BMW 330e 2016: review

BMW have already given us the i3 and i8, and now they’re making a pitch for the company car drivers who normally plump for an executive saloon. In fact, this new plug-in hybrid is only available as a saloon to further underline the company car credentials.

What we have is a car sharing elements with the latest 320i. They have the same turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine producing 181bhp and 214lb ft of torque. Remarkably, that torque figure is available from just 1350rpm. The engine has the eight-speed auto box and in this incarnation it also has an electric motor.

This adds another 87bhp and a very useful 184lb ft of torque to the mix. That adds up to 249bhp and 398lb ft of torque. The 7.6kWh battery sits in the floor of the boot, where it knocks 110 litres off boot capacity, but does good things for performance.

As you’d imagine with all that torque, a useful characteristic of electric hybrids, the 330e takes off with some alacrity from rest. It feels immensely flexible and powers you away with real vigour. It does this using the electric power, but the claimed electric-only range of 25 miles seems fairly optimistic in the real world.

Instead you find yourself resorting to the Save Battery mode which brings in the petrol engine more. You’d use this mode if you wanted to enter a zero-emissions zone during your drive and wanted to hold some charge for that. Even so, it’s almost impossible to tell what aspect is providing power if you leave it to its own devices. Transitions are seamless.

And in a solid-state run, like a long motorway journey, with the high gearing keeping the revs down, you really notice how civilized and sophisticated this car is.

If you worked in London and lived fairly near you could use this to commute with without needing to use any petrol at all. The emissions of 44g/km of CO2 qualify it to be exempt from the congestion charge as well. BMW claim a recharge time of two hours for 80% charge if you use their wallbox charger, although that time period goes out to three hours if you just plug it into the mains.

Overall this is one of the most engaging plug-in hybrids out there. It’s fast, smooth, refined, and still a powerful saloon whatever mode it’s running in. With a cost of £31,435 (including the £2,500 government grant) it is cheaper and stacks up extremely well against competitors like the Mercedes-Benz C300h and VW’s Passat GTE.