New 2027 BMW 3 Series (G50) nearly finished: six-cylinder lives, 443 hp M350 xDrive leads the range

KUALA LUMPUR: BMW has completed its final round of summer chassis testing for the next-generation 3 Series, bringing the petrol-powered model very close to the end of its development programme.

BMW describes the car as being in “the final phase of series production development”. Put more simply, most of the hardware is now settled. From here, engineers are largely working on the final calibration and fine-tuning before production begins.

The latest testing took place at BMW’s proving ground near Miramas in southern France, where the prototype was driven across everything from a high-speed oval to handling circuits and roads with different surface conditions.

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That follows earlier winter testing in Arjeplog and development work at the Nürburgring. None of this is particularly unusual for a new BMW sedan, but it does give us a good indication of just how far along the new 3 Series now is.

Here is what BMW has confirmed so far.

Petrol and electric are now separate models

Perhaps the biggest change is that the combustion-powered 3 Series and the fully electric i3 are no longer simply different powertrain versions of the same car.

Instead, they are two distinct models that will be sold alongside one another.

The electric i3 made its design debut in March 2026, while the petrol-powered 3 Series, codenamed G50, continues with four- and six-cylinder combustion engines supported by 48V mild-hybrid technology.

BMW calls this its “technology-open” approach to drivetrains.

For customers, the explanation is much simpler. If you want BMW’s electric compact executive sedan, you buy the i3. If you still want an internal-combustion engine, you buy the 3 Series.

They belong to the same family, but they are now fundamentally different cars.

Neue Klasse styling for both

Visually, both models adopt BMW’s Neue Klasse design language, including a modern interpretation of the brand’s familiar four-eye front-end treatment.

The traditional 3 Series proportions remain, with a long wheelbase, short overhangs and what BMW refers to as a “2.5-box” silhouette.

Or, in less corporate language, it still looks like a sports sedan.

BMW says the i3 and combustion-powered 3 Series will differ mainly in details related to their respective drivetrains.

The cabin also moves into BMW’s latest generation of interior technology, centred around Panoramic iDrive and Operating System X.

One of its defining features is the projected information strip running across the lower edge of the windscreen. It is a genuinely different approach to displaying information inside a car, although whether everyone prefers it to a conventional instrument cluster will come down to personal taste.

Longer wheelbase, wider tracks and some enormous wheels

Underneath the new body, the 3 Series gets a longer wheelbase than the outgoing model, together with wider front and rear tracks.

Suspension consists of a double-joint spring-strut front axle and a five-link rear arrangement, while high-preload anti-roll bar mounts are used at both ends to improve body control.

Standard versions receive newly developed lift-related dampers, while adaptive suspension and adaptive M suspension will be available depending on specification.

BMW has also upgraded the integrated braking system and revised the steering ratio.

Then there is the optional sports tyre package.

It uses 245/35 R20 tyres at the front and 275/30 R20 rubber at the rear.

On a beautifully surfaced German B-road, that sounds fantastic. On the average Malaysian federal road, however, a 30-profile rear tyre wrapped around a 20-inch wheel sounds like something you might want to approach with slightly more caution.

Replacement tyres are unlikely to be cheap either.

M350 xDrive replaces the M340i

Sitting at the top of the regular 3 Series range will be the new M350 xDrive, replacing the familiar M340i.

It will also be the only version of the new 3 Series offered with a straight-six engine.

BMW has given the M350 model-specific chassis tuning together with improvements in torsional and vertical stiffness. An eight-speed Steptronic automatic transmission and xDrive all-wheel drive are standard.

Its 3.0-litre BMW TwinPower Turbo inline-six works together with the 48V mild-hybrid system to produce a combined 326 kW, equivalent to 443 hp, along with 580 Nm of torque.

BMW quotes a provisional 0-100 km/h time of 4.1 seconds and a top speed of 250 km/h.

Adaptive M suspension, the M Sport differential and variable sport steering are all fitted as standard.

Production is scheduled to begin in the second half of 2026.

