Richard Hammond and the 2002 BMW 330 Ci

Join Richard Hammond as he test drives and reviews the BMW 330 Ci looking at its performance and style. Its 3.0 litre engine produces 231 BHP and averages 31.1 MPG- furthermore, it does 0-60 in 6.5 seconds and has a top speed of 155 MPH. Would you buy this car?
[This clip is from Car File: Season 4, Ep. 18, originally aired 2002. The full episode can be watched here: • Car File: Season 5, Ep... ]
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[@ericokompatzki7110]

There is hardly any car that looks more timeless than the e46

[@donaldduck5731]

Your right Erico the car has not aged at all, however the same can not be said for Richard Hammond

[@ericokompatzki7110]

+Jon Jennings haha, true,although it is worse with Clarkson...

[@husseinshahin9358]

The most timeless 3 series for me is the e92.. But though the style of this car never gets old or boring

[@sperlongatours]

*+ Hussein Shahin are you serious ?? the e92 looks like a Nissan not a bmw*

[@DjStiv3]

ikr, especilly m3

[@Rickusty]

The E46 coupe, especially in M pack form, is easily one of the very best and most beautiful machine ever created.... the lines are just perfect.

[@sperlongatours]

*looks too much like a sedan*

[@TheDocumentaryDude]

Just bought an e46 m sport coupe :)

[@losh330]

I prefer the look of the 330i ZHP sedan. I was only available in the USA and Canada (ZAM). One of the most beautiful and good modern cars ever made.

[@danielzychniewicz2633]

Losh do you know what year the ZAM came out?

[@mister.c4631]

BeemerSlick how’d you get on with it! ? I’ve just bought a 330d Vert MSport and I’m nervous lol

[@rare6499]

Pre facelift e46 330ci is one of the best looking cars BMW has ever made!

[@startingtech3900]

Check out my 300$ one on my channel

[@DonRob96]

i prefer the facelift one

[@warriorharj79]

@@DonRob96 blasphemy!

[@intunewithcars9484]

@@DonRob96 no way dude preface is much nicer and far more desirable

[@CMDRRustyDog]

@@intunewithcars9484 Actually the pre-facelift is more desirable. I own the 330ci Clubsport and I know the market.

[@alexbedwell5227]

If you're watching this because you're thinking of buying one, DO! I own a 330Ci from '04 and can advise to go for the most recent year you can find (facelift) to avoid the teething problems, including the subframe issue that plagued the E46 in it's early years. Be assured that this car remains SO much fun to drive. I have had the fortune to drive many variants of Porsche, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Maserati etc on a daily basis and I'm never disappointed to climb in my 330Ci at the end of the day! (i realise that sounds like KZbin bullshit boasting but is actually true in this instance). For top spec (most desired) you are looking for: - M Sport variant (upgraded interior and details) - manual transmission (6 speed) - electronic seat adjustment (additional lumbar support is very rare) - heated seats (though be advised the climate control is excellent so this is not a must) - Harman Kardon audio upgrade (or better yet, replace the whole ICE system and speakers with aftermarket to bring it up to date) - bi-xenon headlights - 6-disc autochanger (although not necessary if you upgrade the ICE) Hit me up if you want any buying advice :)

[@RY3ER_]

Nice, very useful info man ! I'm looking for a nice 330cd in a month or so but I'm kind of struggling to see which ones are the "m-pack", "m-sport", "clubsport" and etc etc. I'd like all the bits n bobs this car can offer, basically - the deep recaro seats, navigation, body kit (m-badge) trimming and a nice brown/ either red or black interior saloon. Also, would you recommend the 03 330cd or should I go for later year models to "possibly" avoid the sub-frame issue, although I'll probably reinforce the thing anyway.

