BMW 3 Series review
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£44,360 -£68,285
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£371 p/m
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Jason Barlow
Published: 29 Oct 2026
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“BMW has no intention of throwing combustion under the bus… this new 3 Series remains the benchmark saloon”
Superb ride and handling, charismatic engine, persuasively forward-thinking interior
New design will take time to bed in, some of the tech is overwhelming
Overview
What is it?
As if you need to ask. For as long as we can recall, the BMW 3 Series has been a heartland car, perhaps the heartland car. Aspirational but within reach, a machine that prioritised dynamism in an era when the big automotive OEMs were still peddling ‘will this do?’ saloon car puddings. The ultimate driving machine, no less, of which more than 18 million have been sold since 1975.
Yes, I remember. But hasn’t everyone else caught up now?
Up to a point. But even in an era of self-imposed and so-called ‘efficient dynamics’, BMW retains an edge. Clearly, we’re now also deep into the electrification era, a transition BMW has managed more adroitly than most. We’re big fans of the Neue Klasse iX3; now we welcome the i3, the four-door that uses the same spangly new EV-specific architecture and ‘heart of joy’ super brain control unit.
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We’ve got a separate review for that here, but clever old BMW has kept non-beliEVers on-side by remaining ‘technology open’. So there’s also this new 3 Series powered by a selection of combustion engines. Few car makers are better at the suck, squeeze, bang and blow process than BMW, so we’re fully on-board with this.
What does that mean for the UK?
Just two petrol-engined derivatives of this eighth-generation 3 Series are coming our way. The entry-level car is the 320, which starts at £44,975, while the M350 xDrive arrives costing £66,785.
The 320 is powered by a turbocharged four-cylinder, aided and abetted by 48V mild hybrid tech for a maximum power output of 208bhp and 243lb ft of torque. It’ll do 62mph in 7.4 seconds, 149mph all-out and delivers a claimed 37.7mpg.
The M350 xDrive uses the brilliant turbo’d six-cylinder engine, also mildly hybridised to the tune of 18bhp, for a total power output of 437bhp. For reference, that’s a chunk more than an E92 M3 – the V8 one – managed, and 50 more than the old M340i. Torque is rated at 398lb ft. It’ll do 0-62mph in a supercar-bothering 4.1 seconds, and is limited to 155mph. Overall fuel consumption is a claimed 34.5mpg.
A 318 is available elsewhere, but we like our 3 Series M-Sportified in the UK so this one hasn’t made the cut. But a 330e PHEV arrives in the UK next year. Old foes include the Audi A5 (formerly the A4) and Mercedes C-Class, but you could argue that the new M350 xDrive is on its own now.
Can we talk about the way it looks?
We can – and must. The 3 Series combustion car obviously uses the Neue Klasse design language, but modifies it in some significant ways. Measuring 4,765mm overall, it’s 5mm longer than the i3, but not as tall or as wide. It’s also 56mm longer than its predecessor. Front and rear track widths have been significantly increased.
Look more closely and you’ll notice that the combustion cars have a more pronounced dash-to-axle ratio – the so-called ‘prestige mass’ – and a slightly more upright windscreen profile. The roof is lower at the rear (because the i3’s rear seats are mounted higher), and the ICE car has a longer nose (to package the engine and radiator). They definitely look more different than a superficial first read would suggest.
Different as in… better?
Well, you have your own eyes and can therefore decide for yourself. We loved the concept car that trailed the new 3 Series, but as crisply modern as it is the real thing hasn’t quite stuck the landing. Especially at the rear: there’s a line over the wheelarch that’s not always visible and really needs to be to add tension to the shape. Nor are we in love with the rear lights; they draw the eye in too much, imperilling the 3’s stance.
Things are tidier at the front. SUVs get a vertical treatment of BMW’s double kidney motif; saloons a more visor-like horizontal approach that relies on LED light graphics to enliven things. The BMW roundel sits on the bonnet’s leading edge, in a ‘valley’ but ahead of the shut-line. It’s quite distinctive, that. The M350 also gets a new M Yellow light signature. Like other BMWs, all of this can be amplified if you go for the Iconic Glow option, though that’s standard on the M Performance models.
Remind us what that does?
It illuminates the front end, and involves a welcome and goodbye light animation sequence. Balanced, Relaxed and Excited, apparently. A quartet of old-fashioned exhaust pipes at the rear underscores the latter, and the M350 also gets a rear spoiler. The petrol 3 Series can be had with a choice of 18 or 19in alloys, but we wouldn’t recommend anything smaller than 19s. Standard fitment is an M light alloy wheel in bi-colour Jet Black. It needs dramatic wheels to fill out those big arches.
Anything else to note?
Like every other modern BMW, the new 3 Series visuals are likely to improve with time. As design boss Adrian van Hooydonk says, they’d rather keep the flame burning than worship the embers. So no retro here. Eleven different exterior colours are available from launch: Le Castellet blue looks strong, as does the Frozen paint finish. But that’s a costly option from BMW Individual. We also wonder how long it’ll be before an owner manages to remove the ‘50’ from the bootlid badge.
Inside, the new car gets the new Panoramic iDrive, a shallow and configurable display that runs the full width of the windscreen base. There’s also a new central touchscreen, a new steering wheel design, interesting materials, and a generally futuristic feel.
How does it feel on the move?
Deeply impressive. We’ve only driven the M350 xDrive so far, which is more than two-thirds of the way to being a full-blooded M3. In fact, anyone disinclined to go for the fully electric M3 that’s arriving next year could do worse than invest in one of these. It’s a joy to reconnect with BMW’s straight six engine, as smooth, seductive and sonorous as ever. Pretty efficient, too, all things considered. Loads more detail over on the next tab…
What’s the verdict?
“This a 3 Series that’s as good as any in the model’s 50-plus year history”
The BMW 3 Series has reached a fascinating fork in the road. Rather cleverly, BMW has gone all-in on the rapidly maturing electric market while future-proofing combustion for those parts of the world that aren’t ready for EV – or yet willing. The result is a 3 Series that’s as good as any in the model’s 50-plus year history: slick, polished and wearing a modernist new suit.
We’d argue that even in M Sport guise the new car speaks quietly while wielding a pretty big and very nicely engineered stick. We await the 320 with interest but the M350 xDrive is surely all the car you need. Techy, fast, efficient and sharp.
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