With a little help from its mild-hybrid system, BMW quotes a peak power figure of 436bhp and 580Nm of torque, giving it the ability to reach 62mph from rest in just 4.1 seconds. This makes it significantly faster than the current M340i that it’ll in effect replace, not to mention those aforementioned rivals.
This model will also feature all-wheel drive, but for the first time in an M Performance model, it will also have a selectable drift mode that’ll give drivers the ability to de-couple the front axle.
Lower down the order, expect BMW to launch entry-level 320 and mid-spec 330 models with a mild-hybrid four-cylinder petrol engine, plus a plug-in hybrid option or two. No official details of those PHEVs have been made available, but we suspect they will be the highest-selling models in European markets, so expect BMW to focus most of all on increasing battery range and overall efficiency on these models.
At the other end of the spectrum, BMW will continue to offer a petrol-powered M3 alongside the electric model. It too will adopt a hybrid system, but unlike the new Audi RS 5 it will have a much smaller and lighter mild-hybrid system to help the existing S58 straight-six pass Euro 7 emissions laws.
What about the interior?
BMW’s new era of interior tech will continue in the new 3 Series, switching from the current twin-screen set-up to the Panoramic iDrive layout seen on the new iX3 and all new BMW models launched since. This is joined by a large trapezoidal touchscreen mounted close to the driver, with a simplified selection of controls and switchgear on the centre console.
By changing how drivers interact with the 3 Series’s functions, BMW is taking a risk, but initial feedback on the new iX3 suggests that customers get used to the new set-up pretty quickly – unlike BMW’s long-winded iDrive application the first time around.
What about the other variants?
BMW has been pretty clear about how it plans to expand the i3 range with a new i3 Touring (estate) and a new i4 Cabriolet and Coupe following that, but this same level of variety in the petrol-powered 3 Series is still to be confirmed. When we spoke with BMW’s top brass in the past, they confirmed that the company will continue to produce a new generation of Touring models in addition to its SUVs, but so far we have only seen evidence of these in electric forms.
However, BMW M’s Frank van Meel has already confirmed that Touring versions of the future M3 are in the plan thanks to their commercial success, suggesting that an estate variant of the new 3 Series petrol is in the works, if not a new petrol-powered 4 Series Coupe or Cabriolet.
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