BMW 330e v Lexus IS 300h 2017 Comparison

BMW and Lexus have a slightly different spin on how to best build a mid-size luxury hybrid. Although they are conceptually similar, there are some fundamental differences that could figure in a buyer’s decision. How do the premium versions of the BMW 3 Series and Lexus IS compare in the real world? And can hybrid vehicle really be considered green? We hit the road to find out

Does owning a hybrid make you a greenie? Some people seem to think so.

A common belief is that driving a hybrid car is helping save the planet, that the remarkable breakthrough technology lessens our dependence on fossil fuels and significantly reduces noxious gas emissions.

We don’t really like to rain on anyone’s parade, but we would venture to say the presumptions are a little overstated.

Back to basics
Taken down to the basics, a hybrid is really nothing more than a slightly more economical (and therefore less polluting) variant of a regular internal combustion engined vehicle.

In real-world applications, many hybrids are little better, in terms of fuel consumption, than some ultra-efficient, conventionally-powered vehicles – particularly turbo-diesels.

The manufacturer-quoted consumption figures for hybrids, which in some cases are little short of spectacular, are often impossibly removed from what any driver could ever hope to achieve on the road.

So what’s the point? Why would you spend money on a system that could take a significant amount of your time to recover the extra cost of buying a hybrid in the first place?

Pondering this question, we decided to have a look at two mid-size luxury-segment hybrid sedans that sell alongside conventionally-powered equivalents for an – admittedly small – premium with the promise of greatly-improved fuel economy, much lower exhaust emissions and uncompromised driveability.

Our contenders are BMW’s recently-introduced 330e (in May 2016) which, in $74,900 M Sport form as tested, is $3000 more expensive than the regular 330i M Sport, and the Lexus IS 300h which has been around for something like four years and at $81,160 in Sports Luxury form, costs $3120 more than the regular IS 200t Sports Luxury (all figures are pre on-road costs).

How do they stack up?
There is much, given the Toyota-owned premium manufacturer’s market aspirations, that is the same; yet much that is different about these hybrids.

In terms of body size and general packaging, there is so little between the Lexus IS and BMW 3 Series that it’s almost ludicrous. Only millimeters separate them in most important dimensions and it was really only in the BMW’s roomier back seat that we found noticeable packaging differences.

And if the battery packs mounted under each car’s boot floor take up a bit of load space, they at least enable the split-fold rear seatbacks often denied in older-generation hybrids (such as the current Toyota Camry).

The BMW, at 370 litres, has the smaller boot (it’s useful enough, though 110 litres down on the regular 3 Series sedan) but it does offer a 40:20:40 split-fold backrest while the Lexus, even though it only has a 60:40 split-fold, offers a properly useful boot that, at 450 litres, is only 30 litres down on regular IS models.

Leading the charge
The all-important driveline configurations are similar in that they both drive the rear wheels and utilise a longitudinal four-cylinder petrol engine; but otherwise they represent different conceptual approaches.

For starters, the BMW offers the benefits of a plug-in function that enables the 330e’s 7.6kWh lithium-ion battery pack to be charged in just over three hours via a regular wall socket, giving a claimed 37km of battery-only running. Although this would be fine for short-travel commutes, a bit too much stop-and-go travel will see the range dropping below that. We managed just 25km of in-city EV driving on test.

The Lexus has no such advantage on offer, and although EV running is available via a small switch on the centre console, it’s very limited, and will quickly disengage with too much road speed (read not much) or a bit of undue throttle pressure.

There are differences on the four-cylinder engine configurations too: The BMW is a 2.0-litre turbocharged unit developing 135kW/290Nm that works with an electric motor, sitting between the engine and the eight-speed automatic transmission. The electric motor adds 65kW/100Nm (or 250Nm briefly when needed) to produce a combined output of as much as 185kW.

The IS 300h, on the other hand, has a normally aspirated 133kW/221Nm 2.5-litre four-cylinder Atkinson-cycle engine. It combines with a 105kW/300Nm electric motor fed by a more old-school nickel metal hydride battery to produce a combined 164kW.

And, while the BMW’s electric motor location eliminates the need for a torque converter, its role in assisting the petrol engine is achieved via a more simple method than the very clever planetary CVT (no belts and pullets here) arrangement in the Lexus which, all by itself, can direct energy flows in just about any direction it wants.

And in the real world?
Despite the dimensional similarities, the Lexus ends up being quite a bit heavier than the BMW, which contributes to a noticeable performance difference.

Although the figures tell us the hybrid Lexus is only 40kg heavier than the conventional IS 200t, the IS 300h’s kerb weight of 1720kg still greater than the BMW’s 1660kg – which itself is more than 160kg above its conventional 330i equivalent.

Combine this with the 330e’s higher combined power delivery, and the ability of the electric motor to briefly punch out 250Nm when asked, and the BMW is clearly more responsive to the accelerator. 0-100km/h is claimed at 6.1sec – which is not a lot slower than the 5.8sec quoted for the 330i.

The hybrid Lexus, on the other hand, is quoted at an unsurprisingly leisurely 8.5sec.

So while the Lexus is notable for its honey-smooth transitions from petrol to electric power – and the lack of gearshifts – the BMW has a sportier nature that is in keeping with the badge; and is particularly noticeable in the M Sport version tested. It comes with a staggered, 19-inch wheel-tyre combination and a more aggressive suspension tune. Though the test car’s run-flat tyres exacerbated the ride’s tendency towards sharpness.

The Lexus, with its softer, cosier seats and milder suspension (also with staggered wheel/tyre combinations but working off smaller 18-inch wheels) and seamless CVT was quite silky by comparison; although the slightly lower engine sounds were overridden at times by a Tesla-like whirring as it slowed to a halt.

