BMW G20 330i M-Sport: 5 years and 55,000 kms later

In what feels like a blink of an eye, 5 years have passed since I have owned this BMW G20 330i. This wasn’t my first rodeo with the brand – before this, I owned an F30 330e, which I had sold for the G20 as hybrid vehicle prices were tanking and I needed to move on to something else that would depreciate softer. In fact, after having enjoyed driving BMW, I later purchased an E36; first a 325i and then later thanks to intrusive thoughts (and friends who enable), swapped that for a 328i (but let’s leave that story for another day).

So why the G20 in the first place? Well, although some of you may remember how all this started for me in automotive journalism, I am now a well-rounded family man (or so I’d like to think). Thus, there are some priorities – reliability, reasonable running costs, have space for my little family, and as a car guy, I’d be lying if I didn’t mention it needed to have pace and grace.

When I bought the car way back in Q3 2021, there really wasn’t anything else on the market that could hold a candle to the G20 330i – at least not in terms of practicality, performance, brand image, and course the all-important price-tag. At the time, I happened to be testing Merc’s W205 C200 and while it has its own merits, let’s just say it really wasn’t for me.

Thus somehow, all roads led me to BMW’s G20 330i which, believe it or not, I had signed on the dotted lines without even having so much as a test drive. My vision was clear – I knew which colour I wanted, and I already had some plans on some “upgrades” I wanted to explore. This was almost shocking, especially since my F30 330e was tamper free over my 3 years of ownership.

First, a little bit about myself. I’d like to think of myself as a bit of a car enthusiast who has never wanted the fastest or loudest car. I value performance as much as comfort and daily drivability. I don’t like headaches. Of course, which enthusiast’s heart wouldn’t flutter if someone took a second look at your car – evidence that your vision has ‘reached’ another individual. So yes, I’m shallow and I like a good aesthetic.

Over the last decade, I’d say I also developed a penchant for a good drive. In my early days, I loved to go fast in a straight line. Through the years, the thrill was to carve a corner quicker. Perhaps one day, I’ll fancy myself a challenge at hypermiling… or nah, maybe not.

Aesthetics first of course – right out from showroom, I added some carbon bits: spoiler, side-skirts, rear canards. Black grill, because stealthy on grey. Front splitter, but in matte PP because nobody has time to keep changing gloss black splitters, or deep enough pockets to keep replacing carbon ones. At the same time, the original runflats had to go; and in went some of my favourite rubbers: Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersport.

That lasted a little while, but I was already planning to have those “pizza wheels” changed. Naturally, they had to be budget friendly, yet look individual enough. Oh, and strong enough to be daily driven through Malaysian pot-holes. Yes yes, we all know BBS works perfectly with BMWs, but my wallet had vehement objections.

Enter the RXTEK P7 Clubsport, forged wheels at 18×8.5 front and 18×9.0 rear. RXTEK Wheels are a local brand (and a sister company of RAXER Wheels, with RAXER offering flow-formed wheels and RXTEK offering more performance oriented forged wheels). Since wheels were already coming off for some fine-tuning with the damping and rebound, I also took the opportunity to have HEL performance brake lines installed, along with a set of Endless MX72 pads. Better stopping power on my morning runs, why not?

Once that was completed, the satisfaction merely lasted some months before thoughts about lowering the car crept in. I mean, it did look good. But man, wouldn’t it just be so much better if that wheel-arch gap wasn’t quite so big? That small thought sparked a hunt for some lowering springs – and I was lucky to come across a set of mildly used H&R Sport springs for the G20.

Here’s where I admit that was a serious mistake. The stance of the car looked great, but what little comfort I had gained swapping from runflat to regular rubbers was completely negated. The car rode harsher everywhere. Even my wife had the occasional complaint. Clearly, there was a problem and a resolution was necessary.

One test drive in a friend’s car just several weeks later, and I had ordered some ST XA coilovers. Yes, I still wanted to clean stanced look, but really wanted to also have some sanity through my posterior. At near the one year mark and having just done about 14,000 km, I had the final (and perhaps most expensive) mod installed onto my car.

Finally, my dream OEM+ build was complete. Kinda. Because a year later, when a friend was de-kitting his mods to prep his car for sale, I took over his M-Performance exhaust and had it fitted onto my car. Aaah, now it was complete.

But through all that, how does it drive?

Let’s back-track a little bit: my objective from the start was very clear. I’m a family guy now so comfort, practicality and reliability were critical points. Power and handling were secondary. As dad lives go, I found it necessary to de-stress and unwind every once in a while. I’m not shy to say that (with my wife’s blessing) I lived most Sunday mornings up in the hills, and am happy to report that the G20 330i has never felt lacking when heading up from Ulu Yam through to Gohtong Jaya. It has kept up with cars that have much more horsepower and prowess.

It handles the daily tasks very nicely as well, clearing all manners of bumps and ramps. OK, after 4.5 years, I did finally have to remove my front lip; it was one damned basement carpark that was easy to enter but impossible to exit. Apart from that, the G20 330i has been the model (small family) car.

I can safely say that I am satisfied with the car overall; it manages my requirements well, and has looks that still make me turn back to have a second glance, even today.

Wear and tear?

Through the last 5 years and just a little over 50,000 kms, I must say that the car has remained faultless. Yes, it does have the known tie-rod fault (which I have replaced twice now, under warranty) but other than that I have had zero problems.

Despite having changed wheels, my car is still running on stock wheel sizes – 225/45/18 fronts and 255/40/18 rears. That works out to be around RM3,000 for a full set of rubbers. I drive in Sport mode most days (Sport Individual occasionally, Sport Plus too extra, Comfort too soft) and with a sizable 59L fuel tank, I manage around 400 km of slightly heavy-footed driving. And that’s because I normally fuel up just before the indicator light comes on. If I’m mindful and gentle on throttle, I can creep up to near 500 km. I’ve managed just over 600 km for long distance driving as well.

What’s not to like about all of that?

So… what’s next?

All good things must come to an end. While I am not bored with the car, I must say that thoughts about moving on have flirted through my mind. I believe that I really have enjoyed time with this car and since my kid is now a little older, there is maybe a window to perhaps own something a little bit more fun, or maybe even a little less practical?

Naturally, my thoughts wandered towards the BMW family: F82 M4? F87 M2 Competition? Z4pra (OK – maybe not, I can live with two doors, but a two seater is where my wife draws the line)? I’m not sure, but I guess I’ll find out.

In the meantime, yes my car is up for sale! You can reach out to me on Whatsapp @jw0n if you’re keen, and we can arrange for a time and date to view the car. In the meantime, enjoy the gallery and videos of my great times with the car.

BMW G20 330i / RM155,000