The petrol BMW 3 Series has arrived: meet the new 320 and M350, yours from £45k

It’s BMW’s biggest selling model… ever. Full stop. No caveats. The most important car it has ever built. Whether it continues to be largely depends on the reception this new version gets. We’ve seen the all-electric BMW 3 Series in the shapely form of the new i3.

Now it’s the petrol car’s turn. Meet the all… petrol BMW 3 Series, in the shapely form of… the new i3. BMW consciously made both cars look identical, fully deploying its neue Neue Klasse design language.

So like the i3, it looks rather brilliant, that 2.5-box design carrying whispers of BMW 3 Series past, while gently nudging it towards the all-electric horizon. Good stance, this: short overhangs, great kidney grille/headlight treatment, flared arches, and a blocky rear end.

And this being a modern BMW means even the petrol cars get some kind of electricity. At launch you’ve the choice of a 320 (classic badge), that does actually use a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine. Praise be! Badges that make sense!

It gets a single turbocharger, 48V mild-hybrid tech, 208bhp and 243lb ft. The 0-62mph sprint is taken care of in 7.4s, and the top speed is 149mph. Very respectable.

But if like Mel & Kim you’d rather not be respectable, there’s the straight-six M350 xDrive too. No, it’s not a 3.5-litre unfortunately, but instead uses BMW’s 3.0-litre petrol that also gets 48V mild-hybrid tech to provide rather more horsepowers and torques.

So you get a very healthy 437bhp and 428lb ft, translated as 0-62mph in a terrifying 4.1s, though the top speed is pegged at 155mph. Still faster than an old M3.

There are new passive dampers fitted to both cars as standard, stiffer mounts, 50-50 weight distribution, and the option of adaptive suspension. The M350 also comes with a ‘Drift Moment’ goober, which “sends power exclusively to the rear wheels” for “controlled oversteer”. Should be fun – to watch or to experience – on a track.

The 320 gets 18s as standard, while the M350 gets 19s. 20s will be an option. And while the interiors mirror the electric version, both 320 and M350 get a slightly bigger boot: 450 litres for the ICE versions, against 420 for the i3. But it’s the electric one that offers more – an entire litre more – thanks to a 31-litre front boot.

They also get the i3’s tech goobers too, including BMW’s OS X, Panoramic Vision display, the option of a 3D HUD, 17.9in central touchscreen, and multifunction steering wheel. Naturally there’s an unnatural level of AI on board in the form of Amazon’s Alexa+. Because AI’s been so respectable of late, why not shoehorn it in everywhere.

Anyway. We’ve more news on the electric 3er’s drivetrains too – we now know BMW will launch the i3 in 40 xDrive and 50 xDrive variants. The 40 gets 369bhp, 384lb ft, a 0-62mph time of 5.4s, an 82.8kWh battery, 441 miles of claimed range, and up to 300kW DC charging.

The 50 ups the ante quite considerably. The numbers run 463bhp, 476lb ft, 0-62mph in 4.7s, a 108.7kWh battery, 566 miles of claimed range, and thanks to its 800V bones, can charge at up to 400kW. You already know about the i3’s unique construction (cell-to-pack) and ‘Heart of Joy’ control system, but if you’ve forgotten, just head this way.

Very soon we’ll be treated to an even more vigorous i3 in the shape of the M60 xDrive. No doubt that’ll be rapid.

Prices for the i3 kick off at £47,925 for the 40, and £53,425 for the 50. The petrol cars are a bit cheaper, kicking off at £44,975 for the BMW 320, and £66,785 for the M350.

Like we said up top, it’s a big, important car, this: since its 1975 launch, BMW has sold more than 18 million 3 Series versions across the world, “making it the most successful model in the history of the BMW brand”. A great oak of the automotive woodland, as TG’s Paul Horrell once described it.

Will this Neue Klasse version help it to grow even more? Let us know below.