Think of the straight-six as an old family recipe that fewer and fewer relatives still bother making: BMW’s new 3 Series keeps it alive in exactly two places on the menu, and the M350 xDrive is one of them.
A Combustion Sibling Alongside the Electric i3
BMW unveiled its electric i3 with considerable fanfare this spring, ahead of its official autumn premiere. The combustion 3 Series, styled closely after its electric sibling, is arriving alongside it rather than being replaced by it. The drivetrain line-up stays largely familiar — petrol and diesel engines, plug-in hybrids and sport models, offered with rear- or all-wheel drive across saloon, estate, coupé and convertible bodystyles. One casualty stands out: the Gran Coupé isn’t returning, meaning the commercially successful i4 loses its direct combustion counterpart. And the straight-six, once a defining trait across much of the range, will only be offered in the forthcoming M3 and the M350 xDrive.
Development: Miramas and the Nürburgring Do the Talking
Final tuning of the new range is currently underway in parallel across Europe and the United States, aimed squarely at buyers not ready to go fully electric. Chassis development is receiving particular attention at the Miramas test centre in southern France and on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Dr Mihiar Ayoubi, BMW’s head of chassis development, frames the effort as continuity: „The BMW 3 Series has set the benchmark for driving dynamics for decades… with the new generation we’re consistently developing this strength further, through the perfect interplay of chassis hardware and a continuously evolving, intelligent BMW Driving Stack.“
Chassis: New Axles, First-Time Sport Tyres
The new 3 Series gains a double-joint strut front axle and a five-link rear axle, with pre-tensioned stabiliser mounts front and rear improving roll support. Standard cars get newly developed stroke-dependent dampers, with two adaptive damper packages available for those wanting more comfort or more sportiness. For the first time, dedicated sport tyres are available on request: 245/35 R20 up front, 275/30 R20 at the rear.
The M350 xDrive: Six Cylinders, All-Wheel Drive, a Real Number
Short of the M3 still to come, the M350 xDrive stands as the range’s dynamic flagship, with its own chassis tuning and improved torsional and vertical stiffness. It’s the only 3 Series besides the M3 to keep the inline-six, paired with an eight-speed automatic and all-wheel drive. Like every four-cylinder in the new range, it also carries a 48-volt mild-hybrid system for boost and efficiency. Combined output from engine and electric motor reaches 326 kW (443 PS) and 580 Nm of torque — genuinely strong figures, even before a single independent test has taken place.
Verdict: Promising on Paper, Untested on Road
Strengths: a properly engineered chassis update with real hardware changes, a straight-six that’s survived the industry’s broader retreat from it, and a credible 443 PS output backed by all-wheel drive. Weaknesses: no pricing, no availability date, and no independent verification yet of any of BMW’s dynamic claims — this remains a development-stage report, not a road test. The six-cylinder recipe survives, but only two places on the new 3 Series menu still serve it.
