2023 BMW 330i M Sport review (video)

Ten years ago, the BMW 3 Series was the best-seller in the medium over $60K category (VFACTS, May 2013). In fact, the 3 Series is often praised for pioneering the compact sports sedan and has proved – for the most part – untouchable in terms of driving dynamics.

Fast forward to 2023, we see the almost 50-year-old nameplate has been trounced by a Silicon Valley disruptor in the form of the Tesla Model 3. Following the i7 and recently announced i5, BMW will almost certainly have an answer to Elon Musk’s electric progeny soon. For now though, BMW has treated the G20 3 Series to its mid-life facelift, incorporating some of the tech from its latest generation of electric vehicles.

2023 BMW 330i M Sport: Specifications

Engine: 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder
Output: 190kW@6500rpm / 400Nm@1550-4400rpm
Gearbox: Eight-speed auto
Drive type: Rear-wheel drive
Wheels: F & R: 18×7.5, 225/40
ANCAP: Five stars
Tare weight: 1488kg
Power-to-weight: 7.83:1 (kg:kW)
Official consumption: 6.5L/100km
Our consumption: 8.8L/100km*
Fuel tank/Fuel type: 59L/95 RON

Power efficiency: 29.23kW:L/100km
0-60km/h: 2.74 seconds*
0-100km/h: 5.70 seconds*
60-110km/h: 3.86 seconds*
1/4 mile: 13.94 seconds at 166.7km/h*
Max acceleration: 0.917g*
100-0km/h braking: 37.88m at 3.07 seconds*
Max deceleration: -1.339g*
Decibel at idle: 39*
Peak decibel at 60-100km/h: 84*
Starting price: $93,400

*Figures as tested by Driving Enthusiast on the day. Manufacturers’ claims may be different

2023 BMW 330i M Sport: How much does it cost?

Until the 335i arrived with the E90 generation, the 330i was the top of the tree, excluding M3. Now it sits in the middle , between the 320i and M340i xDrive, with a plug-in hybrid option also available in the $101,950 330e.

The model we are testing retails from $93,400 before any options or ORCs, or $101,473 for NSW once registration, CTP and stamp duty are factored in.

For the Australian market, BMW has rationalised the range by making the M Sport package standard.

There are a number of different option packages available – for a breakdown including on-road costs specific to your state, visit BMW’s Australian online configurator here.

This test car has the ‘Vernasca’ Cognac interior package, which contrasts beautifully against the open-pored oak trim. In our opinion, this is the best colour combination to select.

Furthermore, the Black Sapphire paint works extremely well with the $2154 M Sport Package Pro, denoted by a colour-coded grille surround, giving the car an extremely menacing demeanour. The addition of this package also includes adaptive damping, Sensatec finished instrument cluster and M Aerodynamics package – which gives the car more sporting front and rear aprons, also with a glossy black finish.

As you’d expect from a modern-day BMW, the options list is extensive, and our test vehicle also features the $2385 Comfort Package. All up, things brings the drive-away price to $110,874.

2023 BMW 330i M Sport: Interior & packaging

For its mid-cycle facelift, the G20 3 Series now features BMW’s Curved Display, borrowing from the electrified iX. A floating display of 14.9-inches incorporates both the instrument and infotainment screens. This adds modernity to what would otherwise be an ageing design in the face of stiff competition from other Europeans. The graphics at start-up and during driving are crisp and mesmerising.

Functionally, it works very well with the latest version of BMW’s iDrive Controller and configurable head-up display (HUD). The M Sport seats offer a multitude of adjustments for back and extendable under-thigh support.

The only criticism we might have is the harder plastic on the lower half of the dash, but overall the interior feels every bit the special and glamorous place you’d expect the inner-sanctum of a BMW to be.

Other trim options such as aluminium rhombicle or carbon fibre might also work well, but they are probably going to look better with the black trim, rather than cognac, in our view.