[@barnabro]

RiSER DimitroV dunno if you’re still looking but: There is ‘Sport’ and ‘M-Sport’ but they’re the same thing. Officially it was called Sport until 2004, and then M-Sport for 2005 and 2006. Just a rebrand, it’s the same thing. Clubsport was a special edition, it’s an M-Sport but has a rear spoiler and front corner splitters, as well as some sound deadening removed. No performance difference. 2003 could be a facelift model (2003 was the year they switched over), which is what you want to go for, and was what Alex was talking about above. The way to tell is facelift headlights point up at the corners, pre-facelift point down, like the ones on the car Hammond is driving. Hope this helps!

[@RY3ER_]

@@barnabro Yeah, already sorted the differences. Still looking for a good clean one to pull the trigger on though. Thanks for replaying anyway ;]

[@barnabro]

RiSER DimitroV yep I hear you on that one. Took me nearly 3 months to find the right 330ci for sale!!

[@user-rp4je2gc2o]

Just get any 330 e46 and get it restored a little, you can easely find parts of 320ci 318ci... Keep these on the road ✨

[@GamezGames19]

I wish BMW's would be this attractive today.

[@MoiVioM]

+Lucas Kroon i just dont know where have they gone with their design after e36 and e46...

[@DjStiv3]

the f80 isnt that bad.

[@666xXxXxXx666]

@@DjStiv3 It's difficult to imagine that the F80 is the only good looking car they've made since the E46... The 2006-2012 3, 5 and 7 series are difficult to even look at let alone own and drive daily.

[@goeffdouge8456]

Adrian e90 is pretty good looking with the lci

[@migz_e46]

Imagine now with the fat grills

[@goran2009]

I love my e46 330ci :)

[@Holysancho]

Same just beautiful

[@startingtech3900]

Check out my 300$ e46 coupe on my channel

[@jaguhankampung7198]

I have this beutiful car.. 330 ci.. Very nice car... 20 years car but still can amaze the people when looking at it..

[@WhiteSlift]

What a powerful little thing....and what a nice BMW next to it.

[@Godot28]

Got a 325Ci. Absolutely beautiful to drive!

[@gideonthomas4348]

And still a cracking car today! Absolutely adore mine!

[@trepbg4616]

Bought a 2003 325 ci yesterday🤙🏾

[@ericojeda4282]

How's maintenance been

[@oktanskioktan9372]

@@ericojeda4282 i bought mine '04 330ci on 11.2016 for about 7000euros, done 46000km and spend about 2500euros for tires, parts, rims and renovation. Great well built car. In 2019 still looks sharp and much like a Modern classic.

[@jeffreyboiken8862]

I just bought 2003 325ci last week 130000 miles paid $3100

[@stealth-uf9bi]

well I found a e46 m3 for 3000€

[@mr.gilbert2790]

@@jeffreyboiken8862 damn that’s cheap. Here in Australia I’m looking to buy one for $14,000 and it’s done 100k kms.

[@mistermeanor968]

Had a few cars honda type r , bmw 330i, bmw 318i, currently have e60 520d and just had the chance to buy a mint 330ci e46. Amazing sound and with 86k miles mint im sure ive got a future classic !

[@t2216]

Great car. Remember when it was on the show it looked so good. Own 330Ci for past 10 years and still drive every day. The car was much more expencive than modern small BMWs. The 2 series coupe is same size as E46 and even 4 series with biggest engine costs way less than this if adjust inflation.

[@philmedor13]

I love the E46, nothing else looks like them on the road these days

[@adriansalas8424]

With new BMW's with giant truck grills and all that fancy stuff, I can see these beautiful looking cars being sought after.

[@Nthstar]

@adrian salas That new BMW monster grill is so fugly

[@javidadam4735]

Got my 2003 330ci m sport a week ago, lovin it

[@simontrigg2154]

I have a 2001 330ci individual with the 5 speed ZF automatic transmission and it's great,especially in sport mode driving on narrow twisting country roads here in south west England,it's just brilliant.

