BMW 330d Review

Pros:

Cons:

By Matt Brogan | July 17th, 2009

Add to shortlist

Price: $32,580 to $51,120

Our Rating:

Performance, Ride & Handling	4.5
Comfort and Interior	4
Quality & Design	4
Value & Features	3.5
Safety	5
Green	3.5

2009 BMW 330d – First Steer

This über-diesel isn’t going to lower any expectations

By Matt Brogan

When it comes to building a strong, no-nonsense diesel, BMW has the equation pretty well sorted. Similarly when you think of a popular German mid-size with perfect on-road manners, and a rewarding drive experience, then not too many people would argue that the 3 Series tops that list as well.

So imagine then combining the two, okay that’s already been done, but instead of just a frugal attempt at being a part of the Euro oiler brigade try taking hold of the diesel mould as you know it, and smashing it to smithereens; introducing the all-new BMW 330d.

The primary reason for all this excitement is that beneath the unassuming 3 Series skin lies a powerhouse akin to the performance of the much lauded M3 not too many years back – and when all’s said and done, the numbers are by today’s standard just as impressive in relative terms, and in some instances even more so.

Let’s start by taking a quick look at the new 330d when pitted against its direct rivals: the Mercedes-Benz C320 CDI ($97,900*) and Audi A4 3.0 TDI Quattro ($86,056*).

The 330d trumps its sparring partners in terms of power, torque, acceleration, power-to-weight ratio and, believe it or not, C02 emissions and fuel consumption too.

And while the figures may speak for themselves, the on-paper specifications don’t always translate in to the real world of driving experience. But as we well know BMW prides itself on offering the ‘ultimate driving machine’, so it’s a pretty safe bet that this über-diesel isn’t going to lower any expectations.

From just 1750rpm the full wallop of torque is sent to the rear wheels with a progressive crescendo that could only come from a high-output diesel. Acceleration is linear, yet brutal, with the tacho and speedo rising in almost perfect unison until 3000rpm, battling in a constant duel with the car’s Dynamic Traction Control system for black top adhesion.

Thereafter it’s all power with a secondary, and even more rapid tide of urgency felt from 3500rpm all the way to redline, real wolf in sheep’s clothing type stuff. The six-speed automatic is blisteringly sharp and in sport mode (with steering wheel mounted paddle shifts) makes the drive out of corners feel absolutely predatory.

Grip is astounding given the car’s obvious family orientation and couples precise, well weighted steering to offer near-perfect levels of feel and feedback – all of which means placing the 17-inch alloys on apex is a grin enhancing experience one wouldn’t normally equate to a car carrying the d moniker.

Braking is equally impressive with distended single pot callipers, as shared with the 330d’s petrol sibling the 335i, grabbing huge 348mm discs up front and 336mm discs on the rear.

The Electronic Stability Control (ESC) system too is a delight with an extended array of features on 330d making it a workable part of your driving experience rather than simply being that nanny in the background carrying a bad behaviour stick.

Dry braking, start-off assistant, soft-stop and brake fade compensation all made our drive program through the Victorian Alps yesterday pleasurable and safe – quite reassuring given the odd patch of snow.

Should you be overly enthusiastic, and have an extra $4200, the optional M Sport package enhances these traits even further by lowering the ride height and fitting larger diameter rims.

And while the package does indeed sharpen the cars already sensational handling, I couldn’t help feel the standard package is perhaps better suited to our rougher roads and lower speed limits.

From the outside the 330d is the perfect disguise for anyone wanting to closet their driving persona within the guise of a family sedan.

For those wanting to be in the know the up-spec diesel is distinguished from its lower capacity sibling (the 320d) by larger diameter alloy wheels, bigger brakes, kidney grilles topped by chrome bars, bi-xenon adaptive headlamps, front and rear parking sensors, larger diameter dual exhausts and chrome highlights around the side glass.

Inside standard Dakota leather upholstery (available in six colours), satellite navigation, 10-speaker stereo, comfort access system, electrically operated memory seats, sports steering wheel, cruise control with brake function, high-beam assist and Bluetooth mobile phone integration enhance the already generous standard feature list.

Five-star safety comes courtesy of six airbags, ESC with Traction Control, ABS with EBA, EBD and CBC.

The all-new BMW 330d is priced from $87,250* and is available now. CarAdvice will offer a full review of the 330d in the coming weeks.

*Pricing is a guide as recommended to us by the manufacturer.

Reader reviews of the BMW 3

Write a review for the BMW 3

Do you own this car? Share your opinion and add your own review below.

