BMW’s next-gen sport sedan lineup is about to separate lovers in two. In simply over a 12 months, we’ll see one thing we by no means thought we’d say once more: a brand-new BMW i3 (if we exclude the China-only i3 Sedan). Solely this time, it’s not a unusual carbon-bodied hatchback — it’s a full-blown sport sedan constructed on the Neue Klasse platform. And whereas BMW’s next-generation G50 3 Sequence , and its prime mannequin M350, will carry the torch for the straight-six devoted, I can’t assist however really feel the electrical i3 M60 is likely to be the one to outline the place the model is headed subsequent.
Nonetheless, this isn’t a easy “EV good, ICE dangerous” debate. Each automobiles characterize two sides of BMW’s soul — and selecting between them gained’t be simple. For some folks.
The Case for the i3 M60: Pace, Silence, and Smarts
Let’s begin with the brand new child. The rumored i3 M60 (BMW has but to verify its M Efficiency EV) isn’t simply one other electrical sedan with a roundel on the hood — it’s the primary of BMW’s Neue Klasse sedans, the identical structure that’ll underpin the whole lot from the iX3 to the longer term M3 EV. Which means this isn’t a versatile platform; it’s BMW engineering electrification from the bottom up which has loads of advantages.
Energy? Assume at the least 600 horsepower from twin motors. That’s comfortably greater than the rumored 415 hp anticipated from the M350, and certain sufficient to make the i3 one of many quickest non-M automobiles BMW has ever constructed. Vary estimates go as excessive as 900 km (559 miles) on the WLTP cycle, because of BMW’s new Gen6 cells, which additionally lower charging instances dramatically — round 370 km (230 miles) WLTP added in simply ten minutes at 400 kW.
Briefly, it’s the sort of efficiency that doesn’t simply beat the M350 — it blows previous it.
However numbers solely inform half the story. What actually issues right here is the Neue Klasse platform and BMW’s Coronary heart of Pleasure supercomputer — the system that fuses powertrain, chassis, and steering into one predictive management mind. Having pushed the iX3 prototype with that setup, I can inform you: it feels extra pure, extra related, and extra… BMW than any EV they’ve constructed earlier than.
Within the i3 sedan, decrease weight, higher steadiness, and on the spot torque might make it sharper and extra responsive than the M350 — an irony, contemplating the electrical one may also be the heavier automotive.
Greater Inside House
After which there’s practicality. The i3’s packaging benefit over CLAR-based fashions shall be apparent the second you step inside — flat flooring, higher rear house, and even a frunk for good measure. It’s the simpler day by day driver: no chilly begins, no gasoline stops, no guilt creeping by way of visitors. For brief journeys and metropolis commutes, the i3 merely is smart.
Nonetheless, the silence that makes it so refined additionally might make it… much less alive. That’s the place the M350 fights again.
The Case for the M350: Emotion By no means Dies
The M350 could possibly be the tip of an period (regardless that that’s nonetheless up within the air with regulators) — a correct send-off for the inner combustion 3 Sequence. Beneath the hood lives the B58, arguably one of many most interesting engines BMW has ever constructed. Easy, highly effective, and dependable, it’ll push out round 415 horsepower and 580 Nm of torque, paired with BMW’s acquainted ZF eight-speed automated. No plug, no ready — simply press begin and go.
And sure, it ought to nonetheless sounds unbelievable. BMW’s choice to provide it quad exhausts and M-inspired styling tells you precisely who this automotive is for. It’s for the one who values sound, really feel, and mechanical connection greater than lap instances or kilowatts. It’ll possible weigh lower than the i3, making it extra playful and keen in corners. If the i3 guarantees tech precision, the M350 could possibly be analog pleasure.
In fact, that comes with trade-offs. The M350 will drink extra gasoline, price extra to run, and perhaps it gained’t be welcome in each metropolis middle 5 years from now. Inside, it’ll most likely really feel tighter and fewer ethereal than the Neue Klasse i3. However there’s nonetheless one thing inherently satisfying about firing up a straight-six and listening to it come alive — one thing that no EV, regardless of how fast, can exchange.
Two Sides of BMW’s DNA
So which might I purchase?
Truthfully, most likely the i3 M60. It’s the sort of automotive that represents the whole lot BMW has discovered previously decade — precision engineering, expertise that feels invisible, and efficiency that borders on absurd. It needs to be very quick, easy to drive, and eventually, an EV with a really distinctive styling as nicely.
However the M350 speaks to a special a part of me — the one that also thinks a BMW ought to make noise, shift gears, and really feel alive below load. It’ll most likely be the extra emotional automotive, and for a lot of, that alone will make it the precise alternative.
Both manner, BMW wins — as a result of each show that driving pleasure might are available in many types.
