Should You Buy the Gasoline BMW G50 3 Series or Wait for the Electric i3?
BMW didn’t just add boost to the M350 xDrive—a 66% drop in engine drag drives its 437 hp. Get the full engineering breakdown of the 2027 G50 3 Series.
Key Takeaways
What: The 2027 BMW M350 xDrive delivers 437 horsepower, a 51-hp increase over its predecessor.
Why: Revised Valvetronic valve controls and switchable exhaust valves slash internal engine drag torque by 66%.
How: Eliminating pumping friction allows the 48-volt mild-hybrid system to assist direct acceleration rather than overcoming internal mechanical resistance.
The ninth generation of BMW’s core sport sedan marks a clear transition in how the brand builds performance cars. While the electric i3 garners plenty of headlines, the gasoline-powered G50 3 Series sits on a thoroughly updated CLAR II platform. In the United States, the lineup starts with the rear-wheel-drive 330 at \$51,250. Adding xDrive all-wheel drive brings the entry price to \$53,250. Drivers looking for six-cylinder power will find the M350 xDrive priced at \$67,250, while the all-electric i3 50 xDrive anchors the EV side at \$62,850.
The Engineering Breakthrough: Slashing Engine Drag
It is easy to assume that the M350 xDrive gained its extra 51 horsepower over the older M340i simply by increasing turbocharger boost or adding a small electric battery. That assumption overlooks the most important engineering detail.
The performance gain relies heavily on internal friction reduction. BMW paired a Miller combustion cycle with redesigned Valvetronic variable valve control and switchable exhaust valves. This mechanical setup reduces internal engine drag torque by 66 percent.
In a traditional engine, lifting off the throttle creates pumping resistance that acts as a continuous brake on the rotating assembly. By cutting that drag torque so drastically, the engine loses far less kinetic energy when spinning. Because the engine turns with less internal friction, the 17-horsepower starter-generator inside the eight-speed transmission does not have to waste its energy overcoming internal engine resistance. Instead, that electric torque goes straight toward moving the car forward.
This friction management allows the 3.0-liter turbocharged B58 inline-six to deliver 437 horsepower and 428 lb-ft of torque. The result is a 0-to-60 mph sprint of 3.9 seconds in the M350 xDrive. For the base 330 models, a revised 2.0-liter turbocharged B48 four-cylinder engine uses a belt-driven starter-generator to generate 255 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque, reaching 60 mph in 5.9 seconds.
Chassis and Suspension Updates
To keep the chassis stable during hard cornering, BMW widened the front and rear tracks while stretching the wheelbase. The front double-joint spring-strut suspension gains additional camber and an increased positive caster trail for clearer steering feedback. At the back, the five-link axle features modified negative caster trail, increased camber, and preloaded anti-roll bar mounts that reduce body roll.
The M350 xDrive receives extra structural reinforcement, including a tower-to-front strut bar across the engine bay. Adaptive M suspension, variable sport steering, and larger 680 mm wheel diameters come standard on the six-cylinder model to maintain grip across rough road surfaces.
Drivetrain Control and Digital Interface
Hardware changes are matched by updated chassis electronics. The M350 xDrive includes a feature called Drift Moment, which decouples the front axle and sends 100 percent of engine torque exclusively to the rear wheels. This drivetrain control operates through the centralized BMW Driving Stack, a unified processing unit that adjusts dynamic responses far faster than previous distributed systems.
Inside the cabin, the layout centers around BMW Operating System X, which runs on the Android Open Source Project. A 17.9-inch touchscreen angles directly toward the driver. Above it sits the Panoramic Vision display, a wide projection band spanning the bottom of the windshield from pillar to pillar that places essential trip and navigation data directly in the driver’s line of sight.
Comparing the Gas G50 and Electric i3
Although both sedans share similar exterior styling cues, their physical proportions differ slightly due to their underpinnings. The gas-powered G50 measures 187.2 inches long and 57.3 inches tall with a 112.6-inch wheelbase. The electric i3 sits higher at 58.3 inches tall and extends its wheelbase to 114.1 inches to fit the underfloor battery casing.
The electric i3 50 xDrive uses a dual-motor setup producing 463 horsepower and 476 lb-ft of torque. Powered by a 108.7 kWh battery running on an 800-volt system, it can accept up to 400 kW at a DC fast charger to add 263 miles of range in 10 minutes. While both vehicles share visual traits, the gasoline G50 focuses its engineering on internal combustion mechanical efficiency.