The New BMW 3 Series Gets A More Powerful Six-Cylinder Engine

It looks a lot like the fully electric i3, but it packs a beefy inline-six and a quad exhaust.

2027 BMW 3 Series camouflaged prototype of M350 xDrive

Photo by: BMW

Adrian Padeanu

By: Adrian Padeanu

Sep 8, at 2:09am ET

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The revamped BMW 3 Series keeps four- and six-cylinder engines alive for another generation.
An M350 xDrive replaces the old M340i and comes with a pure rear-wheel-drive mode called "Drift Moment."
The mild-hybrid turbocharged 3.0-liter engine makes 443 hp and 428 lb-ft (580 Nm).

The next BMW 3 Series is going through its final development stages, and there’s good news for those who aren’t ready to give up on internal-combustion engines just yet. BMW has confirmed that the new-generation 3 Series will continue with four- and six-cylinder engines, complete with 48-volt technology to meet increasingly stringent emissions regulations.

Even better, the range will be topped by an M Performance model that sounds considerably more entertaining than your average efficiency-focused combustion car. Replacing the old M340i, the new M350 xDrive will use a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six with a mild-hybrid setup to develop a combined 443 horsepower and 580 Newton-meters (428 pound-feet) of torque.

The output numbers are impressively strong compared with the M340i. BMW’s not-quite-M3 gets a healthy 57-hp and 59-lb-ft (80 Nm) boost over the previous M Performance model sold in the United States. The gap is even wider when compared with the Euro-spec M340i, which had to be detuned to meet stricter emissions regulations.

2027 BMW M350 xDrive camouflaged prototype

2027 BMW M350 xDrive camouflaged prototype

Photo by: BMW

That’s enough Bavarian punch for a sprint to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 4.1 seconds and a top speed electronically capped at 155 mph (250 km/h). BMW doesn't say whether it also intends to keep the rear-wheel-drive model alive as a successor to the M340i, but it might not have to. If you were worried that electrification and standard AWD would make the M350 less fun, it has an interesting trick up its sleeve.

The New BMW M350 xDrive Gets A Drift Mode

Drift Moment is marketing jargon for a new function that effectively enables a rear-wheel-drive mode. The feature was previously reserved for the full-fat M3, and it’s now trickling down to the M Lite model. When activated, it sends all of the engine's power to the rear axle, therefore giving the M350 a tail-happy setup despite the xDrive suffix in its name.

The feature won’t be available immediately, though. BMW says Drift Moment will arrive sometime next year via an over-the-air software update, meaning cars delivered before then will also gain the functionality later.

The M350 xDrive rightfully gets the spotlight, but it won’t be the only combustion-powered 3 Series. BMW says the new lineup will include lesser four-cylinder models, and at least one of them should run on diesel power. We also believe a plug-in hybrid is in the works to bridge the gap between the regular 3er and the purely electric i3.

2026 BMW i3 50 xDrive First Edition interior

2026 BMW i3 50 xDrive First Edition interior

Photo by: BMW

The BMW i3 Is Likely To Share Its Interior With The Next 3 Series

Despite using different platforms, CLAR for the 3 Series and Neue Klasse for the i3, the cars appear to be cut from the same cloth when it comes to design. That statement also extends to the interior. While we can’t see it yet, the cabin should be strikingly similar to the EV’s minimalist interior. Expect a 17.9-inch central touchscreen paired with Panoramic Vision, essentially a pillar-to-pillar projection at the base of the windshield.

Production of the new 3 Series gets underway later this year, but not in Munich, where all preceding generations were assembled. Instead, the sports sedan will be built in Dingolfing, leaving the historic Munich plant to produce the fully electric i3. Don't expect to see the next-generation M3 before 2028 at the earliest.

2027 BMW 3 Series camouflaged prototype of M350 xDrive

Source: BMW

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Motor1's Take: The new M350 xDrive is shaping up to be another exciting sports sedan in the 50-plus-year history of the 3 Series. It packs more power than the outgoing M340i, retains a six-cylinder engine, and even gets a proper rear-wheel-drive mode. In an era when performance cars are becoming increasingly electrified, that combination feels almost rebellious.

Of course, the M3 will remain the ultimate 3 Series, but the M350 xDrive might strike a sweeter balance for those who want serious performance without going all the way to a full-fat M car. If BMW can deliver the same level of driving engagement promised by the numbers, the new 3 Series could prove that there’s still plenty of life left in the internal-combustion sports sedan, even as the i3 is about to hit the streets.

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