BMW 3 Series 2023 review: 330e | Why the Mercedes-Benz C-Class rival isn't a good plug-in hybrid car

[@dazzerpaul4302]

I have had my 330e Touring for a couple of months now. I understand the point about low range but I didn’t want a full electric car. The navigation will automatically flip you into electric mode in town centres. The performance and drive is exceptional, the cabin is beautifully designed. This is a very good car.

[@stanthemafia]

I agree but the BMW PHEVS have really had range. The mercs don’t but BMW drives better

[@crecasens]

Yeah, I’m the same. I simply don’t feel comfortable with full electric. I just ordered the 330e and my job is only about 15 minutes from home on all surface streets. So will probably be able to go to and from work every day without using any petrol. What would be nice is a review of the car captain hybrid mode. I’m told that the range is quite good and the battery/petrol mix is very efficient and and hybrid mode.

[@Blondul11]

@@stanthemafia I think you'd lose the "drives better" part with a bigger and heavier battery.

[@Blondul11]

@@crecasens It's a good car. I don't regret buying mine (not a company buyer by the way)

[@kirthgersen3968]

I have had a 330e Touring xDrive (G21) for more than one year now. I can recharge at home and not burn gas at all on my daily commute (twice 10 miles). On the other hand, I travel from the Paris region to the south of France (800 km/500 miles) once every two months or so. The longer distance I've achieved in full electric mode has been 54km (33.6 miles). You can think this is not enough, and sure, the 80 km of the Mercedes is better. Except that it doesn't change anything as long as I can do my daily trips in EV mode. On the other hand the BMW ride seems much more dynamic than the C class. My average consumption over more than 1.5 year/30000km (18600 miles) is 5.2l/100km (54 UK mpg), plus 8.9kWh/100km. On pure petrol consumption point of view, this is much better than my previous petrol car (Skoda Octavia) with which I was over 8.3l/100km (34 mpg) in the same conditions. Worst consumption achieved in winter, with winter tires, no initial battery charge, and with a roof case: 8.5l/100km (33.2mpg) Usually, I'm around 7 to 7.5l/100km (40.4 to 37.7mpg) on long distances on highways (at around 90mph). I disagree with the comment on regeneration. I find it working particularly well on the BMW, and you never lack the support of the electric engine during long distances journeys. What may be different from other PHEVs is the fact that the focus here is on making the car dynamic and responsive rather than focusing entirely on cutting fuel consumption. Still, by my calculations, with petrol and electric prices here in France, I will start saving money over a 330i after 35,000 km (21,750 miles). That's the most fun car I have had since I started driving in 1985. The ride is excellent. I'm driving quite often in small roads in the Pyrénées mountains. About the additional weight, I'd say this is felt only in very particular conditions, such has braking hard or curves taken at (too) high a speed. And btw, it's not that much heavier compared to a 330d. Overall, so far, I'm fully satisfied with the car.

[@ahlsn7346]

I also have a 330e Touring xDrive and I agree with your view. I've got mine new 9 months ago and have driven 20000km. I did a 5000km trip from Sweden to the alps in the summer with no charging what so ever. With 160-180km/h on unrestricted autobahn through Germany and some faster driving in the Austrian and Italian alps the consumption ended on 6.7l/100km with 3 people and luggage in the car. Since new it's on 4.7l/100km total so it's obvious I use far less petrol in my everyday life, driving only electric to work and some petrol in the weekends. More range would change very little. Reveiwers and people in general are far to hung up on range of PHEVs. A 330i in same setup would probably give me 8-9l/100km and a lot higher tax. I would also miss out on remote climate control in both cold and hot whether. Not to mention the silky smooth and silent ride in electric town driving.

