Here’s BMW’s first all-electric 3 series, the 2027 i3

The iX3 SUV was very good; we think the i3 sedan will be even better.

See full article...

 

[patrick_spieler]

There is an M-steering wheel for the iX3 which makes it more bearable. I am sure we will also see it for this car. Love the exterior. I would only wish for actual door handles.

 

[Hydrargyrum]

@Dr Gitlin minor typo here:

BMW is predicting up to 440 miles (708 miles)

 

[Hydrargyrum]

The automaker wants its partially automated driving systems to complement the driver and work in synergy with them, using gaze-tracking and steering inputs to determine if and when to intervene, so it shouldn’t try to correct the steering if it sees you’re intentionally crossing a lane marker, but will if it thinks you’re doing it due to inattentiveness.

That’s a lot of tech deployed to work around the famed unwillingness of BMW drivers to use their indicator controls to express intent to cross a lane boundary!

I like this new spin on the mandatory kidney grills. Much more attractive than the buck-tooth/hog-snout version.

 

[Embattle]

The new iX3 is getting rave reviews.

 

[Cthel]

Together with extensive use of renewable energy throughout the supply chain, BMW says that the i3 50 xDrive takes as little as a year to break even with a gasoline-powered model in terms of carbon output.

I assume this is partly dependent on miles driven and electrical generation mix, but it's still a really impressive achievement.

 

[clb2c4e]

@Dr Gitlin minor typo here:

I skimmed and thought "over a 1000km, just mentioned in passing, wow, I'm really behind on how far EVs are coming along!" (It's still quite decent)

 

[bigcheese]

In what way does a steering wheel become better when its a squircle?
In what way does a central screen become better when you cut off the corners diagonally?

It’s time to kick out current interior designers, and hire people who’s primary focus is usability. Design can never be timeless and beautiful if its not fundamentally functional.

 

[Matte_gb]

I have a G21 330e phev Touring. If I could have this i3 as a Touring but with the G21 dash and steering wheel, I would be happy

 

[fenris_uy]

Waiting for you to have some time behind the well to tell us how you feel about the position of the instrument cluster.

 

[Tactical Finesse]

In what way does a steering wheel become better when its a squircle?
In what way does a central screen become better when you cut off the corners diagonally?

It’s time to kick out current interior designers, and hire people who’s primary focus is usability. Design can never be timeless and beautiful if its not fundamentally functional.

It looks like that at least they learned that "piano black" plastic sucks for any not permanently parked in a museum.

The interior does remind me of the new Mini language.

 

[DeeplyUnconcerned]

The Neue Klasse platform is a true software-derived car

Derived->defined?

 

[ubercurmudgeon]

In infotainment screen indicates that a music track is being played called "Eyes on the Road" by a band named "Panorama". Is this one of those famous German jokes we've been told about?

 

[solomonrex]

There is an M-steering wheel for the iX3 which makes it more bearable. I am sure we will also see it for this car. Love the exterior. I would only wish for actual door handles.

It's a hell of a thing to have to ask in 2026: Are the door handles safe on this car engineered with years of development time and literally hundreds of German trained engineers working at one of the world's largest, most successful and most prestigious carmakers in the world?

 

[remydlc]

As someone who appreciates a classic M-car face, this new front end is tough to swallow. The headlights and grille just bleed together. The steering wheel looks like a great piece of kit, but the cabin is losing its soul with that single-screen layout. It’s starting to feel more like a tech gadget than a driving machine.

 

[Demento]

China's not keen on the whole pop-out door handle thing, so it's surprising to see it here given the size of that market. And it's hard to tell if the wheel, while admittedly ugly, has tactile controls or touch sensitive nonsense. Ferrari just joined VW in admitting to their customers that non-tactile controls aren't wanted or needed.

 

[solomonrex]

Should be a hatch back or 'lift back' I guess as the Europeans call them.

Sedans suck.

And that wheel/interior is not my cup of Sanka. Guess I'll never be in the market for one of these even if I had the cash so I guess some folks like that stuff.

They make hatchbacks for you, they just call them 'MINIs' though God only knows why now. Then again, the EV version is prohibitively expensive to sell here, since it's assembled in China and we have tariffs on everything Chinese except Apple devices apparently.

The 3 series has always been a sedan and coupe, and almost exclusively a sedan and coupe for its many decades of existence.

 

[SubWoofer2]

That coastal sunshine photography of the car on the road is superbly done, and adds greatly to this article. Really nice composition.

 

[Snark218]

It looks great. Not in love with the grille; that’ll need some refining. And the goofy steering wheel is still goofy here. But it’s a return to form for BMW, and a welcome one.

 

[sciccoso]

Never been much of a BMW fan but this looks great, both visually and spec-wise. Now I should just stop making bad life decisions so I will be able to afford buying and owning something like this in the future.

Yeah, right...

 

[lolware]

I love the tech in these BMWs, over 400 miles of range is incredible. But Jesus they're ugly. Just unrepentantly ugly. And I agree that sedans are kind of the worst form factor for a car. I am desperate for a 5 door.

