BMW 330i Touring M Sport Pro Review
27 Jun 2023|16,970 views
What We Like
A conventionally good looking front end
Sufficient power and torque for most purposes
Drives well with great dynamic capabilities, while offering top-tier utility
Large cargo capacity with wide loading aperture
Wagon body style is really sexy
What We Dislike
Climate control is only accessible via the touchscreen
Throttle response is a tad lacking in Comfort drive mode
While I'm more of a sedan person, the wagon body style is something that I appreciate. I get the attractiveness of the ease of entry and utility of an SUV, but I really don't get how they can be deemed as a sporty choice. With a wagon, however, you'll get the same low ride height, body lines and handling that you'll find in sedans.
Meanwhile, you'll also get to enjoy the large cargo loading aperture thanks to the rear hatch, an expanded cargo capacity, and a roofline that allows more headroom for the rear passengers. Naturally, I was rather excited when I heard that I would be getting to drive the new 330i Touring M Sport Pro (I actually had a bulky item that needed some transportation…).
Despite being the base version of the M3 Touring, the 330i Touring M Sport Pro is distinctly different from the former. The 330i Touring is clearly less aggressive with its styling, featuring milder fender flares (the width of the 330i is almost 80mm narrower), and a vastly different front end.
While I am an ardent fan of the G80 chassis M3, many people around me have voiced out their disfavour for the radically designed front grilles. The 330i Touring might be just for this group of people - like the base 3 Series sedan, it has a conventional pair of kidney grilles.
Having been through BMW’s Life Cycle Impulse update, the 330i Touring also sports the updated bumper, which has a large central intake. These features give it a sporty front end that is pleasing to the eye.
Naturally, the side profile is what makes the 330i Touring special. With similar lines to the sedan, the Touring has its greenhouse extended to result in a bump in practicality. As the roof line remains, the result is a sleek and handsome wagon. The situation at the rear is largely the same - everything from taillights down is the same as you'll find on the sedan, which really is a good thing.
But there's still plenty of bark!
I know, comparing the 330i Touring against the M3 Touring isn't fair, but it really is a good alternative if you want a wagon, prefer the front end with smaller grilles, and wish to save a cool $260,000.
Of course, you'll be forgoing some performance, but I'll argue that the 242bhp and 400Nm of torque to the rear wheels is enough to let you overtake others with ease, maintain or even easily exceed highway speeds if you wish, and definitely sufficient to have some fun with as well.
It'll even complete the century sprint in 6.1 seconds. This is all thanks to the 2.0-litre turbocharged engine that you'll find under the bonnet of the 330i Touring.
While the engine is strong when it gets in the zone, there are times when it feels like a quicker throttle response would further add to the drive feel. This is especially prominent when the car is left in Comfort mode (likely to smoothen the power output). But there's no doubt, the 330i Touring has sufficient power to make everyday driving a breeze - fuel economy is also reasonable at around 10km/L according to the long-term data on the car.
BMW included a trick rear windscreen that can be operated independently from the rear hatch for easy loading
There's plenty of comfort and space in this wagon!
With its expanded greenhouse, the 330i Touring gains 20 litres of additional boot space, resulting in 500 litres with the seats up, and a generous 1,510 litres with the rear seats folded flat. While it might not sound plenty, the added convenience and utility cannot simply be measured with numbers. Thanks to the large loading aperture, and without the restriction of the low belt line of the rear windscreen on a sedan, it is much easier to load bulky items into the 330i Touring.
In fact, I took the opportunity to transport my own car's bonnet with the 330i Touring, and it fitted in the cargo area with room to spare! Furthermore, BMW has also engineered a rear windscreen that can be operated independently of the hatch, allowing convenient access to the boot for smaller items such as your groceries - everything has been well thought out.
