The new BMW 3 Series - sensible, comfy, but quicker than a small dog on caffeine
The 330i M Sport is smart enough to listen, comfy enough to drive in for hours, but also has enough power to topple a Golf GTI. It's got the lot.
McDonald's can faff about with the topping and extras, and their burgers will still do the job. The BMW 3 Series is the same - as one of the best sellers in the compact executive car class, it's bound to be popular no matter what they do to it.
But that isn't the question we're answering here.
We want to know if it's good enough to hold onto the compact exec crown jewels. If there's enough going on to keep it fresh, whilst keeping a chokehold on the features that made it so popular in the first place.
The 3 Series is still a looker
If you squint, the new version doesn't look overly changed, but have a closer look and you'll spot a few changes.
The headlights have a jagged outline and compliment the new car's even more angular look, while the taillights seem to sit higher up and give it a more muscular outline from behind.
And it has twin exhaust pipes, regardless of which trim you choose. Ours was the 330i M Sport, with the dropped suspension (by 10mm, to be exact) and sportier bodykit.
This tester also had the optional M Sport Plus kit, which for just over £2k throws on 19-inch rims and gloss-black grille and window surrounds.
They've pulled no punches inside
On the other hand, the interior's been completely gutted and replaced.
There's always been a sense of premium with the German car brands in particular, but BMW have clearly thrown everything bar the kitchen sink at this.
The surfaces are patterned with dark materials and textured silver panels, and the seats are full leather, with an excellent balance of comfort and support.
You won't find analogue dials behind the wheel either, with the driver data now displayed on a digital screen.
The tech is excellent
Your eyes, however, are drawn to the 10-inch iDrive touchscreen that stretches across the space left of the wheel. Although it's not the standard ratio - it's much wider and shallower - it is brilliant.
Maps and menus are displayed in crisp quality and can be operated by touch, or the rotating dial and buttons just in front of the centre armrest.
If you go for the Technology Pack, which is just shy of £2k, you can even use hand gestures to control media volume, change screens, or set a satnav destination.
And, to throw yet another method into the mix, there's also the new personal assistant that works off voice commands. It's activated by saying 'hey BMW', but the name can be personalised. Keep it clean.
That tech pack also includes wireless charging, surround sound speakers and a head-up display that floats the speedo and satnav prompts on the windscreen.
Don't expect subpar performance
Right, you'll need to bear with me. On the topic of performance, the 330i sits somewhere between the base 3 Series model and the borderline madness of the M3.
As of July this year, that gap will also be occupied by the new M340i - this won't be quite as wild as the M3, but does sit at the higher end of the performance scale.
Such is the dominance of BMW's M division, you might expect the likes of the 330i to be a bit vanilla in comparison. But if you're expecting lacklustre performance here, don't.
With 254bhp and a 0-60 time of around 5.5 seconds, it'll hit the mark over half a second quicker than a Golf GTI - a car that has no issues with pace.
That pull comes from the carmaker's new four-cylinder, turbocharged petrol engine. The turbo kicks in at just over 1,000 revs, so there's power on tap no matter where you are on the dial. And it's sent to the rear wheels.
If there was a recipe for going around a corner sideways, the 330i has the only two ingredients needed - rear-wheel drive, and enough power to send you up the road like a Shih Tzu on blue Skittles. Within the confines of the law, obviously.
It can be grown up too
Despite that, though, it's also properly sensible. Although a rear-wheel drive setup is great for flicking the backend out, you have to really push the car to persuade it into sliding.
It can still be driven, quickly or otherwise, without losing its grip on the road. The steering itself is as precise as you'd like, and the weight of it is varied depending on the driving mode you're in.
That, coupled with the improved body control, produces a superb drive. This new shape is wider and closer to the ground as well, so there's little in the way of body roll.
And the M Sport Plus pack that I mentioned earlier also adds an M Sport limited-slip differential to the rear axle. When cornering, the diff sends a greater share of the power to the side with better grip to improve stability and agility through the corners.
There's always a 'but'... isn't there?
Substance often makes way for style. Skinny jeans, for example. Not the slim fit, or slightly hugging kind - I'm talking the sort that look as though they've been drawn on.
They probably aren't great for circulation, and they're definitely not comfy, but people wear them because they're seen as cool and trendy. Apparently.
You'd be forgiven for thinking the 330i had the same issue. It's quick, only too keen to be thrown head-first into a corner, and with our model, was riding on 19-inch alloys. Stylish but uncomfortable, you might think. Incorrect.
The M Sport Plus kit fits the car with adaptive dampers, and they might be the best argument for ticking that option on the order form.
No matter the driving style or surface, the Beemer seems to glide along without juddering across potholes and bumps in the road. Although I haven't driven a model without the dampers, I'd expect a more compromised drive.
The afternoon I spent darting about the Staffordshire countryside with the 330i was a hoot - it was the train back north that left me with an achy back.
The 3 Series, just even better
What you have here is comfort, performance, and enough tech to fill an aisle in Currys PC World. But it performs so well in each of those areas, you'd struggle to say which is its main draw.
It isn't just a 'solid' burger, this is a sit-down burger. One you might eat with a knife and fork, because there's that much to it it's falling out the sides. And also because you want it to last longer.
Despite the stiff competition from the likes of Audi, Mercedes and even Tesla more recently, the new BMW 3 Series is a reminder that you can improve on something that was already spot on.
It still has the impressively low CO2 emissions, so it's just as suitable for company car drivers as it is personal owners. And this model in particular, the 330i M Sport, is good for buyers who just want to drive for the love of it. Top marks.
Get more on the new BMW 3 Series at Lookers, or test drive one yourself in the #DriveRateWin event for a chance to win a BMW for 6 months.
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Comments (2)
Given BMWs latest form, my first though when I saw this was “I wonder what this one will be recalled for.”
Very informative review. I really like the tech in the new BMW 3 Series!