[@GopNet]

I just took mine over some country roads at night as I had to drive through them as there were works on motorway.... I just replaced front struts and my god how the car handles on twisty bits !!! wit hthe old struts I would just lean about and had massive understeer but now my cornering speed increased massively and the thrill is just there now :D I know that there are proper sport and super cars but my own car giving me such fun whilst driving is pure bliss :D

[@slowazbmwkilla3073]

I love these cars so much I had 6 and the e46 was last real BMW.....they are timeless with their curvy headlight trim. E46 ftw

[@Claudio-gv2lz]

this is my dream car to this day, too bad they're impossible to find with low mileage and manual gearbox :c

[@DevasionX]

times when BMW was an actual good looking car... now they are just trying too hard with weird lines and angry front ends.

[@MoiVioM]

+DevasionX yes. e36 and e46 are still my fav looking cars

[@Magic_Vince]

DevasionX F32 also looks awesome. But lets see if its as timeless as the E46!

[@Krezo200]

DevasionX nothing beats an e39 😍

[@Mrbfgray]

I tend to agree but I think the E92 is hard to beat in terms of styling. (However I wouldn't give a crap about looks if they didn't have it all together functionally) I own both a 2001 330ci and 2011 E92 M3. Not a lot I'd change about either except for a taller top gear in the E92 and a better feeling manual in the E46, plus it really could use limited slip diff.

[@michaelmeliambro5117]

Oh, they were always trying WAY too hard to be good.......even then. And always came up short.

[@StereoSoundAgent]

helpful tip: debadge your M3 in order to help avoid obnoxious Subaru fanboys on all occasions

[@AgentMrX7]

damn, this car is still registered on the road.... beast

[@Ferraridude13]

Didn't know they put the SMG in the 330

[@pbfloyd13]

2002 BMW 330CI, the car that you settle for when your "BMW E30" gets brought up at marriage counseling.

[@waterdogxx7871]

+Superman let's take my BMW

[@wannabezhp]

Love my E46 330i First and last car for sure ;)

[@brandonroveta1430]

did not know that about the gearbox and clutch, very interesting

[@03Deltaintegrale]

All you need is a 6 cylinder. The sound as it goes through the rev range is beautiful. Really it's this car or the audi tt and in my biased opinion the e46 is better.

[@sleepeasysounds1676]

Antonio Gomes_1988 I’ve had both cars, but I must say the E46 was a lot more fun to drive

[@modernworldiscrap]

The time when BMW still manufactured BMW...

[@damskylalas]

that's undoubtedly a brilliant car!!!!!

[@zeddrotten6098]

I have the facelift version from 2003, the 318ci one. Put it for sale because I want to save money for an n54 - and removed it from the list minutes later. Can't give up on her. Will probably do a m54b30 swap. Is it a better choice than to just sell it and completely fall into depression since I really love driving that car?

[@neildempster2827]

Beautiful machine. Beauty to drive too.

[@sirnigelfarage1177]

BMW is much better than AUDI

[@crikaxs]

Franklin D. Roosevelt no

[@sirnigelfarage1177]

Yes bitch

[@crikaxs]

haha no, bmw is awesome, no doubt. But i preffer the good old Quattros. Dont be mad.. i own bmws and audis..

[@sirnigelfarage1177]

Quattro is poo poo audi is a really boring car to drive. The appearance of an audi is so crap

[@crikaxs]

haha.. okay, i think its really practicale.. i live in norway, so a car with the best awd system in the world does the job. :-)

[@pauldouglas1165]

I've got a 330 2001 convertible and trust me it's as sweet as a nut you keep on top of the maintenance it will run forever and that straight six bellow wow only the Porsche flat six bellow sounds better

[@birbirikos1]

I've got the '03 RHD 330ci M-Sport Manual Coupe in full black leather interior with 100K miles all stock and clean inside out. Is it worth keeping? is it going to hold its value knowing all the electrics will soon dominate the roads?

[@thor_st5798]

Why do some people always need to bring the bmw is better than... bla bla bla shit. Just negative annoying comments.. why not enjoy the car itself and stoo comparing? To the Video: Just makes me proud of owning my own e46.. its such a damn beautiful, timeless car. It looks better than most of the cars out there, i love it.

[@666xXxXxXx666]

Without comparing cars to other cars, there would be no "market" for cars. We would have one car that is "perfect."

