BMW 3 Series 330 Ci Coupe Reviews

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Bought a 2005 330ci Sport in September 2009. A lot of people seem to say this is an amazing car, and so far I would agree in terms of the performance. On my route to work, just as I'm leaving the town I live in, there's a 90 degree bend which needs to be taken at a careful 15mph, and once round it the road becomes glorious wide straight country road... perfect for kicking down. Personally I find the accerlation exhilarating! I've only owned 3 cars previous to this; A 1980 MKII 1600 Escort, an Astra 2.0 GTE and a Golf 2.o GTI. The Astra was the most fun - light and very quick, but the 330 is in another league. I always wanted a 'big car' with a big engine, in my opinion when engine size reaches 2.5 litre they sound different to 'ordinary' cars. The 330 has a gorgeous rich deep 'hummm' to it. Quite frankly I'd rather listen to the engine sound than the Stereo!

Ok, so it is obvious I love the engine, but I do have a couple of issues with the interior; generally it looks gorgeous. Mine is full black leather and is as comfortable as you could wish it to be. The bits that annoy me are;

Lack of storage. The glove box is ok but I prefer the high-level glove box in the Golf. The 330 has the old-fashioned low level one. Personally, I want to be able to jump in my car and toss a mobile phone and possibly a pint of milk in the cockpit and speed off - but the 330 dosn't really offer this. There's a tiny compartment below the climate contol dash which you can fit your phone in but not much else. My glove box tends to be full with maps etc, and I hate leaving stuff on the passenger seat. There's also a small compartment to the right, under the steering wheel, but this is still small. So, storage is not good.

The on-board computer is not as good as the Golf. The Golf's had 2 modes - one that reset itself every day, and one that was on-going, so you could compare speeds/times/mpg's for a specific journey against the average readings for say the past month. The 330 dosesn't really offer this. If you want to record data for a new journey you basically have to reset the memory and lose all information prior to that point. The Golf also timed the journeys whereas the 330 doesn't - something i really miss.

I find the wiper settings a bit odd. On every car I've owned, if you pull the wiper leaver backwards, it usually jets water and wipes at the same time. The 330 just jets the water and you have to then push the lever up to wipe the water you just sprayed. I don't get the logic there at all?

The interior clock is a let-down. Even more so because there are actually 2 clocks; the first clock is a mode on the computer readout - just below the speedo. But if you're like me, you'd probably have the computer mode set to either current MPGs, or possibly the amount of miles left in the tank. So, the other clock is a mode on the LCD of the stereo - the problem is if you have the stereo LCD in Stereo mode, you have to switch it to time mode. What is also very annoying is when you siwtch of the engine and then want to know what the time is you have to put the keys back in and turn to get the LCD readout's up again - very very annoying!!

The Stereo I have is the BMW Business model. Hate it. The Golf had an Alpine which even though didn't come as standard, wasn't expensive, yet still managed to show a time counter for tracks on a CD which is nice if you want to scan a track back to a specific point. with the BMW business stereo you are completely blind as to the position you are at in a track. I've found I really miss this. There is also no pause button. Love the sterring wheel controls though.

The climate control is again a bit weird. Lets say you have it set to full blowing power - when i park my car i like to turn all ancillary power off before i trun the engine off - personally i think it lessens the chance of a fuse blowing when you turn the engine back on - with the 330 you have to press the fan button continually taking it from full power down to zero just to turn it off - why didn't they just add an on-off button?? Logic is lost here.

Ok, last thing. The Speedo. But this isn't directed at BMW, but at ALL car manufacturers; I like my seat low, and my steering wheel low. I'm 6' tall which is not an unusual height - so why is it I can never see the speedo because the steering wheel is in the way?? In all the cars I've driven, this is an issue that still bugs me to this day - i've been driving for over 20 years.

Summing up, all my annoyances are fairly minor. The 330ci is by far the best car I've ever owned and driven in terms of engine power, comfort and looks. It is one sexy looking car and performs as good as it looks. and it sounds gorgeous too, and these plus points far out-weiggh the lack of compartment space or computer modes!

A quick thing about MPG - I don't use motorways. I use B roads and some A roads. The MPG in the Golf was 39, i'm getting about 25 from the 330 which means I get around 35% less miles than i did from the golf from the same amout of fuel - which for me adds about 14 quid a week on my petrol bill - but well worth it considering the performance you get!

Love the car.

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fantastic vehicle dream to drive

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I had my 330Ci for 5 months before I got the ECU remapped. I dropped a better air filter and it goes great now.
Nothing against an M3 but still can keep up with the best of them.
The 330Ci looks good even without the sport package and the handling is awesome even with the traction control completely off...
I had an Audi A4 1.8T before and swore I would never get anything but a turbocharged car after but 2 rides out in the bimmer and I was sold.
Every gear seems to pull just as hard and I am alwa ...

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Engine, I mean wow, the performance is unbelievable, I've driven many a sports car even highly tuned raw cars but the 330 not only beats them but it does it with minimal fuss!

