Autocar road test - BMW 330d Touring

[original guvnor]

This week's mag has a full road test on the 330d Touring (luxury trim). I think if I ever decided to go back in to the company car scheme I'd order one of these, and keep the Z4MC for weekend fun. Very classy looking, low tax, lovely interior, decent load capacity.

The only thing that knocked it down from 5 stars to 4.5 was the cost of options pushing the price up.

The performance though is staggering. The new engine has 255bhp and it did the 0-60 in 5.5 but more impressive was the 0-100 (14.2 seconds - quicker than a 3.0si Coupe or Roadster and the s-drive 30i and 28i). The in-gear flexibility was very impressive as well with performance below 70mph on a par with my M.

It is a dirty diesel though so I'd never actually buy one myself!

Expecting Sars to say "I told you so" anytime soon.

 

[tomscott]

Sounds amazing!

Had an E46 330d it was an apsolutely epic motor! Swapped it for an E46 m3 and tbh the 330d is the diesel m3

 

[Wondermike]

Pretty impressive, wonder how much it has to do with the 8 speeder, just like the M135 the closer ratios are really making a difference.

Seems little point in a 335d or 340d but no doubt there will be one coming anyway.

 

[Woody]

If I can afford it and when the time comes to sell the M (caus of sprogs) then I would really love the 335d or 330d M-Sport Touring, say an 08 reg or similar...otherwise it'll be a Skoda vRS! Shame the 335d didn't come with a manual though...

 

[DR-Z]

I have a 535D, 300 HP, stonkingly fast, particularly when on the move - due to the 600 torques! The manual gearbox (or rather the clutch) couldn't handle the torque, which is why BMW don't offer it. Probably the same with the 335D.

 

[ChawenHalo]

I have a 535D, 300 HP, stonkingly fast, particularly when on the move - due to the 600 torques! The manual gearbox (or rather the clutch) couldn't handle the torque, which is why BMW don't offer it. Probably the same with the 335D.

Don't see the point of these large diesels, they guzzle so much...

Best rep mobile I ever had was a 320D (E60 I think?) but I still lust after a D3 from Alpina as a daily driver.

 

[aquazi]

my friend has a 335d remapped, in the real world its probably as quick if not quicker then an M3... face ripping torque aswell.

But as above its pointless as he gets an average of 25mpg... prob could get better miles per pence (factoring diesel is 10p more per litre) in an M3.

 

[sars]

OG, they are impressive performance figures indeed,

Don't see the point of these large diesels, they guzzle so much...

Best rep mobile I ever had was a 320D (E60 I think?) but I still lust after a D3 from Alpina as a daily driver.

I would argue the opposite as above though, you are always going to get better economy out of a diesel than a similar sized petrol.The drawback for me was performance. You have more torque but less rev range and thus gearing was lower, now with eight gears and fast shifts on autos you can have higher gearing which transmits to better performance.

Just has to be an auto though........

 

[Mowflow]

Looked at a lovely estoril blue one in Harry Fairbairns the other week there. Didn't get to drive it but the car has made a massive leap forward from the previous e90.

I've actually just ordered it's little brother. A 125d M Sport. 220bhp 450nm 0-60 in 6.5 seconds. The 0-60 is misleading. Rolling it was without a shadow of a doubt faster than my Z4.

I looked at the Octavia VRs. Better than the Golf GTD but the 170bhp unit wasn't in the same league as the BMW unit. Also supposed to be a BMW performance pack coming for the 125d that will take it up to the same power as the 330d only in a lighter package

 

[DR-Z]

I have a 535D, 300 HP, stonkingly fast, particularly when on the move - due to the 600 torques! The manual gearbox (or rather the clutch) couldn't handle the torque, which is why BMW don't offer it. Probably the same with the 335D.

Don't see the point of these large diesels, they guzzle so much...

Best rep mobile I ever had was a 320D (E60 I think?) but I still lust after a D3 from Alpina as a daily driver.

I get 44mpg average on a twisty 60 mile round trip every day over the hills - and that's not driving like a girl. I wouldn't call that guzzling!

 

[Mowflow]

I averaged 50mpg on the extended test drive I had in a 125d and I was hammering it most of the time.