[@rayo5826]

Might be buying one are they pretty dependable?

[@thancholham8378]

I owned E46 330i and it is cool car when I drive it. :D

[@finnharriess]

my dad has a red e46 330ci but the 2006 one !!

[@bero3937]

Dad had a 1999 328ci e46 daaamn i miss it

[@zeyadelamrousy8302]

what a beast ass car

[@realone2917]

You are an absolute Millionaire! If you drive this joint

[@eurosonly]

These cars may be money pits but the styling is timeless.

[@tylert6573]

They're not actually that bad to be fair. The newer ones are much more complicated.

[@seanmcmanus9656]

​ The e46 is annoying aside from the power train. The s54 is one of my favorite engines, but it's mounted to a chassis that tries to rip itself apart. The m54 is my beater lol. And n54. If you buy them ready to tear into a few different things quickly... You'll have a good car. The caveat is that the b58 now exists. Fuck me if that isn't one of the best engines in a non m bmw ever. My M20 is at like 500k as well. New head for performance reasons actually. No need to replace.

[@MsArsonal]

E46 touring is one of the best looking cars

[@MLGxBXRxPRO]

I have a 330i manual and love my car

[@htkm1179]

Timeless design , awesome drive! Current marques pale!

[@josekanucee1428]

I swapped my 330i’s SSG trans at 80k miles to a manual trans. Now has 205k miles. No regrets.

[@gerson4122]

how was that? did u do it yourself or get it done ?

[@josekanucee1428]

@@gerson4122 an independent tuner shop did the swap. the swap bill was half the cost of what the dealer wanted to fix the ssg trans pump

[@gerson4122]

José X how's the car feel now with the swap? any down the road issues that u had?

[@josekanucee1428]

@@gerson4122 the swap has been great. everything done as if factory installed it. i use it as my daily. check out e46fanatics. com search manual swap edited: a word

[@hamlettelmah441]

Beautiful then, beautiful now, beautiful forever.

[@st.thomas5802]

Well said!

[@khaledkhelewy6671]

I like Like the e46. can someone tell me how easy are they to learn how to wok on ? And do you recommend them as DD ? Of course I'm getting a stick !

[@pastytit]

Easy to work on and parts are cheap, things to look for are oil leaks, subframe cracks for 330 and m3. When you buy one just check and maybe renew cooling system. thats about it.

[@jackhackett9916]

Khaled Khelewy also the m54 engine likes to drink oil

[@IRahkuBz]

what's the sedan version of this car?

[@magiccarpet6230]

Just bought a 2001 e46 330ci

[@ChooseLanes]

thank god he didn't crash it

[@soundseeker63]

These are legit modern classics now, and you can see why! Has BMW ever bettered this design....? I don't think so! The straight 6 engines are divine and the interior is lovely. It's just a pity they rust so badly on UK roads. That has sent the majority of them to their grave.

[@christianwiche2159]

Nice car

[@hazarddavid6987]

BMW's design looks good up to the E90/92/93models....the E92 M3 is the most horniest of them all...

[@NakaiSan.]

M3 e92 is heaviest of all m3 of all time.e46 iS the best i think

[@SanMarinoM3cs]

How have i never heard of this gearbox before?!

[@johnburns2485]

You don't want to, it can have expensive problems. It's not the same box as the M3's SMG-II.

[@snafuequals]

Yes, pump failure costs are horrendous.

[@kniksman]

Poor E46. Anyone check the m.o.t history (UK) on this. RX02 UXL. Seems to have had a hard life and now SORN. Don't know why I always assumed that cars on the telly made it big in life and living it up large with not a want for anything. Looks like someone who couldn't give a crap about maintenance got his or her hands on this car after Hammond was done reviewing it.

[@Maxsarkar]

Sweet car

[@martindivall5301]

Richard was spot on with the gearbox though.... throw it out and have a manual... what ever happened to him ???

