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Electric BMW i3 Costs $4,400 Less Than Gas-Powered M350 in US
The all-electric 2027 BMW i3 50 xDrive undercuts the petrol-powered M350 xDrive by $4,400 in the US, though the two 3 Series models differ sharply in size, rear-seat room and what they offer for the money.
By Edward Beaumont · 4 min read
The all-electric 2027 BMW i3 50 xDrive costs $61,500 in the United States, $4,400 less than the petrol-powered 2027 BMW M350 xDrive at $65,900. Both prices exclude a $1,350 destination charge. Although both cars wear BMW's Neue Klasse design language and share most of their cabin layout, they are built on different platforms, and the hardware underneath has almost nothing in common.
The i3 uses the dedicated Neue Klasse electric architecture, with a 108.7-kWh battery mounted under the floor. US-specification cars produce 463 hp and 476 lb-ft of torque, and BMW estimates a range of 446 to 468 miles ahead of EPA certification. Production in Munich began in August. The i3 is the second Neue Klasse model after the iX3, and it gets the full sixth-generation eDrive hardware, including an 800-volt architecture, an electrically excited synchronous motor on the rear axle and an asynchronous motor at the front.
The M350 sits on CLAR, a platform BMW evolved for the G50 generation rather than replacing it. Its 3.0-litre inline-six works with a 13-kW electric motor built into an eight-speed Steptronic Sport transmission, delivering 437 hp and 428 lb-ft in US trim. xDrive is standard and no manual gearbox is offered. BMW began G50 production in Dingolfing on 3 November. The two cars share most of what drivers see and touch, including the exterior design language, the BMW Panoramic Vision strip along the base of the windshield, the 17.9-inch Central Display and BMW Operating System X. The difference lies in where the heavy components sit. CLAR must accommodate an engine ahead of the cabin and a transmission and driveshaft running through the middle, whereas Neue Klasse places most of its mass in a flat pack beneath the floor.
In size, the two are almost identical in length, with the M350 just 5 mm longer at 4,765 mm against the i3's 4,760 mm. The distribution of that length differs. The M350's wheelbase is 37 mm shorter, leaving longer overhangs, which BMW says sit at the front where the inline-six is housed. The i3 is 15 mm wider and 25 mm taller, with its wheels pushed further toward the corners, a result of packaging a battery between the axles rather than an engine ahead of them. The i3 weighs 2,205 kg in First Edition form, against 1,860 kg for the M350 under DIN measurement. The i3 accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds, against 3.9 seconds for the M350.
Rear-seat space is where the M350 comes out ahead. Measuring 6 foot 7 inches, one passenger had about 2 cm of headroom in the M350 with reasonable legroom, while in the i3 he could not fit comfortably and had no room for his knees. The reviewer attributes this to the battery, which raises the cabin floor; BMW raised the i3's roof 25 mm above the M350's to compensate, but that does not offset the higher floor for a passenger of that height. A 6-foot-2 reviewer found headroom of 3 to 4 cm in the i3's back seat, against 6 to 7 cm in the M350, and also could not fit their knees in the i3.
Cargo capacity is close to a tie. The M350's boot holds 450 litres, 30 litres more than the i3's 420 litres. The i3 recovers that gap through a 31-litre front boot, bringing its total to 451 litres, one litre more than the M350. BMW USA notes that the front compartment is where the charging cable and tyre repair kit are stored. On design, the M350 is the only combustion 3 Series with visible exhaust pipes, while the i3 offers a body-coloured steel roof as an alternative to the panoramic glass roof fitted to every petrol 3 Series.
Source: bmwblog.com
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