[@smetljesm2276]

@@ahlsn7346 Thank you for your 1st hand view. I am considering getting a used one, since it does look like a somewhat of a bargain... Would you advise for it or against it as a used car? Your answer is much appreciated.😊

[@smetljesm2276]

@ahlsn Thank you for your 1st hand view. I am considering getting a used one, since it does look like a somewhat of a bargain... Would you advise for it or against it as a used car? Your answer is much appreciated.😊

[@lucasb6207]

C300e after 10k km: 2.4 Liter /100 km + 14.6 KWh / 100 km. More important: I manage to do about 75 % of distance and 85 % of driven time electrically. I like it a lot. And I am a BMW guy ;-) You can do a lot with the C300e, but don't try to "drive" it... it was made for quiet "gliding" ;-)

[@Blondul11]

Regarding regeneration, it definitely works well. I tested it in the Romanian mountains with a 330e sedan. Going up to 2200m in Xtraboost, and coming down with almost no braking (just regen), in the normal hybrid mode. I was surprised to see my fuel consumption was ~9l/100km, considering I started with a dead battery, and watched it recharge while going down. In my previous car BMW 118i, which had a lot less power, the same journey was at 14l/100km.

[@MrSam13]

Seems indeed that in other parts of the world than Western Europe they don’t realize it costs you thousands more if you buy a 330i instead of a 330e , just taxes every year , 99 percent of the people will choose the plug-in hybrid already for that reason only 🤷‍♂️

[@numbell]

I refuelled mine at the end of last month, and since then (10 days), I have driven 550 km, I still have 45% (210 km) left in the tank.

[@johnfidler9514]

Good review but a bit harsh on the plug-in aspect. Purchased my new 330e LCI late November 2022. Three thousand kilometres later I’ve burned through about 50 litres of petrol. Daily shuttling around Brisbane is nearly always 100% electric. Regular trips 120 kilometres up the highway to the Sunshine Coast flatten the battery in about 40 kilometres so overall fuel economy for the trip is typically around 4 litres /100km. More important it’s an absolute hoot to drive. So is the 330e a good PHEV? Emphatically ‘yes’. And I’ve never switched the aircon off.

[@cma7427]

How do you find the acceleration on elec mode only ?

[@johnfidler9514]

@@cma7427 Can’t help with a figure for that. I pretty well just leave it in hybrid mode and let the car figure out what it wants to do. On the odd occasion when I’ve selected battery only it felt entirely adequate.

[@JoostH.]

Reason these cars exits is mainly due to tax benefits in most European countries. Over here (NL) it’s 15k and cheaper then a 330i en 50% discount on road tax.

[@eylemkeskin]

How much do you pay to run this car in the NL for a year ?

[@KungPowEnterFist]

I have had my 2021 330e for 1.7 years now. I get 24-26 miles all electric using and driving the car like a normal person. I can get 30-31 miles all electric using and driving the car for maximum range. I have done daily commute tests (~23 miles round trip) where I started with (nearly) 0% battery and did not plug it in for two weeks. In that scenario driving the car in the city like a normal person, I get 34-35MPG. Starting with (nearly) 0% on a long highway trip its 35-36MPG. Any charge you put in the battery prior to setting off notably increases the MPG of the trip unless its, like, thousands of miles trip.

[@Blondul11]

I managed to 35 miles all electric. But that was on a day when it wasn't too cold or hot, just with the sunroof open and no aircon. But I can confirm the rest of your findings.

[@KungPowEnterFist]

@@Blondul11 I just got back from a 965 mile total road trip. About 450 each way on the highway, and the other 65 miles were local at the destination. Started with a 100% charge. Charged twice at the destination and spent those miles local. Charged to 100% again for the trip home. All in all, I used 23.3 gallons and four charges to go 965 miles. Three of those charges were free at the hotel (3 hour limit, 7.2kW charger) and the other was from home ($1.25). It was about $0.088 per mile.

