[Mr iPerformance]

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Hello everyone,

I did a test on the new 2016 BMW 330e last weekend with the "MAX eDRIVE" and "ECO PRO" -settings turned on. It was under BMW's claim of 40km / 25mi, but I still managed a pretty good result.

Conditions:

The range achieved was 17.02 miles / 27.4 km
Avg electricity consumption was 19.0 kWh/100km
Avg petrol consumption was 0.0 l/100km

Ambient temp 46f - 54f (+8 - +12c)
Terrain was mixed metropolitan (70% city, 30% highway)
Driving conditions were good, light traffic, dry road

Mileage on car at start: 285 miles / 459km (new car)
Climate control setting was set at +19c (both sides)
Car was on MAX eDRIVE & ECO PRO
Tyre pressure was optimal

Here's the link to the video, enjoy!

Here's the update that I promised.

I also did a petrol engine mileage test on a 330e dealer demo by using a 100km / 60 mile test drive, using 0% battery.

Enjoy


My 330e M Sport is under two months away from delivery (being built next week, yay!) and yes, I'll be posting pictures of it to the gallery section.

[HFW003]

Generally people who purchase these cars are not concerned with maximum range but rather maximum performance. Good for you though

[CruzM3]

I wonder how much better performance you could get out of the 330e over the 328i?

[Mr iPerformance]

Originally Posted by Cruz28/40

I wonder how much better performance you could get out of the 330e over the 328i?

A few reviews that I've seen online have said that the 330e feels much more like a 340i than a 328i. This is due to to the characteristic of the electric motor that is in the place of the torque converter. Generally even modern turbos need a bit of time to spool up and are somewhat unresponsive at first in lower revs. The electric motor fixes this, since it gives instant power and gives the turbo time to catch up.

In normal use the 330e feels *GREAT*! It is also relatively quick and gets from 0-60mph in 5.9 secs. BMW has given out pretty much the exact same figures for the 330i and 330e (same horsepower, same 0-60mph time), but the torque of the 330e is higher (420nm vs 350nm).

[cblandin]

So far, I seem to be able to extrapolate the expected range of most of the plug-in hybrids from what I was getting with my gen 1 Volt - certainly holds true here. It is more than a little disappointing that the 330e's pack is so small compared to, well, virtually every other plug-in hybrid on the market...heck, even the A3 E-tron's usable capacity is higher.

Sure the 330e is faster than the A3, but that's mostly due to the bigger engine in the 3. Given the crapload of 3 series BMW sells in he U.S., it would have been nice if BMW would have sized the pack to get closer to covering The longer U.S. work commutes. Heck, part of the cost would be subsidized to boot since currently the 330e only qualifies for about $4k of the available $7500 for the U.S. government due to the small pack.

[nicknaz]

Op could you please tell us what the range was and the conditions (such as ambient temp, your climate control settings, the type of driving and terrain)?

[Mr iPerformance]

Originally Posted by nicknaz

Op could you please tell us what the range was and the conditions (such as ambient temp, your climate control settings, the type of driving and terrain)?

The range achieved was 17.02 miles / 27.4 km
Avg electricity consumption was 19.0 kWh/100km
Avg petrol consumption was 0.0 l/100km

Ambient temp 46f - 54f (+8 - +12c)
Terrain was mixed metropolitan (70% city, 30% highway)
Driving conditions were good, light traffic, dry road

Mileage on car at start: 285 miles / 459km (new car)
Climate control setting was set at +19c (both sides)
Car was on MAX eDRIVE & ECO PRO
Tyre pressure was optimal

Hope this helps!

[Mr iPerformance]

Originally Posted by cblandin

It is more than a little disappointing that the 330e's pack is so small compared to, well, virtually every other plug-in hybrid on the market...heck, even the A3 E-tron's usable capacity is higher.

The main competitor of the BMW 330e is the Mercedes C 350 e and the battery pack and usable EV range in that is smaller than on the 330e. The whole idea of the 330e is to drive with electricity most of the time, not the entire time. The idea is that 90% of the drivers can do their daily commute with pretty much the batteries alone. Please keep in mind that the i -series is for people who want to drive with EV all of the time.

The iPerformance range on the other hand carries the core design philosophy of the brand with it. The 330e was designed so that it very dynamic to drive (doesn't feel heavy), but yet it is efficient at the same time. Of course BMW could have put more batteries in, but they do their utmost best not to ruin the car with too much weight. I believe that this is why Mercedes has done the same with the C 350 e as well.

Here's a quick recap of BMW's design philosophy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1A-GjvRn9Q

When I was selecting my car, I did a test drive on an Audi A3 e-tron / VW Golf GTE, but to me it felt a bit clunky. It is a fine car and significantly cheaper, but I still went with the bimmer because it felt like a fast BMW and not a plug-in hybrid.

