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2027 BMW 3 Series Sedan.

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BMW has finally released a new 3 Series sedan. We had seen countless spy shots and illustrations for at least a year. Now we can take a look at the real thing. And it looks a lot like the recently introduced BMW i3 sedan.

The new 3 Series is not a gas version of the new i3 EV. As it still uses the same platform as the previous 3 Series. The i3 uses an all-new EV platform. And it looks like BMW has tried very hard to make both cars look the same, even though they are not technically related. Which is a bit strange. The grey car in the images above is the new 3 Series, while the blue one is the i3 EV.

As you can see, the proportions are quite different. But it seems BMW has tried to shoehorn the i3 design onto the old 3 Series platform. And both interiors actually look the same.

The EV is a bit shorter and looks a little more “toyish” to me. I also don’t think the Neue Klasse design looks right on the old 3 Series platform. The whole thing just looks cheaper than before. Maybe it’s just the lack of chrome? Or the abundance of black trim crap all over the bumpers? Again, mimicking the worst visual attributes of the new i3.

RWD proportions with a long hood usually look really good on a 4-door sedan. Not here, for some reason. It really seems like the wrong design language for that platform. The hood of the new 3 Series also seems way too high. Or maybe the front grille/lights element is sitting too low? Whatever it is, it looks weird.

In the US, the base model will be the 330 with the usual 2-liter 4-cylinder engine with 255Hp. I know it’s probably fine, but it really doesn’t sound that special on a luxury sedan. These 4 cylinder Turbos are everywhere these days, and 255Hp isn’t anything to brag about. Especially for the $51,300 base price.

I am personally not impressed by this. The crappy black trim and “4-cylinder engine at a luxury price” is never that impressive to me…

But this could actually be very good news, at least in the US, for the upcoming Infiniti Q50 sedan. With its retro design and good old V6. If the new Infiniti looks good, its more powerful and smoother V6 could make a few new friends rather quickly.

Conversation 6 comments

  1. BMW looked at how toddlers draw cars in crayon and thought “you know, these kids are on to something…”

  2. The front end has so many lines and the sides are so devoid of any directional styling. Add in a lot of black plastic and how the hood seems to rise up vertically from the fender, all makes this feel disconnected and cheap looking. Oh well. I’ve hated BMW’s interiors (gimmicky, not sporty) for quite a while now so its not going to be in my garage anyway.

  3. The front end design needs to continue to evolve, but dare I say I don’t mind it, it’s neither offensive nor an in-your-face “grille”, and should attract 3 Series buyers rather than alienate them from the brand.

    The petrol model has the shorter wheelbase and longer hood to accommodate the engine. The electric version has a shorter hood since no engine and a longer wheelbase to accommodate a big fat battery.

  4. Exterior vehicle design is currently a sad state of affairs. Given the amount of technology available to create distinctive and interesting designs, we keep getting all this awkward and sleep inducing rubbish.

  6. BMW like many other brands, are going to regret the haptic steering wheel buttons and the lack of physical switches on that dash. Going with those mechanical pop out door handles was also a bad idea, so many bad ideas wrapped into this and recent BMW vehicles.

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