2023 BMW 3 Series LCI/facelift review - is this really progress? Or was it not broken anyway?
The 2023 BMW 3 series takes the existing (and rather brilliant) 3er and smooths off some edges, gives the cabin a big injection of technology and, erm, removes the climate control buttons. Join me in a new 330e and M340i for a thorough in-depth look at the new car, including an exterior walkaround of the new bits, as well as a good old-fashion drive as well as the thoughts of a herd of cows.
00:00 Intro with tortured analogy
00:43 Cocktail bar music bit
01:09 What's changed with the facelift?
01:58 Interior changes in detail
04:20 How big are the back seats?
05:47 How big is the boot?
06:52 Engine line-up
07:49 Driving impressions (in a 330e Touring)
13:24 What's the fast one like? (in an M340i Touring)
15:54 New matt paint finishes!
16:35 Cowtro
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I have the opportunity to get a great offer for the new M340i Touring. I'm hesitating to take it, this might be one of the last time to own such a car,
Just ordered the M340i Touring, can't wait to get it this summer !
Still a very very nice interior but i wish we could get past the nonsense of less buttons is better. I love the matte gray it plays well with the creases. Great video man!
Thanks for the review. I receive my 330e Xdrive MSports Saloon in Feb and could not be more excited! Every review I’ve seen complains about the digital aircon buttons but that’s just the direction manufacturers are heading in
Your right Tim, and I did treat myself to a 340i touring. Love driving it every single day.
Decent review Tim. My M340i Touring (pre LCI) is by far all the car I could ever need, practical family wagon with plenty of performance too.
we get everything BUT the M340i Touring...and its the one car i want.. now i have to opt for the sedan..or the 330i Msport touring
I enjoyed watching the Video Review. The best Sports Estate Car looks even better with the updates that have been made ☺️
Tim’s turn of phrase is hilarious, English humour at its best! Good review too.
Thanks Graham, really appreciate the kind words.
Very solid, entertaining review. Told me what I need to know as a previous F-series 340i owner. I think the new screen set-up looks good in the EV range but I prefer the old system for a more traditional fast estate. If I were sensible I'd look at the 330e but I think I should enjoy beefy straight six petrol motors while they're still available.
Love the review. Even though I can only dream of owning one of these I do have a question. Can you get normal dials on the digital dash? Or are you still stuck with the stupid Hofmeister Kink ones?
can't wait to get my 330e Touring, sadly delivery now been put back another 3 months, damn!
Can you still get the 330i touring new? I can only see the 330e as an option and don’t want the hybrid.
I’ve had my 330e three weeks now. It’s a superb car. The drive is sensational if you want it to be or comfortable and relaxing depending how you drive. The cabin is very well designed and the infotech system is great once you’ve figured it all out. The car oozes class and is a real head turner. Can’t fault the car at all, maybe lose the paddle gear shifts, not necessary.
I wish there was a bit more ground clearance-too easy to scrape mine. Yes, I know that improves the cornering at speed but let's be realistic-how often do you do that in a British city?
I never use the touchscreen or buttons on my G20. Only the iDrive and mostly voice command. Especially setting the temperature.
does anyone know if 3 series also have self leveling rear suspension like the 5 series?
I really enjoyed your professional introduction of 3 series. I look forwards to seeing what else are you going to demonstrate. I am choosing a car from BMW. I really am hopeless unless one of you can tell me what to get. So far, it seems that this car is a good choice.
Good review however you can no longer have Adaptive Suspension on the 3 Series Touring apart from the M340i/d.
Great review and waffle content was spot on 👍🏻 Look at the way Tim’s little face lights up when he gets to drive a car with an actual engine! 😊 I think those cows can tell he’s a McDonalds fan 🥩
Instead of drive in cinema, it’s like a cinema you drive in. They are nice, do they still have that ‘hewn from granite feel’ ooo I must work harder.
Very good review ngl. You include things about it that reviews like carwow don’t include. For example the driving position👌
Thanks for the nice comment - lovely to hear!
Nice Billingham!
Thanks! I absolutely love it - it's my second, but I think it'll survive long enough that my children can inherit it!
Did you say Karmen Hardon 😂😂 nice one 😉
Old dash set up much better!
The piped in noise is all well and good, until you accidentally blow one of your Karman Hardon speakers blasting Deftones. Now every time I put my car in sport mode the fake engine noise crackles away through the broken speaker. 🙃
I seem to be posting the same comment on all G20 LCI vids. No HVAC and no favourite buttons. So no more shortcuts for tyre pressure quick view, changing HUD brightness and so on. It’s a massive backward step, sold as evolution. Just because it looks good, doesn’t mean it IS good. I’ll be keeping my 2021 M340i xDrive saloon, and remain thankful I ordered it when I did.
I like everything about the car, especially them keeping the B58. But, i may be alone in this but i don't like these massive ipads everyone is using as instrument cluster. Tesla is doing it, Mercedes is doing it, a bunch of future car concepts are promissing giant screens too. I wish more manufacturers followed what Porshe, Pagani, Spyker or Singer do. I don't think some fancy stainless steel clocks would be much more expensive than a fucking 50" iphone. Im tired of screens, i already spend my entire day staring at screens at the office, getting home our TV is our entertainment, smartphones all day... i just want to turn life off when i drive
Laute Euter! Excellent review, Tim! I do likey alotta. Ignore the Cows, they are probably Merc fans. 😂
What a shame that they don't offer the wagon here in the states. Although wagon is not that popular here, there isn't really much competition in the market either.
