BMW 330i Review
I have to bare up front that I own an older 3-series BMW, so I am quite aware of its abilities and downsides. And as many different types of autos that I drive, I am always happy to come back to my baby. But when I got behind the wheel of the new 330i (Edmunds pricing at $39,184 ) I could tell that this machine was a sharp step up in performance inside 1 / 4 mile.
At my first ride in the driving seat, I couldn’t get over the ergonomics of the wheel. Each vehicle has one, and I have handled a few unusual ones, but my grip hasn’t felt more at home than with this 330i. ( Sadly , it wasn’t a heated steering while like the 7-series, and it was kind of cold outside.) Then BMW buddies this steering wheel with very precise steering for a sedan-level car.
The German automobiles avoid that Yankee makers’ design, instead they offer a slower launch, but smoother, linear acceleration. And the silky 6-cylinder engine is very obvious with a manual transmission in this vehicle. BMW finally added a 6th gear for the stick shift, and I say it is overdue. My old one has 50,000 miles and the gearing still makes me look for 6th when I run up thru the gears – but sadly there are only five available. Since the 330i generates 255 h.p., much more than I am used to for daily driving, I might have to upgrade my radar detector.
Yes, the car basics are impressive – engine, ride, steering (even the wheel ), but the electronics controls are a laughable dissatisfaction. Any one that has driven this automobile has a tale about turning on the turn signals from one side to the other and back again, during a vain attempt to turn them off. I know folks in the area gave me a wider berth, thinking I was a confused and lost driver. The turning signal lever does not ‘click’ into place as the rest of the world has come to ordinarily expect turn signals to function. With the 330i, you tap the signal, such as for passing, and it immediately flashes 3 times and then turns off. But you can hold the lever a little longer, and you get your normal-action from the turn signal. But on a soft turn, where the signal does not turn off, you need to flick it the other way to switch it off. But in the hurry of the instant, if it is more than a flick, then you simply indicated from your signals that you are turning in the opposite direction. And this goes back & forth once in a while until you get used to it.
Other electronic oddities are the Navigation/Radio controls. There are many models of autos where you can intuitively muddle your way to what you want to get done. I couldn’t generate that kind of luck while I was driving. My passenger had to frequently go through the owners’ manual that failed to offer much guidance to get the map or radio station how we wanted. And we didn’t even have the added i-drive option that so many customers complain about. I am at a loss to explain the miss-timing of the automated windshield wipers. I like that Jaguar has this feature down pat, but the 330i wipers were always going too quickly or too slow; so kept having to manually adjust the automatic windshield wipers. An electronic improvement over the prior 3-series model is the traction control system. The old model would cut the power to the wheels in an obvious fashion, while this model is a seamless experience of artificially superior driving skill.
So while the driving experience is a quantum level improvement over the last generation change at BMW, their electronics package gives me some hesitation in purchasing one of these machines. In bumper to bumper traffic, the electronic gadgetry of the 330i becomes more annoying; and only on curvy roads without traffic or law enforcement can you experience the thrill of what this car can offer.
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