Add a New Review

FrugalOne

*****PRIMO!*****

These turbo-diesels have outstanding power/economy ratio.

Love this bit “just a frugal attempt”.

In the next 10 years the technology is getting more and more impressive.

Both Falcondore should have a TDi option, i think some people would be interested to buy them?I am happier with LPG, but must admit the range is km outstanding.

Cheers

F-0
Mitch

i think Audi have done a good job, slightly less power then the BMW but a lot heavier (because of 4wd) but just as quick, cheap and frugal.
Howie-R31

Mitch, just as quick 0-100 and 4wd. The 4WD explains this :p

What a car! Awesome all-round package. Does this car even have a weak spot?
Alex

Brilliant car. I would take this over the competition because the Mercedes is boring as far as I’m concerned and the Audi is completely without character. Buying a 3 Series, despite it being a pretty standard choice to make, will most likely never leave you dissapointed and with an engine like this, it will leave you very surprised.
I can’t figure out why they didn’t bring the 335d instead though. After all, this isn’t here to be affordable, it’s here to be BMW Australia’s diesel flagship for the 3 Series.
Will

Having owned a Euro TDI for some 15 months now, I state I am very pleased with the package. It’s outstanding torque make for easy city driving, overtaking in the country and effectively flattening hills. I have done Melbourne to Sydney with over 150ks to spare and Melbourne to Adelaide via the Great Ocean Road on one 55 litre tank.

I think when you view the above, it will merely be a choice of brands. Personally I would go for the Audi although the other packages, Mercedes and BMW are no doubt very competent.
D

Although I like the C-Class, it’s not worth the extra $10K.

For me it’s definitely either out of the 3-Series or A4.
Dano

integrate that screen atop the dash in a better way and mirror those twin pipes to the other side of the car and this thing would be worth selling the house for !
Casey

Sounds impressive – look forward to the full road test.

BTW, does any one know why the Merc is so much dearer?
Fizz

Love the hi-po euro diesels but the only issue I have with getting one at the moment is that, no matter how good they are now, with the rate of technological advancement in modern diesel engines your car’s engine will be pretty outdated in a short time. I would kick myself if I bought one today and in a couple of years they release an updated engine with much more power, better economy and so on.
Shane

a fantastic “real world” car. It would be great as a wagon too.
Bimmerc

THe main reason for Merc is much more expensive is that its consumption is above 7L/100km, and it is not qualify to exempt the Luxury Tax, I think the real cost are about the same for all three German.
HAL

I love this car. Every single part of it. In my opinion, the wheels are the best I’ve seen, just a beautiful piece of design symmetry with the rest of the car. Now, just have to convince the cheese’n'kisses that we need one of these.
The Realist

Couple the brilliance of the car with the LCT advantages and you have one potent package priced quite brilliantly.
The Realist

HAL Says:
July 17th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
“In my opinion, the wheels are the best I’ve seen, just a beautiful piece of design symmetry with the rest of the car.”

You could get these with the pre-LCI 3 series too.
Jimmy

Whereabouts did the shoot take place CA? Is that around Buller?
Jimmy James

Here’s what I want:

A MORE COMPLETE RANGE OF 3-Series TOURING WAGONS in AUSTRALIA.

$64k 320d TOURING
$71k 323d TOURING (with excellent 2.0l twin turbo)
$91k 330d TOURING
$115k 335d TOURING

Give them all the option of the dual-clutch DCT gearbox.
Make Satnav OPTIONAL
Make manual gearbox an option for those that want.

One of these would be SOOOOOO much better than an X5 or the absolutely heinous X3.

DO IT BMW OZ! DO IT!!!!!

I’d place my order for a 323d SPORT TOURING tomorrow if you did!

And what’s more I’d never sell it.

Cheers
JJ
abc

Is this thing ok for short distance start/stop city driving only? Can someone verify this? Can the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) regeneration work properly under this circumstance?
Don’t just praise diesel for great torque & economy. It’s useless if it can’t be used for short distance start/stop city driving only. If DPF regeneration fails under start/stop city driving only, then it’s useless
Alex

Jimmy James, I don’t think that’s going to happen. Certainly not in this generation of 3 Series anyway. The fact is that Australians tend to go for SUVs and the pricing wouldn’t work out anyway.
Think about it, the majority of station wagons are going to be sold to families and why on earth would any family (according to your estimated pricing) buy a 335d Touring for $115,000 when an X5 with the same engine, masses more space, better safety, the option of seven seats, loads more status and all wheel drive would cost $10,000 less?
It’s the same deal with your estimate for the 330d Touring, you’ve estimated it to cost $3,000 more over a 3.0d X5. Now, we both know that the 3 Series would be a better drive but considering that the X5 is hardly a bad drive, if I had a family I know where my money would go.
And BMW don’t make a 323d at all. It’s not just that they don’t sell it in Australia, they don’t make it; not yet anyway. BMW Australia is hardly a major player when it comes to BMW’s world wide sales next to America and Europe so I don’t think Australia simply asking for it to be made is going to work. Not to mention that most sales here are still going to petrol cars by quite a large margin anyway.