In both cars actual in-cabin noise levels were identical, even though the BMW’s engine could be heard growling happily to itself in the distance as it worked away.

It might sound a bit peculiar in hybrid cars, where economy factors presumably rate well above driver enjoyment, but both BMW and Lexus offer paddle shifters to allow manual ratio selection.

Cabin fever
The general interior ambience of the BMW and Lexus showed distinct differences in how a luxury-oriented cabin should look and feel.

Other than the comfort of its nicely-padded seats and general air of class helped along by recent upgrades — including a bigger colour LCD screen and (slightly) improved centre console toggle controls -- the Lexus continues to emulate Toyota in some of the control interfaces and feels less cohesive in terms of design and ergonomics, than the classically simple BMW.

The Sport Luxury IS 300h’s retracting rear window blind is a bonus though.

Interestingly, both suffer a dearth of small cubbies and difficulty is to be found in the front of the cabin finding simultaneous space for sunglasses, drink bottles and phones in easy-to-reach positions.

Some of our drivers also found visibility, particularly around the A-pillars, favoured the BMW. The view out of the Lexus was partly obstructed by the exterior mirrors. And, as for the IS 300h’s foot-operated park brake…

Fueling desire
The BMW is not only notably quicker than the Lexus – it’s also more economical.

Sure, we didn’t come in sight of the officially claimed 2.1L/100km combined figure, but our suburb-centric test loop brought a 6.9L/100km outcome which was reasonably close to BMW’s 5.2L/100km urban claim. And it was comfortably ahead of the IS 300h’s 7.6L/100km (the claimed urban figure is 5.0L/100km) helping, in some ways, to ratify BMW’s on-paper claims.

Both figures were recorded operating the cars in default hybrid mode – without exploiting the 330e’s EV-only capability – which we figured would be pretty representative of what most day-to-day drivers would achieve.

While both offer the ability to fiddle around with their mode settings to – maybe – produce a better result, the BMW clearly has the potential to improve more substantially via recharging and regular use of the EV mode.

The BMW’s scaled-down 41-litre fuel tank (the Lexus holds 66 litres) helps cut weight without unduly affecting the cruise range which we calculate should match the claimed 600km.

The price factor
While the top-spec BMW and Lexus are separated by a big price gap favouring the M Sport 330e, it is possible to step into a Lexus IS 300h for a lot less than the base 330e. $61,890 will put you into a Luxury-trim Lexus, while you’ll need to stump up a significant $72,900 to slip into any BMW 330e.

And though the M Sport BMW has an initial price advantage, this is whittled away as you try bringing the specification up to Sport Luxury Lexus levels.

Adaptive cruise control, rear cross-traffic alert, heated/ventilated front seats and a sunroof – all are standard on the Sports Luxury variant Lexus and some, including rear cross-traffic alert, are not even available on the BMW. Just adding adaptive cruise control – which is part of a $1990 BMW Innovations Package – a sunroof ($2,920) and cosy front seats ($654 and heated only, not cooled) help sneak the price up.

That said, the 330e M Sport does come with head-up display and surround-view parking cameras, neither of which are available in the Lexus.

As far as we can figure, bringing a 330e up to similar spec levels to the Lexus would see it sneaking in at around $80,000 without the $2600 M Sport pack which, apart from a number of internal and external dress-up items, is essentially focused on the bigger 19-inch wheels and M Sport suspension.

Caring for your hybrid
Long-term gain brings some short-term pain in the BMW which offers buyers the option of pre-purchasing future servicing and maintenance for five years / 80,000km. Otherwise the 330e is covered by a three-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty with roadside assist active for the full period.

There’s a 12-month/25,000km servicing schedule, although the company has a condition-based servicing regime that varies the frequency depending on the individual vehicle’s usage.

The Lexus comes with a four-year/100,000km warranty, with roadside assist for the full period, and a 12-month/15,000km servicing schedule.

The verdict
So, if a hybrid buyer is maybe not as green as he or she thinks, which of these mid-size luxury petrol-electric sedans is the better deal?

Without mincing words, and without forgetting there are price factors to be considered before one gets a handle on the relative merits of the BMW 330e M Sport and Lexus IS300h Sports Luxury, it’s clear the German contender has the edge.

In addition to its performance, handling and fuel consumption, and CO2 emissions advantages, it also offers a more contemporary, slightly larger interior that, particularly in terms of driver ergonomics, is easier to live with. The only real downsides are the firmer seating – a subjective judgement for some anyway – and the smaller boot.

The Lexus, despite its recent update, feels less cohesive ergonomically than the BMW and, despite being entirely competent, leans more towards comfort than driving dynamics.

And let’s not forget the fact that, even if neither the BMW 330e nor Lexus 300h is a true Tesla rival, both are pretty reluctant when it comes to visiting a servo.

2017 BMW 330e M Sport pricing and specifications:
Price: $74,900 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Engine output: 135kW/290Nm
Motor: Permanent magnet
Motor output: 65kW/250Nm
Total output: 185kW/420Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 2.1L/100km (ADR Combined) / 6.9L/100km (as tested)
CO2: 49g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP

2017 Lexus IS 300h Sports Luxury pricing and specifications:
Price: $81,160 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol
Engine output: 133kW/221Nm
Motor: Permanent magnet
Motor output: 105kW/300Nm
Total output: 164kW
Transmission: Continuously variable
Fuel: 4.9/100km (ADR Combined) / 7.6L/100km (as tested)
CO2: 113g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP