330e 2.0 Phev M Sport Auto 4dr

Disappointing to drive and poor economy when not charged

I had high hopes for my 330e but was disappointed. Performance was fantastic low down but less so at motorway speeds. Handling like all of this model of 3 series on standard springs was really disappointing unless being driven very fast at which point in fairness it did get better. Steering is numb and vague on initial turn in and never inspires confidence and it feels like it lurches in to corners. Ride is good and comfortable on the motorway even on 19” alloys although as always with big wheels they generate a fair amount of road noise. Electric driving is fantastic but never saw much more than about 16 miles. Performance in all electric is adequate and driving silently never gets boring. Charging fully takes about 6 hours from a standard mains plug. Being able to heat and defrost the car on a timer or from your phone is a massive plus on cold mornings as is being able to have the heating on without the engine running - providing you have charge in the battery. The big down side is that on longer journeys once the charge is gone the fuel consumption is poor only getting in the low 30’s. That said if you do relatively low miles and are always on electric or are a company car driver the savings are huge. Really depends on how you’ll use it. Quality was first rate and there were no problems in the time I had the car. Harman Kardon sound was pretty disappointing and not much better than the standard speakers. Seats are excellent as on all 3 series m sports. The boot is only slightly smaller than a standard 3 series so fine most of the time. Wasn’t sad to see it go as it was so disappointing as a drivers car but otherwise was pretty good.

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