During the same press event in which I drove the new 7 Series twins, the X7 M60i, the X1, and the M4 CSL, I also drove the refreshed BMW 3 Series LCI. I had my choice of the entire range; a BMW 330i, a 330i, and an M340i. However, I only had time for one so I had to choose wisely and I settled on the 330i because, in my mind, that’s the quintessential 3 Series and the car that best represents the brand’s values.
BMW hasn’t been itself lately. Every BMW commercial or advertisement seems to be for SUVs and small crossovers. If you didn’t know any better, you might think BMW was always primarily a truck and SUV company, as that’s clearly the brand’s media emphasis. However, BMW is supposed to be a brand that makes small, sporty sedans that focus more on handling, steering, braking, and fun than power, tech, and luxury. To me, as impressive as both the BMW 330e plug-in hybrid and M340i are, they fall into the latter camp. The BMW 330i is what a 3 Series is supposed to be.
For 2023, the 3 Series gets a typical BMW LCI update. That means new headlights, which are slimmer and sportier than before and also lose the little underneath notch of the pre-LCI car’s headlights. The grille has been tweaked, as have the front air intakes. Overall, it’s a sportier looking car than before and it looks much better in person. It’s a really sharp looking little sport sedan in the flesh and feels like home for BMW fans.
On the inside, BMW gave the 3 Series LCI its latest tech package upgrade. Gone is the old iDrive 7, now replaced with iDrive 8, and also gone is the shift lever. It’s unusual sitting in a 3 Series and not having some sort of shift lever, even an electronic one for an automatic transmission. However, these are the times we’re in and BMW gave the 3er its now-ubiquitous toggle switch shifter. It’s actually quite nice to use, so I don’t have much of a problem with it but I will miss using an actual gear lever to shift gears manually, rather than having to only…