The comfort and amenities within the 330i Touring is as expected of BMW - everything is well put together, and the interior adopts a simple and elegant style over the fancy lightshow-focused designs that you'll find in some of its peers. Being a facelifted model, the 330i Touring is equipped with BMW Operating System 8, which melds both the infotainment and instrument cluster displays on the same plane. It is a sleek and beautiful design, but the omission of physical buttons for climate control makes it a little cumbersome to operate when driving - especially in Singapore where we'll often have to fiddle with the temperature and fan speed due to the sweltering heat.
You don’t have to sacrifice dynamism for practicality
Contrary to its climate control, the 330i Touring's drive is far from cumbersome. Adequately sized, relatively lightweight, and low slung (compared to SUVs), it is among the more nimble and agile cars that I have driven in recent times. The adaptive steering is also quick and precise, giving you absolute control behind the wheel.
Body control is excellent, perfectly straddling the fine line between dynamism and ride comfort. I believe the wagon body style is one of the reasons why body roll can be kept at bay without the need for an overly stiff suspension system - unlike SUVs, the centre of gravity on wagons is much lower, naturally reducing the tendency for body roll to occur.
Equipped with M Sport brakes, the 330i Touring is also able to shave speed effectively with a positive pedal feel, as and when you need it. As you can see, this is a car that can do everything well - there's plenty of space, sufficient power, handles well, rides well and stops on a dime.
There's almost nothing major to complain about, other than the fact that the 330i Touring M Sport Pro costs quite a pretty penny at $368,888. While it is just a couple thousands more than a sedan such as the Mercedes-Benz C200 AMG Line, the 330i Touring is almost $70,000 dearer than the Volvo V60 Cross Country - a wagon of comparable size and power.
The 330i Touring M Sport Pro is quite a unique proposition (there simply aren't many wagons out there). Given how well it's able to meld dynamism and practicality, I am inclined towards it (if I had such a budget to spare).
Are you attracted to the utility and dynamism that wagons offer? Here are some other interesting ones that you should read about:
BMW M3 Touring 3.0 Competition xDrive Review
What We Like
A conventionally good looking front end
Sufficient power and torque for most purposes
Drives well with great dynamic capabilities, while offering top-tier utility
Large cargo capacity with wide loading aperture
Wagon body style is really sexy
What We Dislike
Climate control is only accessible via the touchscreen
Throttle response is a tad lacking in Comfort drive mode
While I'm more of a sedan person, the wagon body style is something that I appreciate. I get the attractiveness of the ease of entry and utility of an SUV, but I really don't get how they can be deemed as a sporty choice. With a wagon, however, you'll get the same low ride height, body lines and handling that you'll find in sedans.
Meanwhile, you'll also get to enjoy the large cargo loading aperture thanks to the rear hatch, an expanded cargo capacity, and a roofline that allows more headroom for the rear passengers. Naturally, I was rather excited when I heard that I would be getting to drive the new 330i Touring M Sport Pro (I actually had a bulky item that needed some transportation…).
Despite being the base version of the M3 Touring, the 330i Touring M Sport Pro is distinctly different from the former. The 330i Touring is clearly less aggressive with its styling, featuring milder fender flares (the width of the 330i is almost 80mm narrower), and a vastly different front end.
While I am an ardent fan of the G80 chassis M3, many people around me have voiced out their disfavour for the radically designed front grilles. The 330i Touring might be just for this group of people - like the base 3 Series sedan, it has a conventional pair of kidney grilles.
Having been through BMW’s Life Cycle Impulse update, the 330i Touring also sports the updated bumper, which has a large central intake. These features give it a sporty front end that is pleasing to the eye.
Naturally, the side profile is what makes the 330i Touring special. With similar lines to the sedan, the Touring has its greenhouse extended to result in a bump in practicality. As the roof line remains, the result is a sleek and handsome wagon. The situation at the rear is largely the same - everything from taillights down is the same as you'll find on the sedan, which really is a good thing.
But there's still plenty of bark!
I know, comparing the 330i Touring against the M3 Touring isn't fair, but it really is a good alternative if you want a wagon, prefer the front end with smaller grilles, and wish to save a cool $260,000.