I kind of like the new face, but I agree that overall, it’s not a beautiful car. That rear is a sore for the eyes.

 

[QuarterSwede]

I am really going to miss iDrive and physical climate controls but I do love the look of the instrument cluster under the dash along with widget info like weather. That’s probably my favorite addition. Once you’ve had a HUD you realize the traditional instrument cluster is not really needed.

 

[Dr Gitlin]

Waiting for you to have some time behind the well to tell us how you feel about the position of the instrument cluster.

I really liked it in the iX#: https://meincmagazine.com/cars/2025/12/great-handling-advanced-ev-tech-we-drive-the-2026-bmw-ix3/

The focal point is further away than the actual surface of the screen so it's much closer to where your eyes are focusing on the road, and it's also closer to that eyeline.

 

[Dr Gitlin]

e, nm, can't read proper.

 

[ChefJeff789]

In what way does a steering wheel become better when its a squircle?
In what way does a central screen become better when you cut off the corners diagonally?

It’s time to kick out current interior designers, and hire people who’s primary focus is usability. Design can never be timeless and beautiful if its not fundamentally functional.

A mile long strip of narrow screen across the dash in place of a simple cluster is also insane. Gonna be fun to keep that clean, or replace it if it ever gets dinged.

 

[targetnovember]

I have a Lucid Air, and it seems like a mainstream automaker has caught up after . . . five years? I'm sure BMW will bring more scale and more consistent build quality, so I'm not sure how great this is for the Lucid Air. I like the exterior of the i3, but I sure do prefer the Air interior over BMW. It's great BMW is pursuing a unique identity and design ethos for the interior, but I don't think it's for me. If this helps keep sedans and wagons around, that would be great.

 

[Power_Struggle]

The press site of BMW has more photo's:
https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/glob...he-new-bmw-i3-second-model-of-the-neue-klasse

900 km wltp is impressive.

 

[noahmayer]

Well, since everyone is posting opinions on the styling, the front gives me no emotion. I don't find it ugly or attractive. It's just there. The rest is nice. The steering wheel is wild, I need to see what it looks like in black.
Powertrain sounds fantastic. I need to look up the difference between synchronous and asynchronous, sounds interesting.
Also wondering what the lower end motor set up will be. Will a lower HP AWD setup be available or just RWD?

 

[isidorem]

What is with Americans and SUVs? The only thing I see when I see one is how good they are at killing pedestrians (especially children) and cyclists. To those that prefer a hatchback, yes it’s more practical but much less secure for stuff left in the vehicle and usually has much poorer torsional stiffness.
Having said that we are finally seeing ‘real’ electric cars which cannot be a bad thing- especially now the Orange One has successfully borked the middle east oil supply.

 

[ham bulu]

You're gonna be mine.

This is the EV I have been waiting for and I'm ready to buy (instead of lease).
Well, maybe I'll wait for the station wagon.

 

[Tactical Finesse]

What is with Americans and SUVs? The only thing I see when I see one is how good they are at killing pedestrians (especially children) and cyclists. To those that prefer a hatchback, yes it’s more practical but much less secure for stuff left in the vehicle and usually has much poorer torsional stiffness.
Having said that we are finally seeing ‘real’ electric cars which cannot be a bad thing- especially now the Orange One has successfully borked the middle east oil supply.

It is a couple things:

1) User "security" theater. Everyone else is driving large vehicles--a small vehicle is therefore viewed as a "deathtrap".

2) Many drivers...want to sit up higher and higher so they can see...and due to the arms-race of vehicle size, everyone keeps buying taller vehicles so sit higher than everyone else.

3) "Light trucks" as the law calls them (pickups and SUVs) are exempt from CAFE emissions laws--due to a carve out for "work vehicles". Which makes them much cheaper to produce/sell and have less compliance.

4) Because auto companies want to be profitable....they only advertise SUVs and trucks to sell more of them--which leads to more people buying them. Some companies are now entirely ceasing producing anything but SUVs and trucks after years of not advertising anything else.

5) Those advertisements exclusively cater to want-to-be outdoorsy people...when most people just aren't. No one at my office is taking their immaculate SUVs and trucks offroading ever. I hear them complaining about scratching the truck beds--which is the entire point of a pickup.

 

[neil_w]

I too would prefer a hatch, but given the much longer time horizon for the new i4 this will probably be my next car when my i4 lease is up. I wonder if they'll bring the wagon stateside.

That steering wheel really is a puzzle, although I'll try to keep an open mind. I hope the M steering wheel is made available as a separate option.

 

[hokiesnsaabs]

I think the taller back window is making it look shorter than the G20 3 series.

A lot of the BMW Neue Klasse design language needs more time to grow on me. Hopefully they can keep the driving dynamics.

 

[Kushan]

In what way does a steering wheel become better when its a squircle?
In what way does a central screen become better when you cut off the corners diagonally?

It’s time to kick out current interior designers, and hire people who’s primary focus is usability. Design can never be timeless and beautiful if its not fundamentally functional.

The central screen is just one of the many ways they save money by cutting corners.