For comparison, the M340i xDrive M Sport Pro currently sold in Malaysia produces 387 hp and 500 Nm and reaches 100 km/h in 4.4 seconds.

That means the new M350 brings another 56 hp and 80 Nm to the table while shaving three-tenths of a second from the century sprint.

BMW has not revealed outputs for the four-cylinder versions yet. For now, the M350 is clearly the model it wants everyone paying attention to.

Drift Moment sounds fun, but read the small print

One of the headline features is something BMW calls Drift Moment.

Activated through the Central Display, the function can send the engine’s full output to the rear wheels. Together with the multi-plate clutch control system and DSC switched off, BMW says it allows the 3 Series to deliver the sort of sideways driving experience previously associated with full M cars.

There is one important catch.

Drift Moment will not be available when the car launches.

BMW says the feature will arrive sometime during 2027 and will also be sent to cars that have already been delivered through a Remote Software Upgrade.

So early buyers will technically be purchasing a car with hardware capable of doing something that the software will only unlock later.

That is becoming an increasingly familiar idea across the car industry.

The software difference between 3 Series and i3 is perhaps even more interesting

Underneath everything, the electric i3 and combustion-powered 3 Series also take different approaches to vehicle dynamics software.

The i3 uses BMW’s new Heart of Joy central computer together with BMW Dynamic Performance Control, a system developed specifically for the company’s sixth-generation electric architecture.

The petrol-powered 3 Series does not use Heart of Joy.

Instead, it gets an optimised version of BMW’s Driving Stack, including a transverse dynamics management system that groups together various agility functions, including control of the all-wheel-drive system.

Vehicle stabilisation and engine management continue to be handled through BMW’s existing network of specialised control units, technology the company has spent decades refining.

BMW argues that both systems are high-end solutions developed specifically for their respective drivetrains, which is a reasonable position.

The simpler interpretation, however, is that BMW’s completely new centralised dynamics computer remains an EV-specific technology for the time being.

“The BMW 3 Series has set standards for driving dynamics for several decades now – and thus serves as a symbol of Sheer Driving Pleasure,” said Dr Mihiar Ayoubi, Senior Vice President Driving Experience Development.

“With the new generation, we are building on this strength once again through the perfect interplay of chassis hardware and a continuously optimised and intelligent BMW Driving Stack. In this way, we are elevating the driving experience in the new BMW 3 Series to a new level – precise, assured und unmistakably BMW.”

Efficiency also gets some attention.

The new 3 Series uses a 48V electrical system together with My Mode Efficient, active air-flap control and BMW’s Efficiency Coach, which essentially encourages the driver to adopt a more economical driving style.

For now, nothing has been confirmed locally. BMW Group Malaysia has not announced when the next-generation 3 Series will reach our market.

Considering that production of the M350 xDrive itself only begins in the second half of 2026, seeing the new generation in Malaysia before 2027 would appear optimistic.

That is an estimate rather than confirmed timing. In the meantime, the current G20-generation 3 Series remains available in Malaysia and is locally assembled in Kulim.

Prices currently run from RM265,800 for the 320i Sport to RM388,800 for the M340i xDrive M Sport Pro.

Its most obvious rival remains the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, which starts at around RM276,888 locally.

If the new 3 Series eventually follows the same CKD strategy, the more affordable versions could conceivably remain somewhere around the same general price territory.

That said, all-new generations rarely arrive cheaper than the models they replace.

Anyone in Malaysia waiting for the electric version should also remember that the new i3 is now a completely separate model rather than simply another variant of the 3 Series.

 

BMW M350 xDrive: key specifications

• Start of production: second half of 2026
• Engine: 3.0-litre BMW TwinPower Turbo inline-six
• Electrification: 48V mild hybrid
• Transmission: eight-speed BMW Steptronic
• Maximum output: 326 kW / 443 hp
• Torque: 580 Nm
• 0-100 km/h: 4.1 seconds
• Top speed: 250 km/h
• Drivetrain: BMW xDrive all-wheel drive

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