One of the world’s best-selling premium sports sedans, the BMW 3 Series sedan has been crowned with numerous awards for its style and performance. The seventh generation of the model made its Malaysian debut two years back in just a single 330i M Sport trim, but later on, BMW added more trims to the lineup. The latest 330i M Sport is locally assembled at the facility located in Kulim, Kedah, and is priced at RM 284,332 (on-the-road, with SST exemption, without insurance).

The sedan is touted as lighter, faster, and more aerodynamic than ever before. It has a whole bunch of amazing features that can make anyone fall in love with it, however, like all other things in this world, it also misses out on a few aspects. In today’s story, we have listed the BMW 330i M Sport pros as well as cons, have a look.

Pros

Sporty and elegant interior

Hop inside the BMW 330i M Sport and you will be greeted by an amazing cabin loaded with high-quality stuff. The dash and the door pads are wrapped in soft-touch materials making the cabin feel richer, while the meaty M Sport leather steering wheel, sports seats, and M-specific shift paddles exude the car’s sportier appeal. BMW Live Cockpit Professional is available with a fully digital 12.3-inch instrument cluster and 10.25-inch touch-sensitive Control Display. All this makes the cabin feel like a cockpit when viewed from the driver’s seat.

Powerful engine with reduced emissions

Powering the BMW 330i M Sport is a 2.0-litre TwinPower Turbo petrol engine that generates a maximum power of 258 hp and a peak torque of 400 Nm from 1,550 to 4,400 rpm. The power is sent to the wheels via an 8-speed Steptronic Sport transmission. This enables the sedan to hit the century sprint in 5.8 seconds before attaining a top speed of 250 kmph. It consumes  6.4 litres fuel per 100 km. The reduced carbon emissions are rated at 147 grams per km, which are optimized by a particulate filter included in the exhaust treatment system.

Best-in-class aerodynamics

The lighter, more rigid BMW 330i has best-in-class aerodynamics thanks to a total curb weight of 1,545kg (reduced by 25 kg) and a drag coefficient of 0.23. 

Athleticism

Loaded with the M Sport package, the sedan has brilliant dynamics. Its M Sport suspension highlights the brand’s first-ever lift-related dampers that exemplify an innovative damping system. It is communicative and requires very little effort to remain in command. M Sport Brakes and variable sport steering further add to the dynamic handling of the sedan.

BMW Connected Package

BMW Connected Package Professional offers services like Intelligent Emergency Call, Remote Services, Teleservices, BMW Digital Key, and Apple CarPlay (subscription-based). It is a comprehensive system, which covers almost all the aspects of the driver's needs. With Intelligent Emergency Call, the buyers are able to contact specially-trained call centres in case of emergency, while BMW Digital Key enables them to conveniently and securely lock, unlock their car.

ADAS

The BMW 330i  comes with a number of advanced driver assistance systems, including 

• Attentiveness assistant
• Cruise control with braking function
• Driving Assistant with lane departure warning, lane change warning and front collision warning with brake intervention, rear crossing traffic warning and rear collision prevention
• Parking Assistant with Reversing Assist

Cons

No manual transmission

BMW no longer offers the 3 Series with a manual transmission. Although the available 8-speed Steptronic automatic transmission works great, some enthusiasts look for a traditional manual transmission. This could be a deal-breaker for them.

Less focus on the rear seats

BMW 330i misses out focus on the rear seats.  It remains a low-slung model, which means boarding in and out from the backseat is still tricky. Although seats are damn comfortable, a few missing things are no entertainment controls for the back seat, and no armrest.

Ignoring these few points, we can say that the BMW 330i M Sport is an amazing car one can look for if interested in luxury and sporty dynamics. Do tell us your views in the comments, 

Also read: Check 2023 BMW 3 Series facelift render, based on recent IG leak