[@rallychamp2003]

I plug in my 2024 320e Touring overnight (using a standard 240V household socket) and this means I can do all my commuting and city errands on 100% electric. And trips out of town are very fuel efficient. This car is excellent at recapturing energy when decelerating which is particularly noticeable when driving in hilly terrain. At the bottom of a long hill it will have recharged 8 or 9 km on the battery which would otherwise be lost in non-hybrid cars. In August, in total I used 8.9 litres of petrol in 435 km of driving. Also, the My BMW app is amazing.

[@brianiswrong]

It's not about what miles to the gallon (hello from the uk🇬🇧,you know the place you lot lived before you were guilty as charged and sent to australia😇) It's all about the BIK (benefit in kind) as a company car.

[@cma7427]

😂

[@dazzerpaul4302]

Exactly, mines a company car. Best car I’ve had in 30 years and I’ve had them all. Massive BIK savings.

[@SuperPauliet]

If you dare to drive a diesel car now the taxman wants an arm and a leg if you in BIK. Equivalent diesel company car to my 330e Msport would cost me over £5k a year more. That plus the fact it’s a great looking car and seriously good to drive.

[@baoquoc3710]

The 330e is actually not inconvenient like EV, yet still get the comfortability and the tax credits that made it sensible for everyday use of the regular ICEs. BMW is right about the flexibility of drivetrain choices rather than fighting an losing EV battle.

[@Erelyes]

Somehow the reviewer completely misses the point of a PHEV, which is to have a vehicle you can refuel on longer trips, but use electric-only on short ones.

[@shamone10]

Lol, I found this whole video hilarious, can’t believe it was factual because it was like a comedy sketch to me 😅 love from the UK xx

[@timvanderlee]

Fun fact. Because of emmision tax in the netherlands. The hybrid 330e is 3700 euros cheaper then the 330i

[@eylemkeskin]

How much does it cost to run a 330e in the NL for a year?

[@SlonopotamIII]

Same in Ireland

[@oliver_mendi]

I love how you can still get the touring in Australia.

[@jwe001yt]

Poor testing, it is a great car, 5 ltr/100km for such a powerful car is excellent. Range combined is at least 600km. Mentioned electric alternatives struggle to reach 300-350km. And where is the infrastructure to recharge. I bought my fourth one, very recommended

[@John-ro3vu]

This is a really good video, I agree with a lot of it. I just traded in my WRX on one of these. I’ve got level 2 charging at home, so I’ve been getting around 85 mpgs US using it mostly in EV mode. I really like the way the car handles and feels, and it’s smooth and tolerable on the road and highway, but still very engaging and satisfying in xtraboost. All these PHEVs are a trade off, and if you go into it knowing what you are getting into it’s probably not a big deal, but I could see this car seeming like a gimmick to a traditional motorist. I settled on this car mostly because I wanted a plug in EV but also wanted 4 Doors and AWD, and I didn’t want a 4WD or NPC car (crossover).

[@willmac5642]

Just ordered one of these and picking it up in a few days. The ev only range isnt great but for daily school run it just works ok (for us) we do 25km per run in total and before afternoon pick up which gives time to recharge. So i guess people wd research this before purchase and choose something else if daily runs were alot longer

[@LastChanceFossil]

Just bought an E46, 5 speed manual 325i, straight 6. Going to replace a few parts, but will enjoy that puuuurrrrrrrr. Oh it cost me $4,800 AUD. One day I will afford and justify getting a new BMW.

[@kbling2946]

Great review as always! I have to ask, where is the ‘23 spec RAV4 hybrid reviews for Australia? It’s been out for months and still not one review in OZ. I’m assuming Toyota isn’t making one available 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@joemclaughlin995]

Not a big fan of hybrids from personal experience. Buy the BMW 3 series 20d or the six cylinder 30 diesel. All the car you will ever need with shocking levels of torque, 60's mpg and resale values like no other car. BMW's best kept secret !

[@thetad1242]

Must car 5.0l/100km is not through the roof as you put it.

