New BMW 330e Touring plug-in hybrid arrives

• Plug-in hybrid BMW 3 Series buyers now have choice of saloon or estate
• Rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive models available
• 330e can manage up to 34 miles on battery power alone

The plug-in hybrid BMW 330e Touring has become the latest addition to the current 3 Series range. The 330e will soon be available as an estate and saloon, with a choice of rear-wheel drive and ‘xDrive’ four-wheel drive. The 330e Touring, as well as a four-wheel-drive version of the 330e saloon, will be available to buy in summer.

Under the bonnet, the hybrid 330e Touring uses an identical powertrain to the saloon, namely a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with an electric motor, 12kWh battery and eight-speed automatic gearbox. Total power output is normally 249bhp but this can be temporarily increased to 289bhp by using the car’s ‘XtraBoost’ function in Sport mode.

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The rear-wheel-drive version of the 330e Touring is capable of 0-62mph in 6.1 seconds and a top speed of 137mph. The four-wheel-drive xDrive model takes 6.2 seconds to get from 0-62mph with a top speed of 133mph.

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Both versions of the 330e Touring can cover up to 34 miles on electric power alone, taking 3.4 hours to recharge from a standard wallbox charger. BMW claims the rear-wheel-drive model can achieve up to 176mpg with CO2 emissions of 39g/km. The addition of the four-wheel-drive system incurs a slight efficiency penalty, with claimed economy dropping to 156mpg and emissions rising to 46g/km.

BMW has yet to confirm exactly how much boot space has been lost due to the car’s battery pack under the rear seats, saying only that capacity is ‘marginally smaller’ than the 500 litres offered in the conventionally powered equivalent. With the rear seats folded flat, the boot can be extended to 1,420 litres, which is a loss of around 80 litres when compared to the standard 3 Series Touring.

All 330e Touring models come with plenty of standard equipment, including sat nav, folding mirrors, Apple CarPlay connectivity and a rear view camera with automated parking assistance. Owners can also remotely set the climate control using the BMW Connected Smartphone app.

Want to know more about the BMW 3 Series? Read our review of the 3 Series Touring and the 330e plug-in hybrid saloon.