Car shoppers looking to limit their emissions without limiting performance, rejoice! The newest BMW Miami eco-centrics should consider is the 3 Series hybrid named the BMW 330e iPerformance. Using knowledge gleaned and technology designed in the creation of the revered BMW i8 super sports car, BMW designed the 330e to be a sedan that combines the sustainability of an electric engine with the power of a traditional engine.
The BMW 330e manages to deliver the best of two worlds with its unique take on hybrid transportation. Its powertrain components are a 180-HP 2.0-liter turbocharged engine paired with an 87HP electric motor, which is in turn paired with an unobtrusive battery housed under the trunk floor. Want to make that quick romp to the beach emissions-free? Press the eDrive button to engage the Max eDrive mode. In this state, you’ll be using the BMW 330e’s battery exclusively – no fossil fuels will burn at all provided you keep a steady foot on the accelerator. However, a harsher press of the pedal – perhaps to safely pass around that slow-moving landscaping truck – seamlessly engages the turbocharged gas engine. And this transition between gas and electric happens with nary a sensation – it is a seamless transition between the two that drivers and passengers will find difficult to detect.
And all of this comes with excellent news from the performance track – Car and Driver rigorously tested the BMW 330e’s gas/electric total of 248 horsepower with impressive results – it dashed from 0 to 60 in an impressive 5.8 seconds and did the quarter mile in 14.3 seconds. These scores both beat the regular, gas-only model by close to a full second in both tests. But that’s not the only place the BMW 330e beats a comparable gasoline engine – with a combined estimated EPA estimate of 71 MPGe, fuel efficiency is obviously another.
Miami BMW aficionados don’t need to worry about sacrificing BMW’s traditional style either – the BMW 330e iPerformance looks a lot like a regular 3 Series, with only the telltale charging port door on the outside and the eDrive button on the inside to reveal its true, hyper-efficient nature. BMW’s signature twin-kidney grille, gorgeous headlights and all the other familiar design elements remain fully intact.
Overall safety testing with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration earned it five stars. Results from the Institute for Highway Safety overall were “Good” which is the IIHS’s highest score.
“A dip in the Toyota Prius pool might elevate your state of environmentally responsible bliss, but surely you’d miss the driving joy that hybrids sacrifice to trim their CO2 footprints. Good news: Salvation has arrived in the form of a plug-in-hybrid sedan that’s actually fun to drive”, says Car and Driver about the BMW 330e iPerformance. South Motors BMW agrees – the impressive qualities of low consumption with high performance makes this BMW model the next exciting stage for the future of transportation.
