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BMW is not ready to let the combustion 3 Series fade quietly. The new BMW M350 xDrive steps up as the range-topping petrol saloon, taking over from the M340i xDrive. Under the bonnet sits a 3.0-litre turbocharged straight-six with 48-volt mild-hybrid assistance. It serves up 437bhp and 428lb ft. That is a healthy 51bhp and 30lb ft more than the car it replaces.
Drive runs through an eight-speed Steptronic automatic gearbox, and xDrive all-wheel drive is standard. BMW quotes a 0 to 62mph sprint of 4.1 seconds and a limited 155mph top end, matching the outgoing M340i on paper. Those figures stay provisional while the engineers finish the job. Even so, the M350 already feels like the sharp end of the petrol line-up.
The headline act is a feature called Drift Moment. Select it through the central display and the M350 hands its full output to the rear axle. Slick control of the multi-disc clutch works alongside a switched-off DSC. The upshot turns this all-paw saloon into a rear-driven slider whenever the road opens up. It is a proper party trick for a four-door.
There is a catch, though. Drift Mode will not land at launch. BMW says it arrives at some point in 2027. Owners who take delivery early will receive it later through an over-the-air software update. So your all-wheel-drive BMW could gain its factory-approved sideways mode months after it reaches the driveway.
Final sign-off is happening now. Prototypes are lapping BMW’s Miramas proving ground in southern France. Before that, they braved the ice at Arjeplog and pounded laps of the Nürburgring. Every next-generation 3 Series wears the same Neue Klasse design, whether petrol, hybrid or electric. Keen drivers, though, will want the six-cylinder M350.
