Review of the new BMW 330i

I love BMW's M3. Love it with a passion. Any excuse, however contrived, will do if it means a spell behind the wheel. That hollow metallic engine note, the beautiful chassis balance and the gut-wrenching acceleration and braking are all utterly addictive. The problem is I can't afford one and even if I could, the two door coupe shape I would want wouldn't go down at all well with her indoors. Compromise can so often be a dirty word, but when it's applied to BMW's latest 330i, it's a concept fully rehabilitated.

With 272bhp to call upon, the 330i doesn't exactly want for power, though if you really want more, then BMW will sell you the twin-turbo 306bhp 335i. But it's £3,000 more and for the 330i, BMW quote a sprint to 60mph of 6.1 seconds. Exactly how much faster than that do you really need to go? Unless you're a track day fiend, it's likely that the 335i's extra horses will largely be wasted. That being the case, if like me, you require four doors, there's really very little that acts as a credible alternative to the 330i.

Available in saloon and Touring estate guises with recently revised SE or M Sport trims or in Coupe and Convertible form, this improved E90 generation 330i looks set to continue its strong sales performance. Much of that is down to what's under the bonnet. To some 'the world's lightest six cylinder engine' will figure in their buying decisions about as prominently as 'the world's toughest driveshaft splines' or 'the most precision-milled glovebox hinges in automotive history'. It just doesn't seem that significant, especially in a car as laden with luxury gadgetry as the 330i. The key is that the low weight of the engine allows for all the refinements without imposing too much of a penalty on performance. With less weight hanging out over the nose, there are all sorts of handling benefits plus the usual economy and emissions advantages - factors that have been boosted by the inclusion on BMW's EfficientDynamics technology.

"The 330i offers serious speed without catastrophic running costs"

The 330i features a 3.0-litre Valvetronic engine with technology that does away with conventional throttle butterflies in favour of a complex electrically-powered valve lifting system. Constructed from an aluminium and magnesium composite, this engine sits tucked well back in the car's cavernous engine bay and gives the 330i excellent weight distribution. Less weight also equates to better performance, more agile handling and lower fuel consumption and emissions. The EfficientDynamics package on the latest car also introduced features like Brake Energy Regeneration and Auto Start-Stop which have a dramatic effect on overall efficiency.

Despite the modest cubic capacity, this engine punches well above its weight, knocking out 272bhp at 6,600rpm. On the road, this will translate into a surprising amount of heft. Both the saloon and Touring will run into BMW's self-imposed electronic limiter at 155mph with plenty to spare yet the 330i can still manage a combined fuel economy figure of nearly 40mpg.

Around twelve per cent up on BMW's old 3.0-litre petrol engine - itself no slouch when it came to fuel figures - the Valvetronic unit offers the best of both worlds. The Valvetronic engine also complies with the latest Euro IV emissions regulations and features the world's first electric water pump to cool the engine block for increased efficiency. Six-speed manual gearboxes are fitted as standard but customers will also be able to specify their car with either an automatic or BMW's racy Sequential Manual Gearbox.

Unusually for a 3 Series, it could be that what's on the bonnet gains as much attention as what's under it where this revised model is concerned. The styling of today's car has been updated in a number of small ways but the raised lines that fall down the middle of the bonnet are most noticeable. Elsewhere, the BMW trademark ringed side lights are standard and the grille has been tweaked while the entire rear light clusters are now entirely ruby red in colour and the side skirts have a more pronounced crease line. The interior looks largely similar to the previous model but BMW has again updated its iDrive control interface with scrolling menu displays designed to enhance usability. There's 8 gigabytes of music storage capacity in the system too, enough for 100 albums, while the quality of the trim materials around the cabin has also been enhanced.

Run-flat tyres are used with every tyre and wheel option on the E90 3-series. Although some have grumbled about the deterioration in ride quality when run flats are specified, it's worth noting that this is only normally the case when the run-flat is an optional extra. When, as is the case of the E90 3 Series, the suspension has been tuned to accommodate the stiffer sidewalls of a run flat tyre, the overall ride quality isn't noticeably inferior.

BMW's 330i isn't an M3 but it doesn't have to be. Don't let horsepower considerations divert your attention from what is possibly the most versatile petrol powered car in the entire 3 Series line up.

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