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I bought my 330Ci second hand. It's a 2001 manual 5 speed with 74,000miles. The thing I like most is the comfortable interior with TV, Sat Nav ,DVD, heated seats,, a must have with leather, that are electric with 3 memory settings apart from a couple of annoying rattles.A lot of people say the car is very fast, I found that it could do with a bit more power as the car is heavyish although it's not slow. I feel it would benefit having a lsd. Handling is great, you feel very connected to the road ...

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The BMW 3 Series 330 Ci Coupe is a great car, just a step below the highly tauted M3. When I first took this car out I was surprised with the low end torque that the motor put out. I have the manual 5 speed which makes driving fun, especially when going into turns, keep the rpms up and you feel you are in a rocket ship.
I have the premium and sport package which I highly recommend. I love the leather seats which are very comfortable and very supportive. The back seat of the car is adequate my 1 ...

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The BMW 3 Series 330 Ci Coupe is great fun.
It looks great.
I have had this car for 3 years and there are no squeaks. The car still looks new despite being kept on the road.

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I have had my BMW 330 Ci Coupe for 4 months now and just love it! I did install the Dinan S1 program. It has a great engine and handles great on the road. I love the sporty upper class looks.
The only bad points are that the doors do not close easily and the steering wheel needs to be lower.

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I have now owned a new 330i coupe sports for about 2 months. Previously I have owned a VR6 corrado, Alfa Romeo 156 V6 and a few other lowly cars. I have to say, however, that the BMW is by far the most exciting and enjoyable car I have owned up to now. The handling is spot on, although the steering did feel a little light initially. Little things like auto windscreen wipers, auto headlights, the way the passenger wing mirror dips when you select reverse all make the ownership experience really s ...

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I can't believe this car! I once owned a Porsche 914. It's a real low-end Porsche, but I used to love to go out on the freeways just so I could spin around the exit ramps at 80-mph with both hands on one side of the wheel. Well, this car is 1000-times better!

All the sportiness, control, engine growl and speed plus luxury and a 12-speaker sound system (though I keep it real low so I can hear the engine)!

You sit low to the ground like in a Porsche and you feel and hear everything. ...

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This automobile is a truly spectacular thing. I have driven Hondas and Acuras most of my life. The 330i sport/premium is superior not in the sense of its numerical credentials - such as the Mitusubishi Lancer Evolution - but rather in the way the car feels, sounds and communicates with the driver. It is a liason between you and the road. In this sense, it is superb. The car has a 50/50 weight ratio - thus perfect balance, good low end torque, and superb suspension componentry which makes it ...

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I've had my '02 330 Ci (manual) for just over a year, and now that the thrill of owning my first high-end car has mellowed, I feel I can write an more objective review for prospective purchasers than the one I posted on this site a year ago.

First, let me say that I still think this a truly amazing total package. With a few extra options, the luxury level is top-notch for a car of its size and class, and tends to olverwhelm first-time passengers: most of the people who've been in it compare ...

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2001 BMW 330 CI with 30k, STALLS!!! No, it's not the driver. At low RPM in first or second gear the rpm's drop, then the car dies. Does not happen all the time, but frequently enough. The dealer can't find any problem, so I am stuck with a defective BMW. Ain't life grand...

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I've had my '01 330ci for about 15 months. I love it! It handles great, is very comfortable, fast and reliable. The only complaint I have is that the wheels get caked with brake dust very easily and my dirver side door seal has had to be replaced 3 times. Has anyone else had this problem?

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i became my 330ci in july 2002. since this time everytime i see a mercedes clk it is in the review mirror...i love this car, there is nothing more to say. before 4 weeks i have entered a new class of style and performance and i am not able to stop smiling since then...

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I have had my 01 330ci coupe for over a year now and can't say one bad thing about it. Of course I have to say something to look fair, so I say brake dust is the only thing I can find. Engine revs perfectly. Although it's not the most powerful engine around, it seems to have plenty of power at every speed. Just when you think you have pushed it too hard, a little tap on the accelerator reminds you of how much more power is available. Braking is very precise and of course handling is near perfec ...

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Mate you do not no what you are talking about. If you thrash a WRX how long would it last compared to a BMW 330, im pretty sure the 330 would come out on top. That's why you are paying so much for the engineering of it, cuase it is so much more reliable. There is no comparison between a WRX and 330, when you buy a 330 you are in a league of your own. So dont let this fool deter you from buying a BMW 330.

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Come on mate!! Do you actually own a BMW? Or have ever driven a BMW? Its all about looks, then add performance and status.... Subaru, Who are they?

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I purchased my BMW 330 coupe last year and i am thoroughly impressed with it, however, after test-driving the new Infiniti G35, I really wish I would have waited. I spent thousands more than I could have and the performance is better in the G35.

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I've had my BMW 330 coupe for 11 months now. I must say, the car is such a toy!! It's the kind of car that will leave a smile on your face the minute you step foot into it. The handling is ridiculous, the power is strong enough, and the looks, well need I say more!! Don't be afraid to push this car to 4 or 5 RPM's when shifting. This car is meant to be driven hard. I don't think there is a car out there in this price range that can nearly compete with the 330 coupe. The only thing that I would ...