Of course, you'll be forgoing some performance, but I'll argue that the 242bhp and 400Nm of torque to the rear wheels is enough to let you overtake others with ease, maintain or even easily exceed highway speeds if you wish, and definitely sufficient to have some fun with as well.
It'll even complete the century sprint in 6.1 seconds. This is all thanks to the 2.0-litre turbocharged engine that you'll find under the bonnet of the 330i Touring.
While the engine is strong when it gets in the zone, there are times when it feels like a quicker throttle response would further add to the drive feel. This is especially prominent when the car is left in Comfort mode (likely to smoothen the power output). But there's no doubt, the 330i Touring has sufficient power to make everyday driving a breeze - fuel economy is also reasonable at around 10km/L according to the long-term data on the car.
BMW included a trick rear windscreen that can be operated independently from the rear hatch for easy loading
There's plenty of comfort and space in this wagon!
With its expanded greenhouse, the 330i Touring gains 20 litres of additional boot space, resulting in 500 litres with the seats up, and a generous 1,510 litres with the rear seats folded flat. While it might not sound plenty, the added convenience and utility cannot simply be measured with numbers. Thanks to the large loading aperture, and without the restriction of the low belt line of the rear windscreen on a sedan, it is much easier to load bulky items into the 330i Touring.
In fact, I took the opportunity to transport my own car's bonnet with the 330i Touring, and it fitted in the cargo area with room to spare! Furthermore, BMW has also engineered a rear windscreen that can be operated independently of the hatch, allowing convenient access to the boot for smaller items such as your groceries - everything has been well thought out.
The comfort and amenities within the 330i Touring is as expected of BMW - everything is well put together, and the interior adopts a simple and elegant style over the fancy lightshow-focused designs that you'll find in some of its peers. Being a facelifted model, the 330i Touring is equipped with BMW Operating System 8, which melds both the infotainment and instrument cluster displays on the same plane. It is a sleek and beautiful design, but the omission of physical buttons for climate control makes it a little cumbersome to operate when driving - especially in Singapore where we'll often have to fiddle with the temperature and fan speed due to the sweltering heat.
You don’t have to sacrifice dynamism for practicality
Contrary to its climate control, the 330i Touring's drive is far from cumbersome. Adequately sized, relatively lightweight, and low slung (compared to SUVs), it is among the more nimble and agile cars that I have driven in recent times. The adaptive steering is also quick and precise, giving you absolute control behind the wheel.
Body control is excellent, perfectly straddling the fine line between dynamism and ride comfort. I believe the wagon body style is one of the reasons why body roll can be kept at bay without the need for an overly stiff suspension system - unlike SUVs, the centre of gravity on wagons is much lower, naturally reducing the tendency for body roll to occur.
Equipped with M Sport brakes, the 330i Touring is also able to shave speed effectively with a positive pedal feel, as and when you need it. As you can see, this is a car that can do everything well - there's plenty of space, sufficient power, handles well, rides well and stops on a dime.
There's almost nothing major to complain about, other than the fact that the 330i Touring M Sport Pro costs quite a pretty penny at $368,888. While it is just a couple thousands more than a sedan such as the Mercedes-Benz C200 AMG Line, the 330i Touring is almost $70,000 dearer than the Volvo V60 Cross Country - a wagon of comparable size and power.
The 330i Touring M Sport Pro is quite a unique proposition (there simply aren't many wagons out there). Given how well it's able to meld dynamism and practicality, I am inclined towards it (if I had such a budget to spare).
Are you attracted to the utility and dynamism that wagons offer? Here are some other interesting ones that you should read about:
BMW M3 Touring 3.0 Competition xDrive Review
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Car Information
BMW 3 Series Touring 330i M Sport Pro (A)
CAT B|Petrol|13km/L
Horsepower
180kW (242 bhp)
Torque
400 Nm
Acceleration
6.1sec (0-100km /hr)
This model is no longer being sold by local distributor
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- Exterior
- Performance
- Interior
- Conclusion