For those wanting dimensions, the latest 3 Series has grown to 4713mm long, 1827mm wide and 1440mm tall, with a wheelbase of 2851mm. The BMW 3 Series seemingly grows 10cm with every generational leap – a prime example of ‘bracket creep’. Boot space is measured at a reasonable 480L.

2023 BMW 330i M Sport: Powertrain & handling

Traditionally, the 330i used to signify a silky inline six-cylinder engine, with a sonorous soundtrack. While this is no longer the case – with a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder unit reporting for duty – it does not suffer for this at all. Power is rated at 190kW at 6500rpm, with a very muscular torque figure of 400Nm available between 1550 and 4400rpm.

This translates to an impressive 0-100km/h time of 5.8 seconds, with an exceptional fuel consumption figure of 6.5L/100km and 149g/km CO2 emissions. Using a private road and a Vbox Sport, we clocked 0-100km/h in just 5.70 seconds.

You might expect a trade-off in the aural department, with four-cylinder engines typically sounding droney and soulless compared with a straight-six, but you’d be wrong. The tone of the engine here is refined and pleasant enough, but the inner canals of your ears are tickled by the turbo flutter after it spools up.

The ZF 8-speed automatic transmission deserves its own paragraph too, responding faithfully to input from the driver via the paddle shifters or intuitively responding to anything you can throw at it when left to its own devices.

The driving modes including Eco Pro, Comfort, Sport and Sport + alter the way the car feels, responds, steers and soaks up bumps. Eco Pro genuinely helps coax every km out of every drop of fuel, while Sport + changes the persona of the car to that of an athlete on ‘roids.

Do you even need to spend the extra money on the M340i xDrive? We are sure that it would be a worthy upgrade, but in no way would you feel short-changed with this combination on test.

The suspension tends more on the firmer side in terms of its calibration, but it still manages to soak up bumps of all amplitude with insouciance, never becoming crashy or raucous. Adaptive damping no doubt helps here. It’s never pillow soft like a Rolls-Royce or Lexus, but that would be antithetical to the nature of the M Sport badge.

We won’t use the well-worn cliché for suggesting the 3 Series drives like a sports car – that’s because it is actually a sports car that happens to have four-doors.

Even in the face of extremely challenging, deceptive bends that sharpen and change camber unexpectedly, the 330i’s road manners remain impeccable. The way it stays so neutral is truly confidence-inspiring, with unfettered communication through the steering wheel. This demonstrates a meticulous obsession with chassis balance you can only get from a BMW.

This is no show pony, so it remains a true driver’s car, building on its heritage and giving driver and passenger alike a major grin factor.

2023 BMW 330i M Sport: Key attractions/reasons to buy

We have no reason not to encourage you to sample one of the great sport sedans of this era, which still manages to delight your senses with its meticulous repertoire of talents, both analogue and digital.

While the Model 3 has undoubtedly dethroned it for sales supremacy and the fact that it is a very fun car in its own right, the O.G., the 3 Series, wins for driver engagement and feel.

The build quality, interior layout and practicality, and variety of colours and trim options available also contribute to its overall appeal.

2023 BMW 330i M Sport: Key considerations before you buy

When it comes to buying prestige European cars, servicing and longevity are generally cited as reasons against taking the plunge. This is why some customers prefer to lease or salary sacrifice with all service costs included. BMW sells a 5 year/ 80,000km service package for the 3 Series for $2150, which equates to just $268 for every 10,000km. Hardly exorbitant. The intervals are determined by the on-board Condition Based Monitoring System (CBS).

Does this mean the car would become a liability after the 5 year/ 80,000km mark? Not necessarily – the 2.0-litre turbo and ZF eight-speed automatic are proven, unstressed units. The Mexican-made G20 3 Series has no known major faults to speak of. There were two recalls early in the model’s life, but these have long since been rectified.

One element to look out for is pricing. Prices have shot up across the industry in recent times, and the 330i is now almost positioned where the original M340i was. Shop around and try to haggle, is our advice.

2023 BMW 330i M Sport: Video