[@uvuvwevwevweonyetenyevweug2676]

I own a e46 from 1998 and people who aren’t petrolheads think its from 2010

[@BMWReviews]

Check out my E46 330ci ZHP convertible REVIEW. You won't be disappointed!

[@tanvirahmed-kd9ki]

330CI, Manuals all the way

[@spartacreatine2466]

To e46 to już w Polsce dawno na części rozebrane zostało hehe

[@sirbader1]

They made a non M SMG?

[@3UZFE]

The reason new BMWs don't look as good as the E46 is mostly because of the strict pedestrian impact regulations, they've made cars harder to look good just to save jaywalkers!

[@Zero_Ninety]

And also the fact the BMW's styling department are blind.

[@NoGripGarage]

Also the fact that some bmws are now made in amurica.

[@Artur-ix4oe]

Let Hammond test this ride now 18 yrs ago.....

[@intunewithcars9484]

preface e46 is literally a beautiful car, no coincidence the prices are going up......preface is so much prettier than the facelift...most e46 experts know this anyway

[@tcaudiobooks737]

While the M-Sport facelift saloon is an awesome looking car, the pre-facelift is the better looking all round. In fact, I'm a sucker for an early SE with the orange indicator lenses.

[@guy4469]

does your mum know your out richard ...

[@testpress001]

I have a sub 100.000 miles 2000 330i for sale. Hasn’t been used in a few years and would need some work, let me know if interested

[@pauldouglas1165]

The downside is if buying one you don't know how previous owner turned engine off in gear then that's 2 grand for new one

[@Kylirr]

richard absolutely swimming in those clothes hahah

[@lordmaziofficial2438]

e46 is the best MODEL To DATE 2021

[@AkiL-414]

Top Car.

[@Jack-dg1iv]

I’m buying an 318i soon and I hopefully wanna do a full 330i conversion. Does anyone know what I’ll need? (I’m not very mechanically knowledgeable)

[@BlitzkriegRap]

Oh I didn't know they put the shitty SMG in 330s too.

[@dahijitna]

BMWs are nice, lots of money to run them, tho.

[@bram7895]

hammond WHAT ARE THOOSE!!!!!!

[@eltrolomg577]

wait in the description puts that has a top speed of 155 miles an hour (287 kph) in a 230 bhp car ??????

[@johanesvictorio8923]

actually,it's possible to do 155 mph from a 230 bhp car

[@johnburns2485]

Most BMW's electronically limited to 155.

[@chitakes]

155 miles an hour is 250 km/h you idiot!

[@andrewrout8712]

Yes, electronically limited. BMW is also infamous for underrating the HP of their cars. Don't recall if the E46 was one of them...but they pull that stunt often

[@jackhackett9916]

Andrew Rout really so they say it has less than it really has?

[@leenevin8451]

can someone explain this gearbox

[@tomaszdabrowski8021]

It's an SSG gearbox. It's just a normal manual box, but controlled hydraulically by electronics. There is no "normal" gear lever and clutch pedal, there are actuators which are doing that job for You.

[@tomnorris1734]

In one word...... Garbage.

[@ultraryman]

かっこいい〜！！！

[@bigmarc977]

Did Europe get the ZHP in 2002? Beacuse we didnt get it unitl 04... thats definitely a ZHP

[@domg7477]

+Marc Wikina Not sure but we got them in 03. I had one. :-)

[@bigmarc977]

Your right, the 4 doors came in 03, right? 

[@davecom3]

Europe got the ZHP styling and suspension mods, but no engine upgrades. Though European cars already had 231hp compared to the American 225hp (235hp for ZHP) Realistically the ZHP seems to always have 210hp at the wheels which theoretically means about 255hp at the crank, at least. That's why a ZHP can do 5.5 sec to 60 and the quarter in 14 sec dead. You have to get a 335i to beat it. The e46 m54 3.0 was an incredible engine for producing power, and much more robust and expensive to produce than the 3.0 units that followed, which is partly why BMW stopped producing it.

[@auralplex]

Average MPG 31.1?!?! More like 18 if driving gently. I had one.

