The new G50-generation 3 Series is the most powerful one yet. Well, it is if you don’t count M cars. Which I’m not. When the G50 hits U.S. dealerships, it’ll come with either four or six cylinders, but right now BMW is more concerned with the latter. The top-of-the-range model will be the M350, and it’s going to take a lot of time to get used to the missing “i” at the end. With the latest version of BMW’s B58 engine, now a 48-volt mild-hybrid, the M350 will make 443 horsepower and 428 lb-ft of torque. That’s more horsepower than the F80-gen BMW M3 and more torque than even the current base model G80 M3. Impressive.
With so much power, you’d expect this new car to be the fastest non-M 3 Series to date, but that’s not the case. Or at least it isn’t on paper. BMW claims a 0-62 mph time in 4.1 seconds for the M350 xDrive, but I call B.S. The current M340i xDrive does the same sprint in the same claimed time, but with less power. Unless the new 3er weighs as much as a small moon, it’s probably going to crack into the mid-threes, no problem. BMW didn’t say anything about a rear-wheel drive model, but it’s likely there will be one.
Even with xDrive all-wheel drive, the M350 will do big slides. Sometime in 2027, the M350 will get an over-the-air software update that brings a “Drift Moment” mode for, well… drift moments. Essentially, it’s the 3 Series’ rear-wheel drive mode, like modern M cars have, as it sends all of its power to the rear wheels and turns the DSC off. BMW doesn’t say how long you’ll be able use Drift Moment, or if you’ll be able to just keep the car like that for your entire driving stint, but one way or another you’ll be able to switch the M350’s xDrive off.
The new 3 Series isn’t part of BMW’s Neue Klasse and will stay on its CLAR architecture. However, that doesn’t mean it won’t get the brand’s latest tech stack. It isn’t the same Heart of Joy clever computer brain that handles the all-electric i3, but it’s similarly capable and tuned specifically for the 3 Series and its 3.0-liter turbocharged I6.
It looks like the i3, though. BMW kept the designs similar, although they can’t be identical due to using completely different chassis and powertrains that require entirely different packaging. Inside, things are basically the same. There likely won’t be as much front cubby storage or rear seat leg room as the i3, due to an engine and transmission eating up too much space, but the dashboard, steering wheel, and tech are all the same. It even has the same wraparound screen that spans the dashboard, rather than a more conventional gauge screen ahead of the driver.