Peugeot 508 vs BMW 330e

What's the difference?

The Peugeot 508 Sportswagon GT PHEV proves wagons can be extremely stylish but looks aren’t everything and it is an expensive option compared to its luxury rivals. It earns its place with the premium interior but the safety could be improved on and the tech is more confusing than it needs to be. But this wagon offers an alternative for families who are sick of being in an SUV yet still need a little extra space. 

My son didn’t go nuts over this and complained about his view.

The 330e M Sport is an excellent car, but it could be a much better hybrid.

In Australia, where driving distances can be vast, a car that's as comfortable and easy to live with as this one is welcome. But for the electric range to dissipate so quickly, and not recoup again at a fast enough rate without plugging into a charger, is disappointing.

There are other plug-in hybrids, even among the more affordable mainstream brands, which can return charge to the battery incredibly quickly and effectively on the go.

If you are looking to make the step into a hybrid, then perhaps consider a fully electric car. There isn't a battery electric 3 Series on the market in Australia (yet), but BMW does sell the iX1 small SUV for less money than a 330e or the iX3 for a tad more.

Both are pure electric SUVs and have a range of between 400-500km. You'll never need petrol again, which makes a hybrid seem outdated.

The design of this wagon is what wins it the most points. It is a damn fine specimen with the sleek lines in the body panelling and the sexy rear that looks well-proportioned for its 4790mm length.

Dark, narrow windows, 18-inch alloy wheels and a minimalist-looking nose, with fang-like daytime-running lights, all enhance its sporty look.

The rear lights have Peugeot’s signature ‘claw’ design and there’s something suggestively fun about seeing a twin-exhaust on a wagon!

On the interior, the multimedia system takes centre stage and the dashboard looks quite sleek, despite all of the deep cutaways.

The steering wheel is in the compact style that Peugeot is known for but it makes the cockpit feel driver orientated.

The quilted Nappa leather trims and shiny piano-black accents (with the piano-key controls) make for a refined cabin space.

Once upon a time sedans were all we drove, well mainly. Then SUVs became the style of car most people wanted. In fact, three out of four new cars sold in Australia today are SUVs.

So, I commend you on your choice of not just doing what everybody else does, and you'll be rewarded with better driving dynamics, and ownership of an iconic BMW - the four door, 3 Series.

And even though this is a plug-in hybrid version of the 3 Series it's identical in styling to the petrol variants. Only the light blue border around the BMW roundel is the indication that it's an electric vehicle. That and the charging flap near the left front wheel.

The M Sport pack adds some very sexy features such as the M Sport aerodynamic body kit, the door sills and M Sport seats, but the M Sport Pro Pack our car came with adds a black gloss grille, boot lid spoiler and the snazzy seat belts.

The cabin's double screens are impressive but I miss analogue gauges and found the digital instrument cluster overly busy and led more by cool design than functionality.

The front row gets the most space and you’ll be able to get into a comfortable position even if you’re tall.

However, it is a low car with its 142mm ground clearance and there may be a few grunts as you get in and out (or is it just me?).

My seven-year old loves how easy it is to climb in, though he didn’t have the best view out of the windows because the sills sit high.

The footwell lip also sits quite high, which isn’t an issue until you can’t open your door very wide and then it’s clumsy in a tight parking space.

The electric front seats are very comfortable and the extendable under-thigh support helps to minimise leg fatigue on a longer journey.

Surprisingly, for my 168cm (5'6") height, I have to sit much further back than I ordinarily would to get a comfy driving position.

In the back, you have plenty of headroom but behind my driving position, the legroom could be better.

An adult would still find it fairly comfortable on a longer journey so long as they aren’t behind someone tall. The seats themselves are well-cushioned and you sit in, rather than on top of them.

Individual storage options are good for this class with a dual-opening middle console, glove box and a great utility cubby next to the transmission shifter.

There is also a shelf underneath the centre console that houses the wireless charging pad and two USB-A ports but it’s a tad awkward to use and even see the ports when you're seated.

The amenities are good in the rear but for a top-spec model it’s lacking the luxury items you might expect, like heated seats and climate control but you’ll enjoy map pockets, reading lights, two USB-A ports and directional air vents.

It also has a fold-down armrest with two shallow cupholders, that in a quick turn, might spill their cups!

The boot is a great size at 530L with all seats in use and you can bump it to 1780L with the rear seats folded.

You get a level loading space and a 60/40 split with a ski-port in the back seat, which opens up your storage options.

There is a tyre repair kit rather than a physical spare but the tailgate is powered, which I always like.  

The technology is a mixed bag. It looks sharp and the touchscreen multimedia system is responsive but isn’t as easy to use as others I’ve sampled.

