FAMILY CAR REVIEW: 2019 BMW 3 Series Sedan 330i

How big is the boot of the BMW 3 Series Sedan?

The BMW 3 Series Sedan has a very good size boot. From empty it will hold fourteen shopping bags. That's one less than the VW Arteon, and one more than the Kia Stinger.

The twin stroller fits with three shopping bags.

The tandem stroller fits with five shopping bags.

The boot space and its functionality are really important. I like to have a big boot space and little side wells or areas I can divide things into. So something I don’t want to move around while I’m driving such as Tulsi’s lunch bag or her wet swimming gear can be sectioned off in a little well where it’s not going to spill or get squashed by the rest of the things in the boot.

Hooks for securing shopping bags to are also favourites of mine, I like being able to secure the bag containing more fragile things like eggs so they don’t move around on the journey.

I measure the boot space in freezer shopping bags, prams and dogs. Not because I think all there is to a mum’s life is food shopping, prams and dogs. (Although it can feel like it sometimes!!) But because these are visually mesurable items we can all associate with. For me, the car company boot measurement of litres is not an amount I can easily visualise and 400L in one car may differ in usability to that in another due to the configuration or shape of the space.

The single stroller fits with four shopping bags beside it.

The compact stroller fits with eight shopping bags beside it.

There is a netted storage area at either side of the boot behind the wheel arches. You do have to bend down into the boot of the BMW 330i, so it would make for a low emergency nappy change table!

How good is storage inside the BMW 3 Series Sedan?

The storage inside the BMW 3 Series Sedan good in both the front and back. There are two cup holders in the front that are the right size to hold a reusable and disposable coffee cup.

In front of them is a cordless phone charging well with USB and 12V socket there too.

The central console box is not super deep but it's handy for sunglasses as there is no holder in the ceiling.

The glove box will hold my iPad and wallet with the manual.

There is a small drawer by the driver's right knee that will hold sunglasses too.

The front door bins are a great size to hold a large refillable water bottle and wallet fits too, and there are little wells in the door handles as well.

Storage in the second row is good, with the same door handle wells and room for a large refillable water bottle.

There are net map pockets on the back of both seatbacks that will hold but not conceal an iPad. There are USB and 12V socket in the back of the central console storage box too.

In a fold-down in the central seatback are two cup holders that will hold a reusable or disposable coffee cup. Nothing bigger though, because of the plastic flaps of the cupholder.

How noisy is the BMW 3 Series Sedan?

The BMW 3 Series Sedan is a lovely quiet car to drive, it is sooo smooth and you are really cocooned from the outside noise.

The media system easy to navigate using the touch screen, I found it a little trickier using the rotary dial down in the central console.

You swipe across the screen to access different features and use the list down the left side of the screen. The model I tested did not have Apple CarPlay but it can be added for an extra $600 (Android Auto coming soon).

The reversing camera image is excellent. So crisp and crystal clear and you can view the car from different angles too.

The cruise control in the BMW 3 Series Sedan is very accurate and with lane keep assist and speed limiting. In fact, the 330i does most of the driving for you, which I found was a lifesaver on a long motorway journey with a migraine and an overtired toddler!!

The cruise control buttons are on the left side on the steering wheel and I found I was well used to them by now having driven a lot of BMWs in a row. Lights on both sides of the steering wheel flash up to warn you if you are going over the speed limit.

The BMW 3 Series Sedan feels so nice to drive, it is smooth, calm and peaceful which I found was helpful to set the tone for our family day!

Becoming a parent I soon realised there are some noises and sounds I feel are unnecessary and I could happily live without if it meant my baby stayed asleep!!

That often the distraction of my screaming, distressed baby is more dangerous when driving than not having a lane departure warning for example.

If it is the lane departure warning beeping that creates distress with my baby then which is safest?

It’s where I think we need to be able to strike a balance and choose when we can mute the warnings or swap them to a vibration in the steering wheel or flashing light perhaps?

A lot of these noises come with the increase in technology and especially linked to safety features and alerts. For me these all have their place.

Another thing I have realised is I spend my time in a lot more places where small children roam, parks, beaches, play gyms, swimming lessons, daycare centre etc. I have become more aware that when I’m reversing or manouvering in the car parks I have to tripple check for small children running around behind me or being in my blind spot when reversing. For this I LOVE reversing cameras, I just don’t like their beeping sounds!!

I have become so much more aware of safety and potential accidents or hazards since having a child and so I love the peace of mind that I get from the cameras and sensors combined with my own vision from windows and mirrors as I don’t trust cameras alone.

The indicator volume isn't baby-waking in the 3 Series Sedan.

The Sat-Nav guidance volume can be muted on the right side of the media screen, which is excellent for not disturbing other passengers. It's the same in all BMW systems, like in this X7 SUV pictured below.

