touch screen. Is really annoying and the learning curve is ridiculous. Not a fan of run flat tires and will definitely get the spare tire. Thats really my only pet peaves, but enough the touch screen is enough to turn people away. Sorry, but thats the truth. Quit putting everything into the touch screen or hepatic steering wheel! Mercedes did the same thing with the C300 and the Audi Q5 interior is dated. Hopefully Audi will learn for BMW and Mercedes that not every one wants everything in the touchscreen and hepatic steering. Thank God they didnt put the crazy new grill on. Its a joke. I would never have bought it. Yeah, a little stiff but not punishing. The gas mileage is great for a sports car, a BMW to boot and it is a looker. Yes, its a daily driver and very comfortable.

[@MMMitchell673]

What type gas

[@weablewabble]

Premium

[@Mr.Helper.]

It’s only 255 hp

[@MeynMotorGroup]

The entire point was to explain it feels much more than that. God Bless you my friend.

[@Mr.Helper.]

@@MeynMotorGroupfor some reason I thought the old 3 series had more hp then 255 … haven’t had a 3 series in like 15 years

[@ryanmalcolm8311]

Sooo slow. I went with the M40i. Waaay better

[@MeynMotorGroup]

Compared to an M340i obviously the 4 cylinder is slower. Compared to the other 4 cylinders in this class, this 330i smokes all of them. I think it’s important to compare apples to apples besides this car got to its 130 mph top speed just fine. It’s more than enough for street driving

[@ryanmalcolm8311]

@@MeynMotorGroup it’s a boring car. The 3 series used to be great. For the money it falls short. Hell my WRX was more engaging to drive. If you just want run of mill bmw sedan sure. But if you want the “ultimate driving machine” the 330 is not for you. I wasn’t comparing just stating my opinion. You’re better off buying a CPO M340 and saving some cash.

[@MeynMotorGroup]

I wouldn’t call these cars boring but you’re right modern cars do feel more detached. Did you test an M Sport 330i or a standard 330i before buying your M340?

[@ryanmalcolm8311]

@@MeynMotorGroup I actually purchased x3M40. It’s insane off the line. Ya I test drove the m sport 330 and 440. I was missed that analog feel for sure. Next car will be M5. But they are 130K here in a Canada

[@MeynMotorGroup]

@@ryanmalcolm8311 oh I see but yes regardless of the vehicle the in-line 6 from BMW is a rocket for sure. I think if one is looking for more feel in a vehicle perhaps Alfa is good but I’m not a fan of their questionable build quality and transmission performance isn’t as good as BMW. Either way massive congrats on your new X3 M40i, enjoy my friend.

[@theodoreyoung8777]

👊🏾👍🏾👍🏾

[@mharro88]

Interior is awful. Last gen is way nicer.. Don't see the point of this. I'd be bored driving it in 3 months. Get a real M car.

[@MeynMotorGroup]

“Real M” will be the same story tired in 3 months. All these Euro cars get boring after a few months only worth leasing

[@mharro88]

@@MeynMotorGroup not the last gen M2 , one of their finest.

[@MeynMotorGroup]

@@mharro88 these cars just ride way too stiff to be enjoyable as street cars. Turbo engines have no soul which doesn’t help

[@mharro88]

@@MeynMotorGroup M2 has adaptive suspension they're soft when you want them to be

[@legacyjeetkunedo492]

The screen is hideous and looks glued onto the dash.

[@theunkownmr.562]

Looks good, actually.

[@Dr.Ijaz_ab]

Only n videos, looks good in person

[@spoonshine91]

Personal preference I think. I love mine.

[@ReedOman-wg3bu]

I just rented one for a week, I love the new screen and tech, way better than pre LCI version