Is It Worth It? 2021 BMW 330e Plug-In Hybrid Will Cost You $3.8k More Than The 330i

The new 2021 BMW 3 Series four-cylinder plug-in hybrids will be available in the United States from May 2020.

U.S. customers will have two model variants to choose from: the 2021 BMW 330e and 330e xDrive. The former starts at $44,550 while the latter is priced from $46,550 – both prices exclude a $995 destination and handling fee. The pricing places the 330e models between the base 255-HP 330i ($40,750) and the sporty 382-HP M340i ($54,000).

Both 330e models feature the same powertrain consisting of a 181 HP 2.0-liter BMW TwinPower Turbo four-cylinder gasoline engine, an electric motor, a 107 HP electric motor, a 34 Ah / 12 kWh (9.09 kWh net) lithium-ion battery and an 8-speed Sport Steptronic automatic transmission.

Read Also: BMW Adds Three More Plug-in Hybrids To 3-Series Range In Europe

The combined power output is 288 HP and 310 lb-ft (420 Nm) of torque with the XtraBoost function. Available in Sport mode, XtraBoost offers an immediate 40 hp power increase for up to 10 seconds. The brand-new feature is activated when the throttle is depressed to the kick down position.

Since we’re talking about a plug-in hybrid car, the EPA purely electric range is 22 miles (35.4 km) for the RWD model and 20 miles (32.2 km) for the AWD model. The estimated MPGe rating for the 330e Sedan is 75, while the 330e xDrive is rated at 67 MPGe.

In Hybrid mode, the new 3 Series plug-in hybrids can operate at speeds up to 68 mph (109 km/h), an increase of 19 mph (31 km/h) over the previous-generation model. In the emissions-free Electric mode, the top speed is 87 mph (140 km/h), up from the previous 75 mph (121 km/h).

The electrified drivetrain enables the BMW 330e Sedan to go from 0 to 60 mph in 5.6 seconds (5.7 seconds for the 330e xDrive Sedan). In both cases, the top speed is electronically limited to 130 mph (209 km/h) when equipped with all-season tires. With summer performance tires, the 330e Sedan reaches a top speed of 142 mph (228 km/h) while the xDrive model hits 140 mph (225 km/h).

Note: European-spec BMW 330e Sedan shown