The BMW 3 Series has comfortably been king of the sport-sedan castle for literal decades. This eighth-generation evolution is shaping up to be the most significant yet: the new 2027 3 Series adapts an entirely new design language inside and out, and it’s going electric.
This time around, BMW is starting with the electric version. The 2027 BMW i3 is making its debut first, but it’s not a funky little hatchback with 195-section tires. Instead, it follows the same idea as the rest of BMW’s i lineup; the i3 is now simply an electric 3 Series. And yes, BMW says we’ll see more powertrain options.
The first trim launching is the i3 50 xDrive. It uses the same powertrain and platform as the upcoming iX3, meaning it uses two electric motors — but the one on the rear axle does most of the driving. Heck yeah. It’s good for 463 horsepower, 476 pond-feet of torque, and paired to an 800-volt architecture for extra fast charging. BMW estimates DC charging speeds as fast as 400 kW and a range of up to 700 kilometres — based on more accurate North American testing.
BMW is keeping the exact performance, range, and charging numbers under wraps for now, but here’s what we do know: the 109 kWh battery is integrated into the chassis and makes up the floor of the i3, which benefits chassis rigidity and overall weight. The i3 can also do bi-directional charging, meaning in a blackout, it can power your house for a bit. Oh, and Canadian-spec cars will come with two charge ports: a CCS port, and a Tesla-style NACS port.
Perhaps most striking is the look of the 2027 BMW i3. Above all else, it’s a sedan, which just goes to show you they’re not dead yet. The i3 also adapts BMW’s second coming of the Neue Klasse look; the front end is characterized by a new headlight design sweeping across the front end, using black trim and optional accent lighting to mimic BMW’s classic “kidney grille” design. It’s far more tasteful than the schnoz, and we especially love the upright greenhouse and almost shark-nose-ish rake to the front end, but the faux Hoffmeister kink is a cop-out. Use glass, not plastic trim, you heathens.
Inside, the 2027 i3 draws heavily from the iX3. It’s polarizing at first — the four-spoke steering wheel is a lot to take in, and yes, there’s a big screen — but quite clever and appreciably luxe, at least based on our initial impressions of the iX3. The 17.9-inch touchscreen runs BMW’s new Heart of Joy infotainment, augmented by what BMW calls Panoramic iDrive, sort of an instrument cluster and secondary screen projected onto a black strip along the bottom of the windshield. It’s incredibly cool and much more tastefully executed in person.
The 2027 BMW i3 goes into production in Germany at the end of this year, and expect to see them in dealers here next winter. BMW will make a pricing announcement closer to the end of the year.