Karmon Hardon - excellent
I'll be getting an M340i sometime in Q2 next year. Still stuck between the LCI and previous G20 model, exterior-wise I like both, I do prefer the bigger screens for iDrive 8, but the lack of physical heating controls is a bummer to me, plus i've heard iDrive 8 is noticeably slower than iDrive 7 and has a more complex menu theme, i.e. more clicks to get to the same thing. The B58 is a must for me though, i've heard nothing but praise for the M340i since its release.
I have gone from a pre to a LCI m340. I prefer the look of the newer model as it’s a little more aggressive. Personally the heating controls I find easier to use. You can rest your wrist on the ridge in front of the screen and I touch takes you to the climate menu. To be honest the older buttons were pretty small and lower down so… I think in reality the touch climate menu is only a negative if replacing proper dials. Don’t notice 8 being slower and although the menus may seem a little more complicated, that’s just because I was used to ID7. Now it makes no difference.
bro, when i hear this excuse about the climate control. I set it up on a certain temperature depending on the season and leave at that. How many time you change the climate control during a 30 min drive?
exactly haha I always leave it on auto I just need the climate control for heated seats@@angeltodorov5918
I really liked your jokes! 🤣
Great review. The commentary from the cattle was udderly useless.
I was visibly mooved
@@TimRodieDrivesStuff Haha..
Nice review Tim and i enjoyed the cows' opinion too :-D As for the car, it's still a decent motor though they all seem overpriced theses days. Less buttons is annoying and less shape to the dash without a cowling around the displays of which i don't like the hexagonal-hoffmeister design, the robotic style doesn't fit an organic driving machine - leave it for the EVs! Also I'm not convinced with the adaptive suspension, yes at first it seems cool but from my experience after 30K miles the dampers become too underdampened in comfort mode and Sport mode is still far too stiff to be of use in any distance - if people are getting the adaptive just for the comfort why don't they just delete the M-Sport suspension if they still want the M-Sport package, you used to be able to do that can you still? Most of the pre-facelift models on the used listings have the adaptive set-up, it comes with the M-sport brakes as it's in a pack which are nice but it's frustrating when you don't want the ad-susp. A passive set-up with correctly matched dampers & springs even if on the soft-side is still better than an adaptive with the worst of both worlds IMO, but if you're only on a short-term lease maybe it don't matter so much....
Thats usefull info, special for the used car market if the salesman use that argument to up price.
Carman/Hardon! :D:D
Lovely cars the tourers,Swiss army knife of cars
3 series larger than couple generation back 5. And I guess current 3 almost size original 7 !!
I was gutted when the buttons were removed from the TVs too. It's not the same without getting up to turn it over.
Haha, perhaps we need to bring in remote controls for infotainment screens
X😂x
I drive the new 3 LCI touring and I love it. Best car ever !
Hey man y right both engine is best but vs kia stinger gt is have plenty torque but still all them is best in category I know bmw change good done this series the new bmw now I like I not fan of bmw but they do now right car.
Lack of buttons, especially the climate is a real negative, combine that with the awkward looking square screen behind a round steering wheel and it’s a backward step visually and practically. Was after a replacement for my F31, but now searching for nearly new pre LCI instead now, not worth the new car premium for a system I dislike. Hopefully this trend is just a fad.
It’s not a negative I have the m340d lci and it’s much easier with the new screen and quick sorry but you’re wrong I’ve had this car and it’s so easy to use the system
Bloody love your videos Tim. Wondering if I can get my fat old man body in a 340i now
Oh I would’ve thought so! And thank you!
It’s not Karmon Hardon
Karmon Hardon? Did I hear that 😂
it's a nice car but they ruined 1 thing: you have to enable Iconic Sounds (fake engine sounds inside) to open rear exhaust valve (nice engine sounds outside).... This is really stupid.
You are a gorgeous man ❤
The front looks ridiculous. Underneath the BMW grille, they put an Audi grille.
👍🤝🇰🇬
Need to beef up the content Tim and stop milking it 😉. Good review. Doesn’t seem that long ago I was thinking £35k was a lot of money for a new 3 series 😞
I think we’ve herd enough of your bad jokes! Is it not pasture bed time? 😮
Vegan leather was coined by a marketing expert for Tesla in an attempt to upsell plastic seats. There's no such thing as vegan leather but there is such a thing as plastic seats.
Cows are girls not lads. Other than that great video. Thanks.
This video is drool-worthy. I sure wish BMW was serious about wagons in the states. We've been wagon-less for years now, and even when they sent them here, they sent the down-spec engines.
Whaaatt you sad litterly KARMON HARDON ITS HARMAN KARDON 😂
Don’t be silly
Reviewing cars in piles of muck....maybe it's time to move on to tractors.
E is not populair plzzz Don’t follow the crowd
Garbage downgrade. To remove physical, easily accessible buttons (right next to the gearshift) to control the heating, and move them to the higher (and at an inconvenience) touchscreen is absolutely stupid.
Much better. Liked so
Too much waffle !
Apologies for the free content, I shall check yours to see how it should be done
@@TimRodieDrivesStuff Hi Tim constructive comments watch Thomas @Autogefuhl how it should be done…he’s the daddy ! Have a nice day😁
@@frostycut Lovely, thanks!
I think it’s Thomas that should be watching Tim for tips 😮
Perfect level of waffle and information.