I AM SURPRISED. THIS IS NOT THE direction that I thought BMW would take with this car. This new 330i is currently the fastest new 3-series on sale, but only because the range is so new. Regardless of what the name suggests, there’s only a two-litre fourcylinder motor in here; there’s a six-cylinder 3-litre M340i on its way this year and, of course another new M3 to come. Which is why I expected the 330i to be a middle of the road kind of machine.
It is anything but. It is a sports car merely wearing the clothes of a four-door saloon.