[@sukhdevr3489]

So so common now.

[@Stuntzii1]

31 mpg ha! thats a good one

[@chrisj9291]

Nice motor but spend the extra and get the e46 m3 best car I've ever owned

[@Sirdiggar]

How's the rear subframe holding up? they crack unfortunately, has yours been reinforced?

no they dont, wtf are you on?

[@Sirdiggar]

Christian Tönnies Wtf are you on? all e46 have bad design flaw on rear subframe, they crack. Read up about it, BMW were offering a recall to fix the problem...

well the 10 or more e46's i had didnt have that problem , .....

[@Sirdiggar]

+Christian Tönnies Every higher performance e46 it affects more, such as m3 or 330 ci. it's a well known design flaw so don't give me that shit. sometimes it goes passed without being noticed until it's too late this is a fact.

[@darkbassi5911]

Glad his dress sense improved 😂

[@pauldouglas1165]

Automatic transmission over manual all day for me if you know how to use it my god it's astonishing just tap it when driving and see what happens

[@kniksman]

@McLarenBMW lol

[@pyrotechnick420]

Ugh Hamster is trying to sell us on SMG

[@hoey3510]

smg gearboxes prone to early failure..go for a proper manual car..

[@Reddwarf1994]

I've heard him described as the mini Clarkson before but watching this I fully understand what people mean. He is literally trying to put a Clarkson style spin on certain words. Jeez mate, what a sell out. Shame he couldnt have brought his own original style towards his TV presentation instead of using the same JC luuuudicrously annoying Play on Wooords

[@Reddwarf1994]

Great car though. I've had 2 E46 330i sedans and they are superb cars.

[@Philip-cg8yg]

27,990!??,you can buy thease for 5k like i do in Germany.

[@Philip-cg8yg]

i now that mean,come down

[@lerchomat]

Philip you moron

[@topproff2558]

subframe

[@connorshaw9765]

31mpg🙈 I get 18

[@alexbrutlag6022]

Did Hammond borrow Jeremys clothes?

[@gmain1977]

Classy but boring , Trans Am, Camaro , for Mustang Cobra look much more interesting ,faster and costed much less

[@builtvisions]

Boring? Have you ever even driven an E46? It literally has one of the best driving dynamics of its time, lol.

[@butt5810]

did the title assume my gender? triggered

[@yalnizer2745]

31 mpg lol

[@Negativvv]

That car died sometime in 2019 most likely... Rotten subframe.

[@richlee509]

Never know could be in a garage somewhere lol

[@captain052A]

The funny part is that this car is cheaper to maintain than a ford and is as reliable as a honda ! Hah

[@matthewgeary3551]

i dunno what fords you had to maintain lmao. no way. i went from having a ford taurus for 10 years to now owning a 2004 330ci for the past 4 years and yes it's reliable but way more expensive!! $1,375 for an OEM headlamp assembly from BMW vs like $50 for the Taurus.. Don't even get me started on any other part. i still love my e46 though!

[@bigboi5647]

How the fuck is it a prefacelift, ZHP, AND SMG???? These are all contradicting

[@E46M54]

not zhp. europe gets cooler shit than us

[@E34Benzin]

Bullshit! The ZF autobox is much better and smoother than the SMG.

[@sperlongatours]

*only 1999 to 2002 had ZF automatic, from 2002 to 2006 they had general motors which shift slower than zf but are more durable apparently*

[@E34Benzin]

The diesels used to break the GM boxes due to the high outputs of torque.

[@sperlongatours]

E34Benzin you do realize they started to put in the GM because the ZF was too weak and u are saying the GMs were broken too ? it doesn't make sense

[@E34Benzin]

That's what I've heard from some 330dA and 530dA owners. The ZF aren't weaK at all, at least not the 5HP30 which I have in two models with high amounts of torque.

[@sperlongatours]

E34Benzin*do u even understand what u are saying ? the reason why they got rid of the ZF and replaced with GM is because the zf was even too weak even for 2.5liters, you don't know anything about bmws*