Owner Review: Bummer or Bimmer? My story of 2017 F30 BMW 330e M Sport

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Basic information about my car:

2017 F30 BMW 330e M Sport 

Reasons why I bought this car:

DISCLAIMER: This is not my actual car per se, it is a car at home that nobody uses.My dad bought it, but he never got into it. So, I just took it up and have used it as my daily driver till now. I will share the ‘ownership’ experience having used it for the past 4 years.
Prior to the 330e, we had a 2013 F25 BMW X3 xDrive20i. As the X3 was reaching the end of its warranty period (the X3 had a recurring reliability issue), my dad felt it was the right time to change things up. 

Car Selection Process

• I had a budget of Somewhere in the RM250k ballpark .
• Models that I have considered include: W205 Mercedes-Benz C200, C117 Mercedes-Benz CLA200/CLA250.

My dad was pretty much set on continuing with BMW as we had previously owned a W204 Mercedes-Benz C200K and safe to say, it was far from being a rewarding experience. So, as soon as the idea came up to replace the X3, the 3 Series came to mind immediately. We gave the aforementioned Mercedes models the slightest of considerations, but we knew we’d opt for the 3 Series either way. At the time, the 330e M Sport was the latest variant offering, so we went for it. 

User Experience

• I have already done 53500 km.
• My average fuel consumption is 13.9L/100km.

It has been a rocky adventure with the car, with many ups and downs. For the first 3 years of ownership, the car was seldom used as I was away for my studies and would only return during my summer breaks. As mentioned earlier, my dad never got into the car, so he never really used it other than the occasional trips to our hometown.

Up until March 2020, the car was basically only used for 3-4 months a year when I was around other than the occasional trips and weekly engine warm-ups & drives. Even though the car has racked up a healthy enough mileage, I am responsible for most of it when I was home. With very little usage, the car went back to the dealership AT LEAST 2 times a year as error messages popped up. The problems were usually related to the hybrid drivetrain and/or faulty sensors (parking aids & tyre pressure monitor).

Every 3-4 months, things would start to get nervy.Would the car be able to complete the trip or will it leave us stranded? Even when I was home, I would be wary every time I used it. It was starting to get frustrating too, as in the 2nd year of ownership, I think it visited the dealer 4 times? I know we were sort of at fault for not using it properly but it’s not like the car was tucked away for 6 months without anyone touching it. It was still being taken out every week for short drives and at one point, my dad did try to use it more.

As the problems were recurring, my dad was not too confident of taking it out more often, though.There was a pattern forming, the car would have problems every 3-4 months.Worse still, when the problems surfaced, the car would, at times, put itself into ‘limp-home’ mode where the computers limited driving to just 60km/h.Luckily, the warranty was still active so at least we didn’t have to bear the costs of repairs. We were thinking of selling it at one point but depreciation on these 330e models are horrible, so we decided to stay put.Fast forward to March 2020 (I had returned home early as Covid-19 hit), I was able to drive the car more. It wasn’t smooth sailing though; the same problems were still happening.

Between March 2020 to July 2021, it had to return to the dealership twice. Once in April 2020 for the tyre and parking sensors’ errors and the other in October 2020 for a hybrid drivetrain overheating issue. Other than that, I have thoroughly loved the car. I have managed to rack up more than 20,000km between the time I return home in 2020 to now. I have used the car for traveling to work, for drives up to Genting and just other daily errands.

Pros and Cons

Pros of my car

a.

Looks – I particularly love the looks of these F30 LCI models especially with the new headlights & taillights. Add in the M Sport body kit, it is a very attractive package to my eyes. It looks especially stunning right after a wash. 

b.

Performance & Handling – The 330e is basically an electrified 320i because it still uses the same 2.0 engine as the latter, but the performance is extremely respectable (Official figures: 0-100km/h in 6.1secs). With the instant electrical boost, it's off the line pace is impressive but I do feel the power does taper off significantly after 4,500rpm. Dynamically speaking, it is impressive to me too. Steering in its Comfort setting is nicely weighted and is quick to respond (The steering feels artificially heavy in Sport mode).

The car is extremely chuckable at low to medium speed corners, it still does a good job at higher speed corners albeit the body roll is more noticeable there. I’ve been out driving with my friends in their 991.1 Porsche 911 Carrera S and F82 BMW M4. The 330e did get completely left behind at one point, but before that it was doing a respectable job of keeping up, so that’s good! All in all, it’s always a joy for me to take this car out especially around twisty bits like the Karak stretch. I enjoy driving a lot and to have this car around, it puts a smile on my face. 

c.

