Two sedans sit on the gravel outside a Provençal farmhouse, one red, one gray. At a glance, they could pass for twins. What separates them is the essential thing: The red one runs on a straight-six, the gray one on electricity.

After the iX3, which finews test-drove a few months ago (article in German), BMW is now extending its "Neue Klasse," or "New Class," across all powertrains for the first time with the 3 Series.

The new sedan comes in electric form as the i3, with gasoline engines (including a 48-volt mild hybrid), and as a sporty M model. A plug-in hybrid follows next year, then the station wagons, widely expected by early 2028 at the latest.

The i3 is built in Munich, while the combustion models come from Dingolfing, also in Bavaria.

A Model Line With a Past

The ambition has been the same since 1975: The 3 Series is meant to be the sportiest sedan in its class. With more than 18 million sold, it is the brand's most successful model, and for decades the Mercedes 190, the C-Class, and the Audi 80 and A4 were measured against it.

There is a nice historical touch: The 3 Series descends from the 02 Series, which in turn grew out of the original "Neue Klasse" of the early 1960s, the range that saved BMW from ruin at the time. With the revival, the name returns to its roots.

The Benchmark in Its Segment

In Switzerland, too, the 3 Series sets the standard in its segment, with 1,734 new registrations in 2025. That beats the 1,242 of the Audi A5, which took over the role of the former A4 when Audi renamed its models.

The Tesla Model 3 follows with 1,237 and the Mercedes C-Class with 1,091.

Within its own house, however, the 3 Series stopped being top dog long ago. BMW Switzerland sold 3,007 units of the X3, nearly three-quarters more, while the smaller X1 reached as many as 3,428.

The larger 5 Series, by contrast, lags well behind at 1,141. In short: The 3 Series holds the soul of the brand, but the SUVs do the business.

A Band of Light Instead of Gauges

Inside and out, the powertrain variants are hard to tell apart. The design is extremely clean and modern, with the kidney grille and twin headlights merging into a single light signature and the door handles sitting flush with the body.

The classic instrument cluster is gone. In its place comes "Panoramic Vision," a band of light running the full width of the windshield's lower edge, with a display area of its own for the front passenger.

Panoramic Vision inside, vineyards outside (Image: BMW)

More Design Studio Than Saddlery

The materials feel high-quality without drifting into ultra-luxury. What stands out is a fine, technical-looking knit on the flanks of the center console and on the door panels.

The resemblance to Mini is no coincidence, as the idea comes from the sister brand. On the M350, a light pattern in the M colors even shimmers through the fabric of the dashboard. The effect owes more to the design studio than to the saddler's workshop.

The i3: Neue Klasse in Its Purest Form

On the southern route into the Var department, we drive the i3 50 xDrive. It has two motors, 469 horsepower, 645 newton-meters of torque, and a battery with a net capacity of 108.7 kilowatt-hours.

It carries us briskly along the country roads around La Roquebrussanne, through pine forests and vineyards.

The i3 50 xDrive in front of Montagne Sainte-Victoire, one of Cézanne's favorite motifs (Image: BMW)

Despite a curb weight of 2.2 metric tons, the sedan feels light on its feet. Its central driving-dynamics controller, which BMW calls the "Heart of Joy," works ten times faster than before, according to the manufacturer.

Range Anxiety Laid to Rest

Another number is more remarkable, though. After 200 kilometers of decidedly spirited driving, the display still shows 60 percent of the range remaining.

Extrapolated, that comes to about 500 kilometers under real and not exactly gentle conditions. (Under the WLTP test standard, the figure is up to 912 kilometers.)

At a fast charger, the i3 takes up to 400 kilowatts, adding as much as 423 kilometers in ten minutes. As with the iX3, the Neue Klasse goes a long way toward consigning range anxiety to the past.

The M350: Love at First Kilometer

What truly thrilled us, however, was the M350 xDrive on the northern route into the Vaucluse.

Together with the mild-hybrid electric motor, its three-liter straight-six produces 443 horsepower and 580 newton-meters of torque. That is nearly 70 horsepower more than the outgoing M340i, and it takes the car from zero to 100 kilometers per hour in 4.1 seconds.

Character matters even more than the numbers. In "M Sport Plus" mode, the car noticeably tenses up. The adaptive M suspension, variable sport steering, and M sport differential are standard, and the steering grows more direct in sport mode.

The six-cylinder announces itself with a rich growl. Under load, the familiar silky, husky sound of the straight-six builds.

Pleasing Acoustic Feedback

In the sportier modes, the exhaust system with its four tailpipes audibly steps up, accompanying every burst of acceleration with pleasing acoustic feedback. Purists should know that BMW discreetly amplifies the sound through the speakers.

The M350's dimensions also suit this region superbly. At 4.77 meters long and 1.85 meters wide, it seems made for the narrow villages of the Luberon and the Napoleonic-era avenues of plane trees. We could easily imagine a longer stay here.

Made for the tree-lined avenues of the Midi: the M350 xDrive (Image: BMW)

Autumn in the Midi

Then there is the backdrop. These were wonderful autumn days in the south of France.

The Var and the Vaucluse are only an hour's drive apart, yet they are two different worlds: limestone massifs, pines, and garrigue scrubland in the south, gentle hills, stone villages, and harvested lavender fields in the north.

Linking the two regions are vineyards glowing in yellow, rust red, and burgundy. One could hardly wish for better conditions for a test drive. The new 3 Series is truly at home here.

A Rather Sporty Price Point

That leaves the question of price. In Switzerland, the range starts with the BMW 318 at 61,900 Swiss francs (around $77,000), while the 320 costs from 65,100 francs and the M350 xDrive from 90,600 francs (around $113,000).

The all-electric i3 40 xDrive starts at 67,100 francs, just 2,000 francs more than the gasoline 320. For that, it brings 374 horsepower and all-wheel drive, with a rated range of up to 710 kilometers.

When the predecessor was updated in 2022, the 318i was still listed from 51,900 francs, albeit with considerably leaner standard equipment.

As much as we liked the cars, the price points have moved into increasingly sporty territory for a sedan that still formally counts as mid-size. This is not a BMW-specific issue, however: The rivals from Ingolstadt and Stuttgart play in the same league, and the Audi A5 actually starts slightly higher.