[@stakon84]

Actually Mercedes sacrificed practicality for range adding extra batteries. So it's boot is 310 lts, meaning not even able to get 2 big suitcases, that is totally basic for a family car. Moreover it is much heavier. Both of them are great cars and the question is practicality and sportiveness vs higher range.

[@goran2734]

Clickbait Title. Mercedes plug-ins are in a league of their own. My A250E gets better hybrid specs than all other car brands, even classes higher then it. I'm getting 80km or pure electric range in the city and at 2 degrees outside temp - ambient lighting, heating etc. included! Not to mention that ALL Merc Plug-ins can have fast charging. How many other brands have that?

[@magoo970]

Too bad they don't offer the diesel 3 series anymore. I've had to about a decade now. It's been a great car with averaging 45-47 mpg on hiway trips.

[@John-mm5lb]

Annoying review. Typical critical surface level journalism. You should be reviewing the car what it was designed for. It's not an electric car or trying to be one.

[@joe.tiziano]

I test drove the BMW 2020 330e the distance or lack off distance on hyprid was the decision why not to buy this model and it looks like the distance has not improved at all.

[@averageamir8596]

Stupid question but can you run this car on only petrol or does it still have to have some charge on the battery for driving?

[@SW-ni8ls]

Only petrol

[@YaDunno54]

Can you use this car purely on gasoline?? Don’t really care about the 20mile battery thing

[@matic2601]

The current c-class is the boss of hybrid cars.

[@rickdias1981]

Great review! I prefer like sedans more than SUVs :)

[@miikkaorte1577]

BAD review he did not understand the point of hybrid. For my driving that gives 95% of trips 100% electric. But I can still do longer trips which will be completely gas.

[@JohnWickFour]

Yeah thought about this, but model 3 tesla makes more cents with ev fbt exemption 😀

[@sYneeK742]

I orded a 330i G20 LCI but BMW told me that the adaptive m suspension is not available atm should I wait for that?

[@stefm6764]

Yes everyone says it's super important

[@Datt_nxnja]

Or coilovers

[@nicolasb5403]

It can charge on the go, but it becomes way too thirsty

[@jacksanna86]

not anymore. after the LCI the function to use the engine as a generator has been removed, sadly. I was banking on this feature but due to hightened CO2 emissions, it's been killed off

[@williegitau6680]

I hate that digital display....I'll always prefer analogue dials

[@bhtsatasata3187]

Bmw is better at everything except the hybrid part, there Mercedes is at a whole other level. The c300e does 130-140km REAL range, while if you are a bit loose on the foot will take your 30e to make 15-20km range. The range in my x3 30e was absolutely stupid. Also Mercedes has fast charge while BMW sticks to old 3.7kwh

[@josipagalic3751]

I can only imagine how much is the Real World electric range in this car is, if my a250e can only do aBout 45km which is Way leš than advertised. So my conclusion is a250 is still better option in el range and consumption, but overall both cars Are Well “not quote good” inmo

[@pinakidas397]

You are getting more than 40mpg according to US standards :D

[@tomaszbudnik521]

I guess only reason why 330e was created is to meet CO2 emission standards. As per norm car need to do some km in mixed driving conditions and do not emit more than some crazy limit CO2 per km. Sooooo many makers have created such PHEV's... Battery is there only to allow cover most of tested range and meet CO2 limitations. In real life? Who cares about real life? Surely not car makers :)

[@VIKINGKING12]

Change it to ultra blue

[@SMCyruss]

This is a great car , don’t trust this review

[@duk4you]

You would get rid of it once the warranty expires!!!!

[@tuka5871]

Don’t talk down on something only because you can’t afford it

[@duk4you]

@@tuka5871 just bought Mercedes cla 45 4 months ago

[@andrew22334455]

All german cars have the same issue, so I don't know why you'd have a specific gripe against a BMW, when the Benz is likely to be just as bad once the warranty expires

[@omnihein9322]

@@andrew22334455 if not worse, according to consumer reports Mercedes is dead last in terms of reliability.