BMW is rolling out more Sport variants of some of its most affordable cars.
The 118i, 218i Gran Coupe and 320i all receive a Sport variant with drive-away pricing.
The plug-in hybrid 330e also gets a Sport model. Though it doesn’t have a drive-away offer, BMW points out the 330e Sport falls under the threshold for electrified vehicle stamp duty exemption in New South Wales.
All models have an “optimised equipment offering” – in short, they’re cheaper than the existing 118i, 218i, 320i and 330e, but they don’t offer any options and feature minor specification differences.
For example, they all miss out on the M Sport package (or, in the case of the 3 Series models, the Luxury Line package), though they still include Sport Line styling and sport seats.
The 118i and 218i Sport also run on 17-inch alloy wheels, while the regular 118i and 218i are shod with 18-inch alloys.
In Ford Model T fashion, you can have any colour you want as long as it’s solid black.
The 118i Sport, priced at $48,900 drive-away, and the 218i Sport, priced at $53,900 drive-away, include the following:
- Sport Line styling
- Front sport seats
- Cloth/Sensatec upholstery
- 17-inch alloy wheels
- Driving Assistant
- AEB
- Blind-spot monitoring
- Rear cross-traffic alert
- Lane-departure warning
- Traffic sign recognition)
- Parking Assistant
- Semi-autonomous parking assist
- Reversing camera
- Parking sensors
- 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system
- 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster
- Satellite navigation
- DAB+ digital radio
- Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
- Intelligent Personal Assistant
- Connected Package Professional
- LED headlights
- Ambient lighting
- Six-speaker sound system
Both models use a 1.5-litre turbocharged three-cylinder producing 103kW of power and 220Nm of torque. This is mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic that powers the front wheels.
For reference, the ‘regular’ 118i and 218i are priced at $47,730 and $52,730 before on-roads.
The 320i Sport wears a price tag of $69,900 drive-away and packs the following features:
- Sport Line styling
- Sport seats
- Partial leather upholstery
- 18-inch alloy wheels
- 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster
- 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system
- DAB+ digital radio
- Satellite navigation
- Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay
- Ambient lighting
- Parking Assistant
- Semi-autonomous parking assist
- Reversing camera
- Parking sensors)
- Driving Assistant
- AEB
- Blind-spot monitoring
- Rear cross-traffic alert
- Lane-departure warning
- Traffic sign recognition)
- Intelligent Personal Assistant
- Connected Package Professional
- LED headlights
Finally, the 330e Sport is priced at $77,900 before on-road costs, sliding just under the $78,000 threshold for stamp duty exemption for electrified vehicles in New South Wales.
It receives a head-up display atop the features listed above for the 320i Sport.
Both 3 Series Sport models do without the active cornering lights and automatic high-beam of the regular 320i and 330e models, and feature a six-speaker sound system instead of a 10-speaker unit.
That’s resulted in a fairly substantial saving over their Luxury Line and M Sport counterparts.
The 320i Luxury Line and M Sport are priced at $71,900 before on-road costs, while their 330e counterparts are $86,900 before on-road costs.
The 320i is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine producing 135kW of power and 300Nm of torque.
The 330e’s 2.0-litre turbo four is mated to an electric motor for a plug-in hybrid system with total outputs of 215kW of power and 420Nm of torque.
Pricing
- 2022 BMW 118i Sport: $48,900 drive-away
- 2022 BMW 218i Sport: $53,900 drive-away
- 2022 BMW 320i Sport: $69,900 drive-away
- 2022 BMW 330e Sport: $77,900 before on-roads
