MOTORS: Refined look for BMW 330E but others might think you’re police

It’s a well-established fact that the make of car you drive affects how other road-users treat you.

Get behind the wheel of something small and quirky and you’re likely to experience random acts of courtesy, like being invited to exit a side road or move out first from a junction.

I’ve noticed this when driving something like a Fiat 500 or a Renault Twingo, probably because you’re not seen as a threat. But take to the road in something big, flashy or fast and the reaction is quite different.

I was reminded of this phenomenon while driving the featured test car, the hybrid BMW 330E in estate car Touring guise and nippy M Sport spec which with low-profile tyres and special suspension gave it a dramatic low stance on the road.

That would be enough to raise the blood pressure of the anti-Beemer brigade in normal circumstances but what made this car stand out was its sinister Black Sapphire paint job, complete with darkened rear windows.

Over several hundred miles I witnessed many occasions when other cars suddenly slowed and dropped back when they came upon me from behind.

It was only when watching one of the host of ‘Police, Camera, Action’-type shows that the penny dropped. My test car was almost identical to many of the unmarked police cars patrolling the motorways looking out for speeding miscreants and could well have been mistaken for a mobile Battenberg in plain clothes.

It was only when they checked that I wasn’t a Boy in Blue that they carried on as before, safe in the knowledge that their speed and driving behaviour wasn’t being monitored.

I’ve always been a bit ambivalent about the best-selling 3 Series. For many years it seemed it was being churned out in the same style with only slightly modified door handles or wheels.

But of late, BMW have become a bit bolder in their styling across the range, although there has been some concern about the increasing size of their kidney grilles, which in some models are threatening to take over

the whole front end of the cars.

I have to concede, I do like the look of the latest 3 Series, which appears

more sophisticated and refined. What’s helped is the more subtle front end, especially in the test car where the previous chrome has been replaced by a black finish.

The refreshed interior layout is still classic BMW with the latest technology, called up through menu buttons and a rotary dial which is more accessible than the standard touchscreen. Alongside is a new style of small drive selector lever and spread across the dash above them is the dramatic curved display screen with all the information you need from climate and sat nav

to media and system settings.

The eight-speed Steptronic Sport transmission with gearshift paddles on the steering wheel comes as standard although the package of options such as Technology Pack (£1990) with head-up display, Harman Kardon stereo and WiFi hotspot, Comfort Plus Pack (£1950) and panoramic glass sunroof (£1190) add £13,000 to the starting price.

The car is a plug-in hybrid, but only just. A six-hour charge on a domestic socket will give about 30 miles of electric range which is fine for a short commute but almost insignificant for a longer drive.

In hybrid mode, the car prioritises electric power if the battery is charged and when that’s gone it reverts to the petrol engine, a very nice unit which should return almost 40 miles for every gallon.

The eight-speed steptronic transmission is a delight and with the M Sport set-up, the car can take off when extra oomph is called for, helped by the electric boost.

As it’s a Touring version, it’s also extremely practical with a large boot which will accommodate most family clutter – or if you’re a cop, scores of traffic cones.

BMW 330E M Sport Touring 2.0i auto

PRICE: £43,515 (£56,495 as tested)

ENGINE: 1998cc 4 cyl petrol + e-motor

POWER: 292 hp

TORQUE: 420 Nm

TOP SPEED: 143mph

0-62mph: 5.8 secs

ECONOMY: 37 mpg

ELECTRIC RANGE: 32 miles

CO2: 196 g/km

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