{"id":2170507,"date":"2026-09-29T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2170507"},"modified":"2026-09-29T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T21:00:00","slug":"the-petrol-bmw-3-series-has-arrived-meet-the-new-320-and-m350-yours-from-45k","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2170507","title":{"rendered":"The petrol BMW 3 Series has arrived: meet the new 320 and M350, yours from \u00a345k"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

It\u2019s BMW\u2019s biggest selling model\u2026 ever. Full stop. No caveats. The most important car it has ever built. Whether it continues to be largely depends on the reception this new version gets. We\u2019ve seen the all-electric BMW 3 Series in the shapely form of the new i3<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Now it\u2019s the petrol car\u2019s turn. Meet the all\u2026 petrol BMW 3 Series<\/a>, in the shapely form of\u2026 the new i3. BMW consciously made both cars look identical, fully deploying its neue Neue Klasse design language.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

So like the i3, it looks rather brilliant, that 2.5-box design carrying whispers of BMW 3 Series past<\/a>, while gently nudging it towards the all-electric horizon. Good stance, this: short overhangs, great kidney grille\/headlight treatment, flared arches, and a blocky rear end.<\/p>\n

And this being a modern BMW means even the petrol cars get some kind of electricity. At launch you\u2019ve the choice of a 320 (classic badge), that does actually use a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine. Praise be! Badges that make sense!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

It gets a single turbocharger, 48V mild-hybrid tech, 208bhp and 243lb ft. The 0-62mph sprint is taken care of in 7.4s, and the top speed is 149mph. Very respectable.<\/p>\n

But if like Mel & Kim you\u2019d rather not<\/em> be respectable, there\u2019s the straight-six M350 xDrive too. No, it\u2019s not a 3.5-litre unfortunately, but instead uses BMW\u2019s 3.0-litre petrol that also gets 48V mild-hybrid tech to provide rather more horsepowers and torques.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

So you get a very healthy 437bhp and 428lb ft, translated as 0-62mph in a terrifying 4.1s, though the top speed is pegged at 155mph. Still faster than an old M3<\/a>.<\/p>\n

There are new passive dampers fitted to both cars as standard, stiffer mounts, 50-50 weight distribution, and the option of adaptive suspension. The M350 also comes with a \u2018Drift Moment\u2019 goober, which \u201csends power exclusively to the rear wheels\u201d for \u201ccontrolled oversteer\u201d. Should be fun \u2013 to watch or to experience \u2013 on a track.<\/p>\n

The 320 gets 18s as standard, while the M350 gets 19s. 20s will be an option. And while the interiors mirror the electric version, both 320 and M350 get a slightly bigger boot: 450 litres for the ICE versions, against 420 for the i3. But it\u2019s the electric one that offers more \u2013 an entire litre more \u2013 thanks to a 31-litre front boot.<\/p>\n

They also get the i3\u2019s tech goobers too, including BMW\u2019s OS X, Panoramic Vision display, the option of a 3D HUD, 17.9in central touchscreen, and multifunction steering wheel. Naturally there\u2019s an unnatural level of AI on board in the form of Amazon\u2019s Alexa+. Because AI\u2019s been so<\/em> respectable of late, why not shoehorn it in everywhere.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Anyway. We\u2019ve more news on the electric 3er\u2019s drivetrains too \u2013 we now know BMW will launch the i3 in 40 xDrive and 50 xDrive variants. The 40 gets 369bhp, 384lb ft, a 0-62mph time of 5.4s, an 82.8kWh battery, 441 miles of claimed range, and up to 300kW DC charging.<\/p>\n

The 50 ups the ante quite considerably. The numbers run 463bhp, 476lb ft, 0-62mph in 4.7s, a 108.7kWh battery, 566 miles of claimed range, and thanks to its 800V bones, can charge at up to 400kW. You already know about the i3\u2019s unique construction (cell-to-pack) and \u2018Heart of Joy\u2019 control system, but if you\u2019ve forgotten, just head this way<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Very soon we\u2019ll be treated to an even more vigorous i3 in the shape of the M60 xDrive. No doubt that\u2019ll be rapid.<\/p>\n

Prices for the i3 kick off at \u00a347,925 for the 40, and \u00a353,425 for the 50. The petrol cars are a bit cheaper, kicking off at \u00a344,975 for the BMW 320, and \u00a366,785 for the M350.<\/p>\n

Like we said up top, it\u2019s a big, important car, this: since its 1975 launch, BMW has sold more than 18 million 3 Series versions across the world, \u201cmaking it the most successful model in the history of the BMW brand\u201d. A great oak of the automotive woodland, as TG\u2019s Paul Horrell once described it<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Will this Neue Klasse version help it to grow even more? Let us know below.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s BMW\u2019s biggest selling model\u2026 ever. Full stop. No caveats. The most important car it has ever built. Whether it continues to be largely depends on the reception this new version gets. We\u2019ve seen the all-electric BMW 3 Series in the shapely form of the new i3. Now it\u2019s the petrol car\u2019s turn. Meet the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,237],"class_list":["post-2170507","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-topgear-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2170507","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2170507"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2170507\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2170507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2170507"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2170507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}