To sum up, it just wouldn’t be worth BMW Australia’s bother to bring a more complete range of 3 Series Tourings because of a mixture of market (or lack there of) and pricing. I think they should bring the 320d Touring over and possibly the 330d Touring but other than that, I don’t think you’re going to get People to spend Luxury SUV or full sized estate car money on what is, at the end of the day, a mid sized wagon. Perhaps next generation.
Jake02

JJ and Alex I agree with both of you. I think the Oz 3-series range is too little and needs more diesels. Alex, a 3-series Touring wide range would work compared to the X5 because there’s still a market for wagons (there are still people who aren’t like tools who think that an SUV isn’t necessary for space).

If you think about it, in every other market that BMW is in, both the X5 and 3-series are sold. So if low sales result to the 3-series wagon because of the X5 just realise that it happens in many other markets and isn’t an excuse!

Come on BMW, bring more 3-series diesels please. 323d, 330d wagon, 335d all in sedan and wagon versions. And the 123d, M5 wagon, 5-series manuals, do an M3 wagon, 7-series AWD and maybe the 635d. As well as the Stop-Start range – BMW have been putting these Efficient Dynamics ads on, why not add to that???
Mad Max

Its a great car. I am just waiting for the X1 to arrive. If it turns out to be as good as it looks and they price it right, I will get one at release.
Wheelnut®™

The X1 could be a bt small; I’d wait for the new 2-Series of cars BMW are currently working on…. there will most likely be a Coupe and an SUV in the line up – maybe an X2..?;
not to mention various M versions
Alex

Wheelnut, you may be right, but how on earth could they possibly fit another compact SUV in between the X1 and the X3, even once the X3 is bigger?
Jimmy James

I am fully aware a 323d is not a car BMW makes.

I’m asking them to make it!!!!!

Maybe next Gen.

X5 is a brilliant vehicle and looks good in my opinion, but why?

When I was a kid the family piled into dad’s EJ with all our junk for a trip and we survived just fine.

These days unless a car has 7 seats and enough room to transport half an Ikea showroom, people call it too small.

I dont want us to go back to the EJ, but why not revisit the station wagon as a mode of transport…that’s all I’m saying. I’m a surfer, so I love a station wagon!

OK, if you’ve got 5 kids (and my boss does) then a wagon may not suit, but even he drives an older commodore wagon with a third row of seats in the back. Works for him.

I’m aware my plan for 4 different 3 series touring wagons is fanciful at best, but I reckon you should always ask for more than you want. A 320d wagon would be just fine with me!

But a 323d wagon…now you’re talking!

Again…maybe in the next 3 series….
Wheelnut®™

Alex – Where there’s a will there’s a way.

BMW will create yet another niche market with the 2-series then workout what demographic to market it towards.. that is create alot of “hype” etc to make it sound new and innovative …. hey it works for Toyota
Alex

Wheelnut, I just had a look on google for BMW X2 and it looks like there will be one. It sounds terrible! It sounds like it’s basically going to be a two door shrunken X6. I like the X6 and can see a market for it but who would buy such a thing as the X2? People want X6s because they’re a bit confronting and noticeable, so why would anybody want a small one? I actually can’t imagine the sort of person who would buy one! It really does sound to be a niche too far, and this from the people who brought us the 5 Series GT.

Hey, does anybody else think that BMW should drop the 3 Series Coupe and Convertible and make them the 4 Series? It just occurs to me that Audi makes an A5 instead of an A4 Coupe and somehow, it seems to be a market above the rest. Mercedes already does it. I just think that despite the 3 Series being a brilliant car, it is very common. Making the coupe and convertible into a different series might drag them up a bit in the class stakes.
Who knows, giving them their own name might even make people more inclined to spend more on them.
Wheelnut®™

You’re right Alex; from the sketches and projected CGI images of the 2 series that I have seen the X-2 looks like a miniature Porsche 911 with AWD and flared guards etc…. which wouldn’t be bad – as you could at ;east compete in the Aussie Racers series…. and the 2 series Coupe will be like BMWs version of the Volvo C-30.
Al Juraj

I want one. I like one. I just gotta have one.

Perhaps the only weak points are run-flats and low redline.
Sumodog

This car in wagon form is perfect for me. I ‘ve driven 330D in Europe and it is simply phenomenal.
Murano

Exactly what I want for Christmas
BarryM

I like thie vehicle – it will sell well for those that don’t want/need the 335i.

I think a touring version would do well … but will wait for X1 (as its on a 3 series chassis) to be released ..and will also check out the Audi A5 sportback when it arrives early next year .. I have mazda 6 and two small ones, so dont need full SUV size ..but always good to have practical elements, safety, performance and badge that both Audi and BMW will offer in their upcoming cars (the A5 sportback and X1) …

Also – remember with Diesel that Aus govt is thinking about slamming tax back on them due to NOx outputs .. so may make frugal diesels look a bit less attractive esp given petrol engines are getting much more efficient (esp the small capacity turbo versions)
weirluo

so much torque on two rear wheels, don’t think Electronic Stability Control can save all. need an all wheel drive for it. pity we don’t get x-drive 3 series here.
Damian

The 330d depicted in this article is optioned up with the M-Sports package and the optional alloys, as well as a sunroof and the bigger nav screen (as opposed to the standard one, which is smaller). Such options would propel the price close to the $100k mark.
dale

I purchased this a few weeks ago, specifically a BMW 330D LCI Sport – was one of the first ones in for the showroom floor but I took it before they had it prepped for the showroom. Cost was a tad over 100k.

The first thing my wife and I noticed driving this car day to day – once you got over how awesome the 500 odd Nm of tourque – is how planted the car feels, its got so much grip its crazy, you feel so confident around corners and the car just makes you feel so safe like it could deal with anything.

I had to goto interstate last week so rather than the usual hoping on the plane I took a day out and took the new car down, its a bit dangerous on the open roads because it feels so planted at crazy speeds you dont realise your in loss of license limits, it happily sits on some insane speeds without feeling unsafe and when you get into the corners it gets a little frustrating being behind anything because the speeds your happily approaching them is so much higher than anything else on the road.

If you have the cash, go buy one, if you dont, save up and by one.. My wife and I joked we should sell the Q7 and buy another I bought this over the M3 and dont regret it one bit.
Simon

off to the bank.
enough said.
brettopolis

the table shows the merc does 0-100 in 7.7 -the quoted spec quoted figure is actually 6.9

i have one and they are bloody quick!

but the economy is hard to match the quoted 7.4 ( probably because i drive it so enthusiastically)

also i got one for WAY under the quoted $ with lots of extras- so price wise its probably the same as the bmw when optioned.

also forget audi -they dont do deals!

i would have bought a bmw330d wagon if available – but it aint gonna happen.
Dennis

Too bad they are still made in South Africa…

Johnny Diesel

Dennis Have you ever been to BMW’S Rosslyn plant outside Pretoria? I have and you would be astounded to see all the QC & QA they have in place with ISO 9001 & 9002 to comply to the parent company standards in Munich I am on my 5th BMW including my current 320d which I bought in Aus and NONE of them have ever had quality problems like you see in some AUS assembled cars. How many car assembly planys in Aus have ISO 9000 accreditation??

Evan

I was keen on a 335i (convertible) until I managed to get a test drive of a 330D coupe recently.
The 335i is stunning and hard to fault in any way but at road speeds it’s bland only really gets going and the jollies only start after 3-4000k rpm, when it wails gloriously -and you have probably already lost your licence (in Perth, anyway). It’s not really practical when on our roads you can’t realistically use the best part of the car’s performance. It just wasn’t complete love at first drive, hence the 330D experiment.

The 330D was a complete revelation and brought a massive grin to my face, which is kind of what you hope for when you spend north of $120K for a car (ie the M sport convertible 330D). It drives like a big V8 (only much smoother) the mindboggling torque (almost as much as a V10 M5!!!) shoving you back in the seat from 1500rpm, with a low down gargly, grunty note which is so satisfying and full of character. This is a car to really love. Nobody really cares about the fuel economy, all the torque makes it a joy to punt around at legal speeds.

I think Australia is behind Europe in waking up to modern high output diesels. To me the 330D is infinitely more fun and a better car for the real world than the 335i and I’ll be getting one shortly. Apparently we won’t be getting the 335D- possibly because it might beat the 335i on all counts.