2023 BMW 330i M Sport — There’s spring in its step

By Dan Scanlan – MyCarData

It has been BMW’s brot und butter for 48 years and seven generations, this latest arising in 2019 and just refreshed inside and out. And while some of the past generations of the BMW 3-Series sedan have been a bit — shall we say — subdued in shape, the 2023 update outside puts some M in its smile and serious widescreen tech inside – if you get the M Sport version we had.

And happily I say, there’s some spring in its step as well.

    •    Skyscraper Grey Metallic is the luster it leaves as I play with the latest in an almost legendary German sports sedan that was born in the shadow of the 2002 in 1975. Now more than 16 million BMW 3 Series have been sold across its generations, just over 1.1 million of them this seventh-gen model. And it’s a popular Bimmer, making up 14 percent of the brand’s vehicle sales worldwide.

So how do you upgrade the popular kid in class? The well-known twin-kidney grill gets a bit bolder with incised soft silver vertical vanes and a slightly more angular framing. The headlights get slimmer as they flare off the grill, with inverted L-shaped DRLs – the outer ones are also amber turn indicators. And in the base 2023 330i, there’s a wider lower intake with side intakes.

We had the optional M Sport package, which enlarges that lower intake, framed in an angled wide mouth with serious side intakes, all of it accented in gloss black. And inside those side intakes, aero slits to flow air better to the huge disc brakes with blue-painted M Sport brake calipers – easy to see through the brakes – beautifully slim 10-spoke gloss black and brushed alloy wheels wearing meatier P225/40R19-inch Bridgestone tires.

The flanks are mostly the same, incised lower body lines flowing off faux fender vents and flared lower sills as another line slices along upper doors to spear the taillights. Flared rear wheel arches accentuate a muscular rear stance. There’s more of that black Shadowline trim on the mirrors and door frames under a gently rounded roofline that flows into an almost fastback into a short rear deck with slim spoiler.

In the setting sun, the paint glows at the famed Hofmeister kink where roofline meets fender. The lower bumper gets an M Sport-specific rear apron with vertical reflectors at outer edges and a large diffuser element in the center, accented with twin steel exhaust tips.

It’s a familiar, yet updated with a nicely more aggressive face that all sits so nicely on wheels that fit those gently flared fenders.

    •    Slide inside that silvery skin and there’s one obvious change from the 2020 model – a panoramic screen for almost every function and an accompanying lack of mechanical buttons that the displays and a very smart voice command system almost handle. And we had some very nice M Sport additions as well, all done in a Mocha Vernasca leather under black with buff silver and gloss anthracite wood trim, and some precise accent lighting.

You drop down into nicely bolstered, supportive and comfy M Sport Package bucket seats, twin memory presets for the driver and power adjustment for both. The sport steering wheel is a thick, leather-clad and very grippable rim, neat alloy paddle shifters with soft-touch surfaces behind, and intuitive stereo, cruise, info display and phone buttons in front. That’s when you face the major change in the 2023 model.

Gone is the separate hooded gauge and map display, both now melded into one widescreen panel — the BMW Curved Display’s 12.3-inch gauge display flows into a 14.9-inch central control display.

The gauge display gets outboard 160-mph and 7,000-rpm displays framing a central configurable screen with map, audio, economy, G-force and more. It also has a digital speed and gear position readout as well as gas and temperature display on the bottom. The display goes red tinted in Sport mode. There’s a high-mounted head-up display that mirrors the gauge screen’s info.

The central screen can show a widescreen navigation map, or a swipable series of Home screen panels that include audio, climate control, traffic info and more. Vents are under the screen with a basic volume knob and buttons for defrost and tuning. Twin cup holders and dual USB ports hide under a slick wood door, a small padded nook for a cellphone, but no inductive charger. Then comes a compact nerve center with an 8-speed Sport Automatic drive shift paddle, drive mode buttons, and a twist/tap/scroll knob to handle the main screen’s map, audio and Home screen functions. There’s a 5G Wi-FI hotspot. And the harmon-kardon sound system was solid.

Initially, I was bummed that I had to tap a climate icon on the main screen’s base to access fan speed, vent position and other climate controls. But BMW has a high-level voice command AI — just say “Hey BMW,” and adjust temperature, fan speed, radio station or audio source, and a lot more with a simple command — no button needed. Voice command even opens or closes a side window or the sunroof. Temperature controls are always on the main screen, and you can ask the AI for seat heat; but you have to tap the steering wheel button to warm that up – go figure.

With the sweeping roof line, you have to duck a bit to slide into the rear seat, which has decent head room, but is a bit tight in knee space. There’s rear vents, outboard seat heat and two more USB ports, plus drop-down arm rest with cup holders. The trunk is deep, with side pockets, the armrest dropping to store long stuff, as do the rest of the seatbacks.