Equipment List – It is generous enough, although, I would like to specifically highlight the Heads-Up Display (HUD) that BMW Malaysia have been included in the specs list. It has been a game-changer to me, driving is much more convenient now. I don’t have to take my eyes off the road at all as all the relevant info can be displayed there (Speed, Navigation,Audio, Fuel Low Warning & etc.). Glad to have it in this as the new G20 330e doesn’t even come with a HUD. If only they had the Harman Kardon system in place of the sunroof though. 

d.

Electric Only Range & Fuel Economy – This is where electric cars start to make sense. The 330e has an electric-only range of up to 40KM, although I can usually only get 32 KM of range, and it’s super handy for my commute to the office. Plug it in at home, it takes about 5-6 hours to fully charge, drive it to the office where about 50% of the range is used up, plug it in again at the office for the journey home later. I save a lot on fuel when it comes to commuting to the office and especially when in traffic. I will usually only use electrical power when it's below 50km/h.

Above I'd use the ICE as I feel it’s smoother that way. I’d usually have the car in Sport mode but with the suspension in Comfort mode. I do it like this because in Sport mode, the engine does not have to start-stop as often. It would only maintain power through the engine, so it doesn’t have to constantly switch between the electric drivetrain and ICE all the time. 

e.

Ride Comfort – This is not the most comfortable ride out there, but I like it. Not too soft and not too firm either. Never have the suspension in Sport mode though, the ride gets incredibly harsh for a daily. It’s a good thing that I’m able to have the Drivetrain in Sport mode whilst the Suspension & Steering in Comfort, this is the best setup in my opinion.

Cons

a.

Reliability – I think it’s quite obvious by now how unreliable this car can be haha. 

b.

Start/Stop System – This is incredibly annoying and you can’t even turn it off! The whole car turns off once the driver door is open. So, if you must, let’s say, pay for parking and get out of the car with a passenger inside, the passenger will only get hot air blowing as the car turns off. The passenger can’t simply turn on the car either unless he/she stretches out to press the brake pedal & starter button simultaneously, though I can imagine how awkward that can be. Furthermore, there’s no way to completely turn off the start/stop system when driving with the ICE. In Comfort mode, the engine turns off at speeds below 15km/h, so it usually cuts off when going over speed bumps. That’s why I usually have it in Sport mode because the engine only cuts out at below 7km/h. Either way, if your battery has run out of charge and you’re stuck in traffic, it’s hugely annoying to me to feel and hear the car constantly switching between the engine and electric drivetrains. The only solution to this is to push the gear lever into Sport mode but then, you will have the car holding the gears for too long.

c.

Paddle Shifters – The 8-speed automatic gearbox is smooth and responsive during normal driving and when it is in Sport mode. However, I like rowing through the gears myself but once you want to manually take over via the paddle shifters, the changes are hesitant. Pull on the paddles, there’s always a slight delay. You have to plan ahead for a corner to always up/downshift a tad earlier than you’d have liked. It is by no means a slouch, but it is slightly dim-witted that way and nowhere near as fast as let’s say, a DSG, where the shifts are instant.

d.

Future Cost – It’s the 4th year of ownership this year and we’ve had to carry out normal wear & tear replacements like the tyres and wiper blades. They are not cheap, and I can foresee costs rising over the next few years.

e.

Resale Value – As mentioned earlier, we had plans on selling the car, but depreciation hits these PHEVs hard, particularly on the 330e. Back in 2017, the PHEV market was relatively still new, so we didn’t know too much about the second-hand market. Plan your purchases well! 

Total Score: 4

Performance: 4.5

Quality & Features: 4.5

Space: 4

Ride comfort: 4

Fuel Economy: 3.5

Price & cost: 3.5

Summary:

To sum it all up, I have honestly enjoyed living with this car, but it is a love I hate relationships. When it has its problems, it gets so frustrating, but even though it has had its fair share of problems over the years, I still look forward to driving it every time, be it for a leisurely cruise or spirited driving. It has served me well most of the time and when problems do happen, BMW have been quick to rectify them. By 2022, it will be the 5th year of ownership. I still don’t know what’s going to happen then, but that thought is for another day. Would I buy the new G20 330e? No, I would just go for the 330i instead.Not too keen on the fragility of these electric drivetrains and the depreciation that comes with it. This, however, has been an interesting experience and provides an insight to the future of electrification. As for now, I’ll just continue enjoying the car, well at least until its next breakdown....

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