After the successful addition of the saloon to their plug-in hybrid range, the BMW 330e Touring will be making its debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month.
Inside, you’ll find all of the same equipment as the saloon and it’ll come with the same engine too. That’s a 181bhp 2.0-litre petrol, sending power to an 8-speed automatic gearbox. Open the transmission up and you’ll find a 111bhp electric motor. This setup produces a combined power output of 249bhp.
There’s also a 10 second overboost when you put your foot down taking power up to 288bhp. 0-62mph will take 6.1 seconds, 0.1 seconds slower than the saloon. It’ll top out at 136mph.
The battery used for the electric part of the powertrain is a 12kWh unit that can fully charge in under three and a half hours using a wall box. A full charge using a domestic plug socket will take just under six hours. BMW claim the 330e Touring will have an electric-only range of 34 miles and will hit a top speed of 87mph when running on battery power alone.
Being a hybrid, the 330e is very clean and very efficient. The Touring produces 39g/km of CO2 and has a claimed economy of 166mpg. It’s slightly less efficient than the saloon (36g/km and 176mpg) and that’s down to the additional weight.
What the estate lacks in efficiency, it makes up for with practicality. With a boot capacity of just under 500 litres up to the removable parcel shelf and 1,420 litres with the rear seats folded down, you’re not left wanting for space. It is slightly less spacious than the non-hybrid variant, however, due to the placement of the battery pack under the floor.
No pricing details have been announced yet – expect it to be slightly more expensive than the saloon. What BMW have confirmed is that it’ll be making an appearance in Geneva and we’ll soon be seeing xDrive added to 330e range.
Will you be considering the new BMW 330e Touring as an option your next family or company car? If not, which of its rivals will you be going for instead? Let us know via the comments section below or via our Facebook and Twitter pages.
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