    •    A BMW 3-Series has always been known for a snarly l’il 4-cylinder powerplant, and the 2023 model carries over a 2-liter TwinPower Turbo 4-cylinder engine with 255-hp and 295 lb-ft of torque at 1,550 to 4,400 rpm. The 330i also gets a 48-volt starter-generator that acts as an electric drive unit that helps the engine, offering an electric boost for sharper engine response off the line or for passing. There’s Sport, Comfort, Adaptive and Eco Pro drive modes, some of which let the driver select steering and suspension modes.

My favorite was Eco Pro Individual, which allowed for Sport steering and suspension for tighter response with miserly power. The result – a middling launch, then 60 mph in a snappy 5.4 seconds with sharp-if-slower shifts. Passing power is there whenever requested from the alloy-clad pedal. Then I shifted into Sport, with firm suspension and steering, plus gear changes at a higher rpm and snappier downshifts with a throttle blip. We got a hint of wheelspin at launch on our 3,100-mile-old test sedan, and in the first-to-second shift as we hit 60 mph in 5.1 seconds with a throatier exhaust snarl.

But set the shifter in Sport Shift, turn off traction control and make sure it’s in Sport mode, and we had launch control — left-foot-brake as we right-foot-throttle, the lift the left foot. We had a touch more wheelspin en route to a quick 4.6 seconds to 60 mph. Through it all, we averaged 30 mpg.

With four-wheel independent suspension with stabilizer bars fore and aft, and adaptive suspension, the 330i had some serious BMW in it, yet it was balanced and refined with four on board, or seriously sporty when one wanted to drive this rear-wheel-drive sedan hard.

The M Sport suspension is tauter, even in Comfort mode, which smothers bumps well without any mush. But as I said, Sport mode in Eco driving was my daily runner, the suspension tightly controlled over bumps, quick rebound over potholes but no jarring. It was tight but light enough for almost any surface, giving neutral cornering in sweeping curves with delightful steering feel. Push harder, and you can play the tail out under power a bit, but it’s so easy to catch and point-and-shootout of a turn. I could enter any turn, feed some direction to the helm and feel it through without drama — that’s what I remember about good Bimmers. And there’s no hard work involved.

FYI — the G-force display I could call up on the gauge display proved the 330i’s athleticism — the sedan pulled up to 1.07Gs in turns, with .73Gs maximum acceleration, and a solid 1.09Gs under hard braking from 60 mph.

The big M Sport Brakes with blue calipers had a great controllable bite high on the pedal, then progressiveness down to solid stops time after time with no nose dive or fade. The steering wasn’t as sharp as it could be, but still progressive in load in turns in Sports mode with plenty of feel.

    •    A base 2023 BMW 330i starts at $42,300. Our test sedan added a $3,100 Sport option with 19-inch wheels, adaptive M suspension, variable sport steering, wood interior trim and M steering wheel; $1,500 mocha leather interior; $650 Skyscraper Gray paint and a few more goodies for a final price of $52,980.

Yes, an Alfa Romeo Giulia is more exotic, shapely and a half-second quicker than the BMW with its turbo 4. But as charming as it is, and I am an Alfisti, the BMW has a more rounded feel – agile and sporty when it wants to be, and tied-down commuter with a hint of thrill when you need it to be. But a red Alfa just might get a look-see.

    •    Bottom line – Almost a true BMW canyon carver with the right suspension tuning and power; just needs a bit more steering feel.

2023 BMW 330i M Sport Specifications
Vehicle type – 4-door, 5-passenger compact sports sedan
Base price – $42,300 (as tested: $52,980)
Engine type – intercooled direct injection aluminum inline four with twin-scroll turbocharger
Displacement – 2 liter
Horsepower (net) – 255 @ 5,000 – 6,500 rpm
Torque (lb-ft) –295 @ 1,550 – 4,400 rpm
Transmission – 8-speed Sport Automatic with paddle shifters and Launch Control
Wheelbase – 112.2 inches
Overall length 185.9 inches
Overall width – 71.9 inches w/mirrors
Height – 56.8 inches
Front headroom – 38.7 inches
Front legroom – 42 inches
Rear headroom – 38.7 inches
Rear legroom – 35.2 inches
Cargo capacity – 17 cu. ft.
Curb weight – 3,536 lbs.
Fuel capacity – 15.6 gallons
Mileage rating – 25 mpg city/34 mpg highway

