Can BMW’s plug-in hybrid estate pass muster with self-confessed 3 Series Touring devotee Alisdair Suttie in a week-long test?

BMW 330e Touring M Sport Auto

List price (BiK): £56,495 (12%) CO2: 35g/km Economy: 176.6mpg Test efficiency: 49.4mpg

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Monday

A ripple of excitement and nostalgia washed up on the driveway this morning with the arrival of this BMW 330e Touring M Sport. I drove a 320i Touring for the best part of four years and loved it, though the ride on the M Sport suspension left me wincing unless the road was lovingly cared for. How will this latest 3 Touring fare, and does plug-in hybrid power make it a decent fleet proposition?

Tuesday

First hurdle to deal with is that I don’t have a home charger, so it’s off to the nearest public offering about four miles away. Hooking up the BMW is simple and I head off to take care of some errands. When I get back about an hour later, the car is only showing around half charge and I discover it doesn’t have a rapid charging ability. So, I just unhook and do without the full possible range of up to 36 miles.

Wednesday

There’s no doubting the 330e is a quick car, with 0-62mph in 5.8 seconds. It’s more than enough to keep me entertained on refreshingly traffic-free and open country roads this morning. The eight-speed automatic gearbox is well suited to the 2.0-litre petrol and electric combo, with no delays or gaps in the power delivery. The car handles superbly and the ride is also a lot more forgiving than many M Sport versions of BMW models.

Thursday

With a few days to get to know each other, I had hoped the hybrid element of the 330e would see me closer to the claimed combined economy of 176.6mpg. However, the car has shown a best of 49.4mpg, and on a longer run today of around 140 miles it’s turned in 37.9mpg despite using my lightest right foot. While the on-paper stats make sense for fleet drivers, the reality is I’m yearning for a 320d version.

Friday

This particular 330e Touring comes with the optional upgraded leather interior. It looks fantastic and the seats are supportive and comfy on longer drives. As always, I find the driving position of the 3 Series to be ideal for me in the way it hunkers you down while still affording good all-round vision. It also feels small and nimble on the road despite the latest 3 Series being a reasonably large car by footprint.

Saturday

BMW’s 3 Series Touring has always been viewed as less practical than its Audi or Mercedes rivals, but I don’t have any issues with its boot space. It’s big enough for a weekend away’s bags for the family, though a roof box would be needed if we were taking the dog too. Instead, she’s having a couple of nights with friends. The kids have ample room in the back, so it’s an easy drive to our destination.

Sunday

Any nostalgia for the BMW 3 Series Touring has been cauterised by this 330e model. Quick, fine handling, and capably spacious, it does the compact estate thing brilliantly. However, in plug-in hybrid specification it just doesn’t have sufficient EV range or recharging speed to work for me. It does add up when it comes to BiK, but I’d take the trade-off in cost to have the better real-world efficiency of a 320d.