[dr61]

Originally Posted by Mr iPerformance

The range achieved was 17.02 miles / 27.4 km
Avg electricity consumption was 19.0 kWh/100km
Avg petrol consumption was 0.0 l/100km

Ambient temp 46f - 54f (+8 - +12c)
Terrain was mixed metropolitan (70% city, 30% highway)
Driving conditions were good, light traffic, dry road

Mileage on car at start: 285 miles / 459km (new car)
Climate control setting was set at +19c (both sides)
Car was on MAX eDRIVE & ECO PRO
Tyre pressure was optimal

Hope this helps!

Nice driving considering the external temperature and having the heater on. I hope you repeat and post results when external temperature is about 20c and heater off.

[Mr iPerformance]

Originally Posted by dr61

Nice driving considering the external temperature and having the heater on. I hope you repeat and post results when external temperature is about 20c and heater off.

Thanks! I most definitely will. I have a few new videos coming in the next 1-2 weeks, so stay tuned for those.

I'll also do a repeat of the test during winter, at about -20c (-5c). I'd be surprised if I'd get more than 8-9 miles of range then.

[nicknaz]

Thanks that info is really helpful. My commute is a lot like that so that is probably close to the range I could get.

Did you by chance consider the volt also? Seems like the extra EV range would be nice.

ive been thinking about the 330e and other plug ins or EVs to basically split my f80 into 2 cars: a straight up commuter and an used/modded track day toy.

[Mr iPerformance]

Originally Posted by nicknaz

Did you by chance consider the volt also?

No, since I want to arrive in style

Heh, naah, not really. I did try the VW Golf GTE/Audi A3 e-tron, but found them a bit clunky. The engine felt a bit small and chassis wasn't as well sorted out as in the 3 series. Although the interior was put together really well, the 3 series interior felt a lot more luxurious. And iDrive Pro is soooooo nice these days.

The 3 series was an obvious choice for me after test driving the car. It just feels so much better to drive than any of its competitors. And when you step out of one, especially an M Sport, people know you have style.

[nicknaz]

Originally Posted by Mr iPerformance

And when you step out of one, especially an M Sport, people know you have style.

I hope you are right. I have an "M sport" car also (F80 M3) and I have a feeling 99% of people can't tell it apart from a 320i with sport package, or from my wife's previous F30 335 sportline

Thanks again for sharing your data. Please keep us up to date in other driving conditions. I'm particularly interested in AC on, mostly freeway driving

[Mr iPerformance]

Originally Posted by nicknaz

Thanks again for sharing your data. Please keep us up to date in other driving conditions. I'm particularly interested in AC on, mostly freeway driving

No problem. I'll try to keep my upcoming videos relevant and will keep up guys updated.

[Mr iPerformance]

Here's the update that I promised.

I did a petrol engine mileage test on a 330e dealer demo by using a 100km / 60 mile test drive.

Enjoy

[BimmerMat135]

Thanks for the update. Just wish they would use a 320d rather than a 320i for the base setup. A 320d would probably do somewhere in the 4.5-4.8L/100kms for the highway run.

[Scottus3]

How did the 330e "feel" with 0 battery - like a 320i or a 328i? They claim 328i-like HP (and better torque), but that is with the help of the battery. If it is fully depleted, does it revert to 320-like power?

[Mr iPerformance]

Originally Posted by Scottus3

How did the 330e "feel" with 0 battery - like a 320i or a 328i? They claim 328i-like HP (and better torque), but that is with the help of the battery. If it is fully depleted, does it revert to 320-like power?

BMW has been pretty smart about this. When the range goes to 0 miles / 0 km and the car goes from MAX eDRIVE to Auto eDRIVE, there is still about a 12% remaining and the eBoost function is still there and thus doesn't feel slow at all. Also, the car tries to load up about 1 mile of range to the batteries so when you go and park it, it can still drive on EV alone. When you put it on the Save battery -mode, it will charge the batteries to 50%.

So, in theory it could be possible to get the batteries to near zero by accelerating it a few dozen times after the range is 0 miles, but in real life it is impossible. I love German engineering!

[Mr iPerformance]

Originally Posted by BimmerMat135

Thanks for the update. Just wish they would use a 320d rather than a 320i for the base setup. A 320d would probably do somewhere in the 4.5-4.8L/100kms for the highway run.

Heh, in Europe the base models are the 318i and 316d. The 318i has a 136hp engine and the 316d has a ... wait for it .. a 116hp diesel engine! Needless to say that both of those models are dogs**t.

[sahajesh]

Originally Posted by Mr iPerformance

Heh, in Europe the base models are the 318i and 316d. The 318i has a 136hp engine and the 316d has a ... wait for it .. a 116hp diesel engine! Needless to say that both of those models are dogs**t.

He meant the use of the 320d as the starting engine for the 330e, not using a base engine ie 318i/316d.

[Chris1712]

It would kind of defeat the purpose though. The great part of PHEV for me is you get lovely petrol like driving, smooth, responsive, quiet etc. But with diesel like or better economy (journey length dependant).

Having a big rattley dag dag up front would make the transition terrible when the electric needs engine assistance aswell.

[2008E90TT]

The ambient temperature is causing the poor range. The Volt I drive will get 40-41 miles on a warm summer day in the 35°C-40°C range, but this is reduced to the low 30's on a 10°C day.