The 3 Series is one of the best-selling premium cars in its segment. The hybrid alternative is quickly gaining traction, so is the 320e Touring the perfect car for your daily commute? Let’s find out!

The 3 Series is BMW’s most famous and best-selling car. The first-gen 3 Series set the standard for compact luxury sedans. Its sporty handling and elegant design quickly won over driving enthusiasts. Over the years, the 3 Series has grown through generations. They were making each one more technologically advanced and more luxurious. BMW introduced driving pleasure and advanced driver-assistance systems available to the masses, further solidifying the 3 Series' leadership in the segment.

The 3 Series now comes in 2 hybrid flavours: The 330e and 320e. A 2.0L 4-cylinder powers both cars, with a 113 hp electric motor and a 12 kWh battery. So what exactly is the difference between a 330e and a 320e? Essentially, the 320e has a combined output of 204 hp while the 330e has a 292 hp output. So you’ll pick the 330e if you want that extra oomph, but with that set aside, let’s focus more on what else the car has to offer.

The 320e offers between 50 and 60 kilometers of EV range, which is just enough for your commute to work and back.
And when you run out of juice, as with any plug-in hybrid, there’s still the ICE to kick in and take you as far as you want.
Driving a plug-in hybrid will always be more effective when you drive shorter distances instead of long distances. However, with quite some longer trips in the 320e, where it ran out of electricity on multiple occasions, it still managed to average under 5 L/100 km, which is very respectable.
In terms of hybrid integration, the 320e switches seamlessly between the electric motor and the combustion engine. Most of the time, you won’t really notice unless you’re actually looking at the display.

With the LCI, the 3 Series not only got some nice and shiny new bumpers but also a revamped interior.
The most striking change is in the infotainment, which is now upgraded to iDrive 8 and is accompanied by the large panoramic screen installed on the dashboard. The gear selector has also been changed from one that looked like a gear stick to a small flap you push forward or backward. It cleans up the center console, but it also divides people in whether they like it or not.

The screen is a very nice and high-resolution one. The instrument cluster is a progression from the previous one, but it feels like it has a much lighter design. I’d still like the option of classic dials as well, but as of now, these kinds of bars that go up are what they’re made of.
The center screen is where it became a bit harder to navigate, as we stated in previous reviews of BMWs with the new iDrive 8, especially cars with no central iDrive controller. While we’re still not the biggest fans of the amount of separation in the options menu, we do start to get used to where everything resides, and it becomes easier to navigate around. Ah, yes, and climate control should stay off the screen and remain buttons for ease of use.

Whilst the 320e’s main purpose is to be used for short trips daily and using the electric motor as much as possible, the touring aspect of this car still means it’s a practical car, and the petrol engine allows you to go worry-free on longer journeys. It’s plenty comfortable on longer trips, decently fuel efficient, and provides enough space for the family and the dog to go out for a weekend trip.
We’ve stated before that the C-Class has become the best in this segment. And it still holds up a little better in terms of comfort than the 3 Series, and the interior is a little more progressive than the BMWs. However, where the BMW really trumps the Mercedes is in its dynamic performance. It feeds more information from the front wheels through the steering wheel. It’s a cliché, but the 3 Series is the better driver’s car. Combining them in a touring shape makes choosing between the two of them very difficult.

As said, it’s a tough choice because the BMW does get close in comfort, but it’s not quite there. However, it’s a much more rewarding car to drive on a day-to-day basis. Starting at 56.000 €, the 320e really undercuts its competitors. So in the end it depends on personal style, budget, taste,…
But one thing’s for sure: the 320e is a perfect daily driver.