It doesn’t have a lot of accessible information or customisations available but it is easy to connect to the wired Apple CarPlay. There is also wired Android Auto for those users and built-in satellite navigation. 

The 12.3-inch digital instrument panel is the prettiest piece of tech in the car and there is more customisation available to make it feel yours.

Considering its price point and top-model status, it's more obvious that you miss out on premium items like three-zone climate control, faster USB-C connections and a head-up display.

People will tell you SUVs are more practical than sedans... and they're right, but not in as many ways as they probably think.

The cabins of sedans and SUVs of the same size are close in terms of space, but the 330e comes with excellent storage - better than many SUVs I've tested, featuring enormous door pockets, and a deep centre console storage bin.

There are four cupholders, too. Two in the fold down armrest in the back and another two up front.

There's also wireless charging up front, plus USB ports for the back passengers. The second row also has its own climate control and directional air vents.

Legroom is excellent in the back and I can sit behind my driving position with plenty of room to spare. Headroom is also excellent thanks to the tall roofline of the 3 Series.

Where a sedan isn't as practical as an SUV is its ride height, which makes getting in and out of the latter easier (although the 330e's doors open very wide) and its boot opening.

SUVs have hatch-like openings and that offers a wider and taller aperture for carrying cargo.

The 330's boot was still big enough to fit our two largest CarsGuide suitcases (see the video), but the location of the battery means cargo capacity has been reduced from 480 litres in a petrol 330i to 375 litres in this 330e.

The BMW 330e M Sport lists for $97,400, which is $4000 more than its 330i petrol twin.

The M Sport part of the name is there because the 330e comes standard with the M Sport pack. And that gives you a tough body kit, M Sport suspension, M Sport seats and aluminium trim, as well as M Sport door sills.

The car we tested and the one you can see in the video and images also comes with the 'M Sport Pro Package'. It costs $2800 and adds a boot-lid spoiler, glossy black grille and tail pipes, and M Sport seat belts, among other goodness.

This car also had the optional 'Visibility Package' fitted. It costs $4800 and adds a sunroof and adaptive LED headlights.

There's no direct rival for the 330e in Australia now. Mercedes Benz used to have a C300e, a plug-in version of its C-Class, but retired it locally some time ago.

The standard features of the 330e M Sport are identical to the 330i M Sport.

So, along with that M Sport pack also coming standard on the 330e is a head-up display, a 12.3-inch digital instrument panel, a 14.9-inch media screen with sat nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, three zone-climate control, wireless phone charging, digital radio and power adjustable front seats.

Is it good value? There's a stack of equipment, tech, beautiful M Sport additions and it all feels superbly high quality. But knowing you can have a 330i for less means you're paying more just for the hybrid system. So, let's talk about that...

The GT plug-in hybrid model has a 1.6-litre, four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine, as well as an electric motor that sits on the front axle. It has an eight-speed automatic transmission that produces smooth gear changing driving the front wheels.

The combined outputs are 165kW and 360Nm which means you have a good amount of power for this sized car but it’s not a performance wagon as its 0-100km/h sprint time is 8.3 seconds.

The lithium-ion battery has a small 11.8kWh capacity and will get from 0-100 per cent in three and a half hours on an 11kW system. On my standard house plug, it took closer to six and a half hours.

The 330e M Sport has a 2.0-litre petrol engine and an electric motor. The engine makes 135kW while the motor produces up to 80kW, for a combined dollop of 215kW. Total torque is more than sufficient at 420Nm.

Acceleration to 100km/h from zero feels as quick as the 5.8 seconds BMW claims and that's also about a tenth of a second brisker than the 330i.

The 'XtraBoost' function combines the total output of both the engine and motor briefly providing that great acceleration.

An eight-speed automatic shifts gears smoothly with the drive going to the rear wheels.

I like all this very much - the responsive engine, the fantastic transmission, the extra oomph from the motor and the way it all works together seamlessly. It's just a shame it's not as efficient as some other new plug-in hybrids.

Peugeot says you can travel up to 55km on pure electric function, however my morning (return) school run is 38.4km and the electric range was spent by the time I parked in my garage after starting on a full charge. 

Under optimal conditions, where you’re utilising both the engine and motor, the GT PHEV has an official fuel cycle consumption of 1.5L/100km.

After charging it three times, travelling 444km on a mix of open/urban roads and using 33 litres of fuel, my real-world usage came to 7.4L/100km.

You absolutely get the best economy when you regularly charge it but sometimes you just don’t get the time to!

You'll need 43 litres of premium 95 RON unleaded fuel to fill the tank which, using our real-world average consumption figure, translates to a driving range of around 580km.