I find on most journeys when I use sat nav I only need directions for the last part of the journey. I know how to get to the area I am going and then it’s just the exact address I need help with. Because I need to input the address before I head off I found myself on most occasions when you can’t mute the sat nav voice having to listen to all the directions, which disturbs your concentration, any conversation in the car at the time or more importantly my sleeping baby! So being able to mute the sat nav voice until you reach the part where you actually need it is gold!

The doors and windows of the 3 Series Sedan close gently, so they are not baby waking.

The doors close quite easily with a gentle close, which was surprising for a car of this size. With baby asleep you can get in and out without worrying the doors will be too noisy. The same for the windows their mechanism is not too noisy and I didn’t notice them having a loud opening or closing sound.

With baby asleep you want to be able to get in and out without worrying the doors will be too noisy and wake Bub up! 

Road and engine noise are excellent in the BMW 3 Series Sedan, I really noticed how quiet and smooth it is.

There is a seatbelt removal alarm and excellent visual on the driver display screen.

You can also lock the doors and windows from the driver's door control panel.

The screen in front of the driver tells you your distance to empty in km too which is really handy.

How many child seats fit in the BMW 3 Series Sedan?

There are ISOFix points in the two outer rear seats, which are within plastic guides and nice and easy to connect to.

There are top tether anchorages behind all three headrests in the fixed parcel shelf.

I was sure three child seats would fit because it feels like the seats should be wide enough but I could only fit two full-size child seats in the back here.

The sides of the cars seats have really wide curved edges that almost meet the doors and prevent you from being able to move the child seats out far enough.

With a rear-facing child seat installed we could sit a 180cm driver in front.

The doors of the BMW 3 Series Sedan open nice and widely, however, the roofline is quite low being a sedan, making posting bub into their car seat from outside a bit of a bend on your back. The good interior space makes it easier from inside.

Australia being a country of weather extremes; blazing sun and torrential rain, mean you may find it easier to put Bub into their seat from inside the car sometimes. If it’s hot you can get the air-con going, cool the car down and not stand out in the sun while you fasten them in or shelter from the rain and not get soaked yourself whilst you’re doing it. So it is important to test whether Bub can be easily installed from either direction!

There is plenty of room to feed bub in the front seats or either of the back rows back if you only have one child seat installed.

How comfortable is the BMW 3 Series Sedan? And How good is the BMW 3 Series Sedan to drive?

The BMW 3 Series Sedan is one of the comfiest cars I have driven and one of those cars you can just get in and enjoy driving. The interior is beautiful and it's just a nice place to be! When you get into a car like this you realise most cars interiors are purely functional, so the 3 Series Sedan is refreshing!

The front seats of the BMW 3 Series Sedan are lovely and comfortable and easily adjustable using the electronic controls on the side of the seat base. You can adjust the length of the seat base too, which is great because it's a bit too long for me!

The headrests in the BMW 3 Series Sedan does allow for a ponytail.

I had spent hours styling my hair this morning to get this ponytail just right too… said no new mum ever!!!

For a mum travelling in the back with bub, the seats are extremely comfortable too. Legroom is good in the back and I had plenty of legroom behind a 182cm driver and I'm 162cm.

For the first year of Tulsi’s life when we would go out as a family, if I wasn’t driving, I would travel in the back with Tulsi so it’s important to check the back seat comfort as you may be spending a lot of time in them! They were never something I gave any thought to before but I definitely notice a good or bad back seat now!

The steering wheel is fully adjustable in/out and up/down.

Across the front dashboard are four air conditioning vents that can be easily controlled using the buttons below them on the central dash.

There are air vents in the back of the central console box with digital controls there too. I found I could reach the vents while driving.

Visibility is good in the BMW 3 Series Sedan, being lower you can see all around you at child height so you don't feel you have blind spots like in much higher cars.

When maneuvering or parking, the windows and excellent camera image really helped.

One thing I have noticed since being a mum is I hate it when I reach a destination or get home from being out and Tulsi has either done really well in the car or she is screaming her head off and I have done really well to keep it together for the entire journey (usually the latter!!) and it takes 10 minutes to park the car! It can be really stressful. Usually I dread parking new cars as they take longer in our tight apartment block carpark, but the BMW 3 Series Sedan, was pretty easy to park.

How safe is the BMW 3 Series Sedan?

The BMW 3 Series Sedan scored a five-star ANCAP safety test in early 2019.

Scoring a total of 97% or 37.1 out of 38 for adult occupancy. Broken down into 7.61 out of 8 for the full-width frontal crash test, 7.88 out of 8 for the frontal offset test. Full marks for the side impact test and for the pole test.

For Child Occupancy protection the BMW X3 scored 43 out of 49 which is 87%.

Some of these safety features are also features that drive me crazy as a mum! Like the lane departure and forward collision alert or the parking sensor beeping sound. I want all the safety technology AND to be able to mute the sound when Tulsi’s asleep!