By Dan Scanlan – MyCarDataIt has been BMW’s brot und butter for 48 years and seven generations, this latest arising in 2019 and just refreshed inside and out. And while some of the past generations of the BMW 3-Series sedan have been a bit — shall we say — subdued in shape, the 2023 update outside puts some M in its smile and serious widescreen tech inside – if you get the M Sport version we had.And happily I say, there’s some spring in its step as well.So how do you upgrade the popular kid in class? The well-known twin-kidney grill gets a bit bolder with incised soft silver vertical vanes and a slightly more angular framing. The headlights get slimmer as they flare off the grill, with inverted L-shaped DRLs – the outer ones are also amber turn indicators. And in the base 2023 330i, there’s a wider lower intake with side intakes.The flanks are mostly the same, incised lower body lines flowing off faux fender vents and flared lower sills as another line slices along upper doors to spear the taillights. Flared rear wheel arches accentuate a muscular rear stance. There’s more of that black Shadowline trim on the mirrors and door frames under a gently rounded roofline that flows into an almost fastback into a short rear deck with slim spoiler.In the setting sun, the paint glows at the famed Hofmeister kink where roofline meets fender. The lower bumper gets an M Sport-specific rear apron with vertical reflectors at outer edges and a large diffuser element in the center, accented with twin steel exhaust tips.• Slide inside that silvery skin and there’s one obvious change from the 2020 model – a panoramic screen for almost every function and an accompanying lack of mechanical buttons that the displays and a very smart voice command system almost handle. And we had some very nice M Sport additions as well, all done in a Mocha Vernasca leather under black with buff silver and gloss anthracite wood trim, and some precise accent lighting.Gone is the separate hooded gauge and map display, both now melded into one widescreen panel — the BMW Curved Display’s 12.3-inch gauge display flows into a 14.9-inch central control display.Initially, I was bummed that I had to tap a climate icon on the main screen’s base to access fan speed, vent position and other climate controls. But BMW has a high-level voice command AI — just say “Hey BMW,” and adjust temperature, fan speed, radio station or audio source, and a lot more with a simple command — no button needed. Voice command even opens or closes a side window or the sunroof. Temperature controls are always on the main screen, and you can ask the AI for seat heat; but you have to tap the steering wheel button to warm that up – go figure.But set the shifter in Sport Shift, turn off traction control and make sure it’s in Sport mode, and we had launch control — left-foot-brake as we right-foot-throttle, the lift the left foot. We had a touch more wheelspin en route to a quick 4.6 seconds to 60 mph. Through it all, we averaged 30 mpg.The M Sport suspension is tauter, even in Comfort mode, which smothers bumps well without any mush. But as I said, Sport mode in Eco driving was my daily runner, the suspension tightly controlled over bumps, quick rebound over potholes but no jarring. It was tight but light enough for almost any surface, giving neutral cornering in sweeping curves with delightful steering feel. Push harder, and you can play the tail out under power a bit, but it’s so easy to catch and point-and-shootout of a turn. I could enter any turn, feed some direction to the helm and feel it through without drama — that’s what I remember about good Bimmers. And there’s no hard work involved.FYI — the G-force display I could call up on the gauge display proved the 330i’s athleticism — the sedan pulled up to 1.07Gs in turns, with .73Gs maximum acceleration, and a solid 1.09Gs under hard braking from 60 mph.The big M Sport Brakes with blue calipers had a great controllable bite high on the pedal, then progressiveness down to solid stops time after time with no nose dive or fade. The steering wasn’t as sharp as it could be, but still progressive in load in turns in Sports mode with plenty of feel.• A base 2023 BMW 330i starts at $42,300. Our test sedan added a $3,100 Sport option with 19-inch wheels, adaptive M suspension, variable sport steering, wood interior trim and M steering wheel; $1,500 mocha leather interior; $650 Skyscraper Gray paint and a few more goodies for a final price of $52,980.Yes, an Alfa Romeo Giulia is more exotic, shapely and a half-second quicker than the BMW with its turbo 4. But as charming as it is, and I am an Alfisti, the BMW has a more rounded feel – agile and sporty when it wants to be, and tied-down commuter with a hint of thrill when you need it to be. But a red Alfa just might get a look-see.• Bottom line – Almost a true BMW canyon carver with the right suspension tuning and power; just needs a bit more steering feel.Vehicle type – 4-door, 5-passenger compact sports sedanBase price – $42,300 (as tested: $52,980)Engine type – intercooled direct injection aluminum inline four with twin-scroll turbochargerDisplacement – 2 literHorsepower (net) – 255 @ 5,000 – 6,500 rpmTorque (lb-ft) –295 @ 1,550 – 4,400 rpmTransmission – 8-speed Sport Automatic with paddle shifters and Launch ControlWheelbase – 112.2 inchesOverall length 185.9 inchesOverall width – 71.9 inches w/mirrorsHeight – 56.8 inchesFront headroom – 38.7 inchesFront legroom – 42 inchesRear headroom – 38.7 inchesRear legroom – 35.2 inchesCargo capacity – 17 cu. ft.Curb weight – 3,536 lbs.Fuel capacity – 15.6 gallonsMileage rating – 25 mpg city/34 mpg highway

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