In addition to the new BMW 320i and 330e, BMW Malaysia today also unveiled the updated 2023 330i M Sport facelift, as part of the refreshed 3 Series line-up here on our shores. The BMW 330i M Sport is priced at RM317,800, and will be locally assembled here at the company’s assembly plant in Kulim, Kedah.
We’re not getting the M340i and 330Li variants at launch, but BMW Malaysia confirmed that “two new variants” will be launched very soon within the next few months, so it’s likely that they were referring to those two – keep your eyes peeled!
Facelifted exterior
The 2023 BMW 3 Series features a reworked exterior, particularly on the front fascia. The kidney grille bears a slightly reworked outline, now finished with a new double bar pattern, and flanking it are the newly redesigned headlights that now feature a more streamlined look, without the notch at the bottom, which supposedly helps emphasise the width of the car.
Just like before, the new 2023 BMW 330i also comes as standard with the M Sport kit here in Malaysia. Up front, the bumper now features a hexagonal lower air intake bookended by twin L-shaped air curtain intakes, while at the back, there’s also a chunky gloss-black diffuser element that occupies most of the rear bumper.
Other M Sport highlights include the 18-inch M light alloy wheels in Double-spoke style 848 M (staggered sizing), the larger tailpipes, M Aerodynamics package, M High-gloss Shadowline, as well as additional M badges on the sides.
Refreshed interior – BMW Curved Display
The highlight of the updated 2023 BMW 330i M Sport’s interior is the new BMW Curved Display unit, which combines the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and the 14.9-inch touchscreen infotainment display under a single curved pane of glass, perched up on the dashboard.
The new displays run on BMW’s latest iDrive 8.0 operating system, and boasts heavily upgraded functionalities taking advantage of more modern technologies, such as a wide range of connected services, 5G connectivity, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, the “Hey BMW” intelligent voice assistant, as well as over-the-air software updates.
As part of the new BMW Live Cockpit Professional package, the 2023 BMW 330i M Sport also comes as standard with a head-up display.
In order to accommodate the new displays, the dashboard of the new BMW 330i M Sport had to be slightly redesigned. The central air vents are now slightly slimmer than before, with the air-conditioning controls moved into the touchscreen itself, while the bank of shortcut buttons below is replaced by new haptic touch buttons for the hazard lights and window defrosters.
The traditional gearshift lever on the centre console has also now been replaced by a toggle switch for a sleeker and more modern appearance.
Thanks to the M Sport package, the new 2023 BMW 330i M Sport is also peppered with a myriad of M furnishing touches on the interior to provide for a “sportier driving feel”. These include the M door sill plates with a stainless-steel look, M driver’s footrest, M pedals, sport seats for the driver and front passenger, hand-stitched M leather steering wheel in Walknappa leather, the M Aluminium Rhombicle Anthracite interior trim, as well as M-specific displays in the instrument cluster.
Customers can opt between black or Mocha brown for the Vernsasca leather upholstery, but the headliner is wrapped in M anthracite as standard.
2023 BMW 330i M Sport performance
The powertrain of the new BMW 330i M Sport remains unchanged from before, with the turbocharged 2.0-litre inline-four engine underneath the bonnet making 258 hp and 400 Nm of torque. Paired to an eight-speed Steptronic Sport automatic transmission, the 330i M Sport sprints from a standstill to 100 km/h in just 5.8 seconds. Top speed meanwhile is electronically capped at 250 km/h.
Courtesy of the M Sport kit, the new BMW 330i in Malaysia also comes equipped with M Sport suspensions as standard.
Also unchanged here are the advanced driver assistance features, with the new 2023 BMW 330i M Sport coming as standard with features such as lane departure warning with active steering interventions, lane change warning, autonomous emergency braking, rear cross-traffic alert, rear collision warning, speed limit info, and manual speed limit assist.
The 2023 BMW 330i M Sport also comes with the Parking Assistant package here in Malaysia, consisting of Park Assist, Active Park Distance Control, Lateral Parking Aid, a reverse camera, and Reversing Assistant.
2023 BMW 330i M Sport pricing in Malaysia
The BMW 330i M Sport is priced at RM317,800, inclusive of the BMW Warranty and Repair package which extends the vehicle’s warranty to five years (unlimited mileage), alongside five years of free scheduled maintenance. As an option, customers can also purchase the vehicle with a standard two-year warranty at a lower retail price.
GALLERY