The 330e M Sport is a plug-in hybrid which must be connected to an external power source regularly to charge its 12kWh battery.

The charging flap is located on the left side of the car near the front passenger door, which worked well for me as I could steer the 330e into my driveway and connect to a powerpoint on the wall using the charging cable provided.

It took me about six hours to charge the battery to 100 per cent from zero and that gives you a maximum 57km of electric driving range.

During my four days with the 330e Sydney's summer temperatures were hitting 34-degeres Celsius and with the climate control keeping the cabin at a hospitable 18C electric range was seriously cut short to about 40km.

I drove the 330e in hybrid mode nearly all the time - this is a hybrid after all. But there is a 'Sport' mode for more grunt and a 'Battery Hold' mode to save the charge for later.

I started with a full charge and a full tank of petrol, and for four days I lived with the 330e as I do with all my test cars.

I didn't aim to get the best fuel economy ever, nor was I wasteful with fuel. My wife and I, plus our two kids, just used it as our family car, doing trips to the beach, endless laps of the supermarket car park looking for a space, a birthday party, the lot.

I drove 154.7km over those four days and charged it on the second day after the battery was drained completely before driving another 70km or so over the next couple of days.

When I filled up after this it needed 7.74 litres to reach full again - it's a small 41 litre tank.

That converts to average fuel consumption of 5.0L/100km, which is bang on double the 2.5L/100km BMW says you should get.

I don't doubt you could get 2.5L/100km, but you'd have to be doing short trips and charging almost every time you weren't driving. And not use the climate control on an icy blast setting.

I've tested other plug-in hybrids that achieved much better mileage and that's because their on-board charging capabilities were excellent.

Some were even able to use the petrol engine to power the motor in reverse and therefore act as a generator to recharge the batteries fully.

The 330e M Sport doesn't do a good job of charging its battery while on the go. Sport mode does recoup charge to the battery, but again, if you're doing a long motorway trip that charge evaporates fast.

I don't think this type of plug-in hybrid is suited well to our country where we don't blink an eye at travelling 100km for Christmas lunch and then drive back again.

Also think about if you ever go on a trip away and don't have access to a power point or public charger. It's happened to me.

The 508 Sportswagon is an odd car to drive. Around the city, the steering makes it feel like you’re in a go-kart and you may over-correct until you get used to it. 

On the open-road, it feels like it gets into its groove but the power reserves feel a tad too shallow as the engine can complain with only a light load. 

The suspension is well padded and you won’t notice too many bumps but you do get a fair bit of wind and road feedback at higher speeds. 

Because of the narrow windows, I am surprised by how great the visibility is but you feel tiny when you sit next to a big SUV in traffic!

That said, it corners beautifully and taking this on a winding coastal road is super fun.

The brakes are very responsive, which is great in stop-start city traffic but can make it feel a little jerky while navigating a car park.

And on that note, because of the funky steering feel, it takes a moment to calibrate your senses with what the car is doing.

Once you get used to it, it’s simple to park but the quality of the 180-degree camera system is pretty rubbish for where this car sits in the market.

The 330e M Sport is outstanding to drive. The driving position is superb, the steering is effortless and accurate, handling is excellent and the ride is beautifully comfortable.

Brake pedal feel is surprisingly good for a hybrid - some have a wooden sensation.

The transition from electric motor to petrol engine is also remarkably smooth.

Acceleration in Sport mode is sudden, with the engine and motor combining their mumbo to move you. There is a 'fake' or synthesised exhaust note in Sport mode, but it sounds convincing.

Speaking of sounds at lower speeds, in fully electric mode the 330e emits a warning tone to alert pedestrians of your presence. It's quite loud in car parks and does actually make people turn around looking for a UFO.

The 3 Series was awarded the maximum five-star ANCAP rating when it was tested in 2019. The 330e comes standard with AEB, lane keeping assistance, blind-spot warning and rear cross-traffic alert.

There are excellent cameras front and rear and LED headlights, too.

Adaptive cruise control is also standard on the 330e M Sport.

On the 508 you’ll enjoy a five-year/unlimited km warranty and the battery is covered by an eight-year or up to 160,000km warranty, which is great.

You can pre-purchase either a three- or five-year servicing plan and the five-year plan costs a flat $2100 or an average of $420 per service which is very reasonable for this class. 

Servicing intervals are at every 12months or 20,000km, whichever occurs first.

The 330e M sport is covered by BMW's five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty. The hybrid battery is covered by a six-year/100,000km warranty.

BMW offers a five-year/80,000km service package for the 3 Series for $2150.

Service intervals are condition-based, and the car will let you know when it's time for a check-up.