In the past, the name of BMW’s cars represented the displacement of their engines. This changed with years to the point where the number only stands for where the car sits in a certain model’s range. This is exactly the case with their newest release, the 2017 BMW 330i. The car has been around in Europe for some time but it has just been released on the US market. The new 330i is basically the same basic design released a few years ago with some improvements. It gets an entirely new engine and it is now more expensive than the car it is replacing, the 328i. The model will start at just under $40,000 which is not cheap.
PRICE AND REVIEW OF 2017 BMW 330i
However, like with most other BMWs, the base price doesn’t mean much. With a few optional extras, the 330i’s price will get past $50,000 with ease. The good part is that the car is mostly worth the money. Unfortunately, though, most of the running gear is the same as that found on the older 328i and it inherits most of its problems as well. The suspension is a bit too harsh for this kind of car. Also, even though the steering is precise, it offers no feedback at all. The car is already available in the US while the European version will be updated soon as well.
There are minimal changes between the 2017 BMW 330i and the last year’s 328i. The front end is identical, at least on the base models, and the changes to the back have been kept to a minimum as well. However, there are a few more packages available for the car. The M-package, while available on the older model as well, will now add a few new wheels to the mix as well as a slightly revised front end. Besides that and a few new colors, there really aren’t that many changes.
INTERIOR
The Same thing can be said about the cabin of the new 330i. While the car is refined, comfortable and well above the average in terms of quality, it is basically the same car as before. In order to get better options than a base 320i, the buyer will have to pay quite a bit. There are premium cloth seats offered as standard but the nicer fully adjustable leather ones will set you back nearly $1,500 which is quite a bit for just a pair of front seats. The satellite radio will add an extra $2,500 while the heated front seats will add $500 on top of the $1,500 which is a lot of money for some basic extras.
2017 BMW 330i POWERTRAIN
This is where the 2017 BMW 330i received the most amount of attention. This is the first time when the 330i received a four cylinder engine. The new B46 engine, also found on the Mini Cooper, can provide 248 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. This is slightly better than the 328i. The eight-speed automatic transmission has been revised in order to make better use of the higher end torque curve of the new engine. The car is actually slightly slower than the 328i with a 0 to 60 MPH time of 5.4 seconds, 0.1 seconds more than the previous model. However, the car is a lot better in terms of fuel economy.
On the highway, it will return as much as 41 MPG at a cruising speed of 75 MPH which is better than some economy models. The 2-liter engine is also very good in terms of power delivery. Thanks to its twin-scroll turbocharger and very efficient direct injection, it suffers from no turbo lag. This makes the car feel like a naturally aspirated one which can not be said about its predecessor.
