BMW i3 World Premiere: Crafted with pride

This is it, ladies and gents! After an extremely packed day at the BMW Arena Munich, the all-new BMW i3, in the metal. While I’d love to have made this post on the minute of the reveal, our schedules were stacked to the nines with not even a minute to spare for lunch!

While the iX3 might have been the more important car in terms of sales and tech introduction, I think it’s safe to say that, for most of us automotive geeks and driving enthusiasts, on an emotional level, it is the Neue Klasse i3 and its ICE-driven sibling that we’ve been waiting and wanting to see.

#BMW #BMWi3 #BMWNeueKlasse #BMW 3Series

And this is not without reason, of course, for many of us would have owned, driven, crossed paths with or yearned for a 3 at a point in our automotive lives. Because the 3 has never just been about the car itself.

It’s the memory of a late-night drive in something that was once slightly out of our league. The quiet satisfaction of getting behind the wheel for the first time. The way it made each journey feel as if we’ve already arrived, even if we hadn’t quite yet.

For some, it was the benchmark. For others, the dream. And for many of us, the first real taste of what driving could be. That’s the weight this car carries.

And standing here in Munich, looking at the new i3, you can’t help but feel that BMW knows it too. This isn’t just another generational update. It’s a reset. A redefinition of what the 3 Series needs to be in a world that’s rapidly moving on from everything it once stood for, and it certainly looks the part. Even if the photos fail to convey the right proportions. I blame it on the illuminated floor that visually made the car look like it sat higher than it actually did.

Gone are the softer, curved lines of its predecessor, replaced by more purposeful surfaces and bolder, more defined edges. It feels at once futuristic and fresh, keeping close to the Vision Neue Klasse concepts we’ve been teased with, yet familiar, carrying BMW’s iconic signature elements while also echoing styling cues from previous generations of the brand’s most celebrated model. Our interview with Oliver Heilmer will give a tad more insight into this.

The pronounced “shark nose” of the E21, the chunky stance of the E30, and the subtle rake in the profile first seen on the E36 all seem to make a return. There’s little doubt that many of these aesthetic choices reflect Mr Oliver Heilmer’s affection for the lineage of the 3 Series.

Perhaps the most striking visual of the car is the face, staying true to their current design direction of giving each category of their vehicles a distinct look, and a reason why the iX3’s more vertical-looking kidneys are not present on this lower, sleeker car.

The kidneys and twin headlights are no longer separate elements; they now flow together seamlessly with the front sensors, forming a single, confident face with the use of light and geometry for an added sense of presence and identity. Optional features such as the Iconic Glow give even more depth and a subtle sense of drama, letting the grille itself play with light to give it more life and emotion, hinting at the Neue Klasse’s ambition.

In terms of size, the i3 has grown subtly but meaningfully. At 4,760?mm long, 1,865?mm wide, and 1,480?mm tall, it edges past its predecessor in every dimension, with a wheelbase stretched to 2,897?mm. What’s fascinating is that the new i3 is now approaching the proportions of the E60, and in some ways even outpaces the fifth-generation 5 Series; its wheelbase is 7?mm longer, its width 15?mm wider. On this showfloor, though, those extra bits of numbers don’t quite translate visually as the new 3 remains a properly tight and proportionate vehicle, especially with its rather pronounced wheel arch flares wrapping sizeable 21-inch wheels.

New on the palette is a striking shade of blue, M Le Castellet Blue metallic, which BMW says will be exclusive to the i3. It’s the kind of colour that catches the light differently depending on the angle, giving the car a subtle sense of motion and depth even when standing still.

Inside, the dashboard will feel familiar to anyone who’s spent time in the iX3. The steering wheel sits neatly within the all-encompassing BMW Panoramic iDrive, a display concept that stretches from A-pillar to A-pillar, showing key information across your line of sight. At the centre is the 17.9-inch “Free Cut” angled Design Central Display, oriented for the driver and flipped for right-hand-drive markets. While the general layout certainly feels clear and considered, I’m still a tad concerned with the removal of physical controls that didn’t really need to be removed.

Space up front is generous, and while it would be nice if the screen could tilt slightly toward the driver for a more focused feel, ala E36, the cabin is still a comfortable and well-considered place to spend time behind the wheel. In the back, though, while side-to-side space is decent, there were some complaints with the slightly higher floor due to the batteries.

Moving to the rear, the design is less dramatic than the front, but there’s no mistaking it for anything other than a new generation of the 3 Series. The rear lights are wider and slimmer, stopping short of the center to avoid slipping into the overused light-bar trend.

With the tech specs already out, (900km range) I shall spare you the deeper details until a future post where we dive a little deeper into the new i3. Until then, I hope you like it as much as I did! If you’re still not convinced, I’d say take a look when you have the chance because it certainly looks a lot better in the metal!