BMW goes into Fast & Furious mode with the new M350
BMW’s replaced the M340i with something more mischievous, the M350 xDrive, a 437bhp straight-six that can turn itself into a full rear-wheel-drive drift car at the touch of a button.
Most performance cars try to convince you they’re fast. BMW’s new 3 Series M350 xDrive is trying to convince you it’s fun, and it’s doing that with a party trick most manufacturers wouldn’t dare put on a family saloon: a button that turns a perfectly sensible four-wheel-drive car into a rear-wheel-drive drift machine.
That function is called Drift Moment, and it sends the engine’s entire 437bhp to the rear wheels alone. It’s the kind of thing you’d expect on a track-day special, not the 3 Series your neighbour might be driving to the office. Once you get past the theatre of it, though, there’s a genuinely serious car underneath, with 50bhp more than the old M340i and a straight-six engine that’s becoming something of a rarity even at BMW.
There is a catch for anyone already planning a trip to a wet industrial estate. The drift function will not be available when the car launches. BMW says it will arrive through a remote software update during 2027.
BMW M350 xDrive price and specs
BMW has yet to confirm a UK price for the M350 xDrive, so there is no honest figure to put in brackets yet. Production is due to start in the second half of 2026, with UK deliveries expected to follow.
The headline numbers are 437bhp, 428lb ft of torque and a 0-62mph time of 4.1 seconds. Top speed is limited to 155mph. BMW quotes these figures as provisional because the M350 remains a development-phase car.
The 3.0-litre BMW TwinPower Turbo straight-six is paired with 48-volt mild-hybrid assistance, an eight-speed Steptronic automatic gearbox and xDrive four-wheel drive. BMW says the combined system output is 326kW, equivalent to 443hp or 437bhp.
That makes this an interesting car in BMW’s increasingly crowded performance hierarchy. The M350 has plenty of M hardware and a distinctly M-shaped appetite for rear tyres, yet it stops short of wearing the full M3 badge.
How BMW M350 Drift Moment works
The party trick is called Drift Moment, and BMW is unusually explicit about what it does. Activate it through the central display and the engine’s drive is sent entirely to the rear wheels.
With the stability control switched off and BMW’s M-style control of the multi-plate clutch, the M350 can therefore behave as a rear-wheel-drive car for drifting. BMW says the feature brings a capability previously reserved for high-performance models from BMW M GmbH to an M Performance car.
It is also a useful reminder of how much modern performance cars are becoming software products. The hardware can apparently do it from day one. The software key arrives later.
BMW says Drift Moment will be made available during 2027 through a Remote Software Upgrade, including for cars that have already been delivered.
BMW M350 suspension and tyres
The M350 gets model-specific chassis tuning and increased torsional and vertical stiffness. BMW says adaptive M suspension, an M Sport differential and variable sport steering are standard equipment, which makes the new car rather more serious than a simple engine upgrade.
Optional sports tyres measure 245/35 R20 at the front and 275/30 R20 at the rear. That staggered set-up gives the M350 a substantial footprint, particularly at the back, where those 275-section tyres should be useful when 437bhp is being asked to entertain rather than simply accelerate.
The four-cylinder versions of the new combustion-engined 3 Series will use a newly developed suspension arrangement, while the M350 gets its own chassis treatment. BMW is clearly positioning the six-cylinder car as the dynamic flagship of the petrol and diesel range, not just the priciest engine option.
When does the BMW M350 go on sale?
Production of the BMW M350 xDrive is scheduled to begin in the second half of 2026. BMW has not yet given a firm UK on-sale date, although the first combustion-engined 3 Series models are expected to reach Britain after the electric i3 version of the new-generation car.
The M350 therefore arrives at an awkwardly interesting point for BMW. The company is pushing hard into electric cars with its Neue Klasse models, yet it is also giving its latest combustion 3 Series one of the most theatrical performance features in the range.
The six-cylinder engine itself is becoming something of a luxury item. BMW says the M350 is the only new combustion-engined 3 Series variant with a six-cylinder engine, putting even more distance between it and the four-cylinder versions.
BMW has not confirmed whether a successor to the previous M340d will appear. Given the direction of the market and the tightening emissions regime, a diesel M Performance 3 Series looks difficult to justify.
BMW M350 verdict
The M350 is a fascinating final flourish for the combustion 3 Series. BMW has taken the familiar formula of a straight-six engine, automatic gearbox and four-wheel drive, then turned the software dial far enough to make the car capable of sending its power entirely to the rear.
That should make the M350 a compelling middle ground in the BMW range, and I think it’s the more interesting car here than the M3 itself. The M3 remains the serious weapon, but the M350 promises much of the straight-six character and plenty of pace without requiring the full M-car commitment.
Price remains the big unanswered question. Until BMW reveals the UK figure, it’s impossible to say whether the M350 represents a smart alternative to an M3 or simply another expensive rung on the performance ladder.
Either way, the decision to give a mainstream 3 Series a factory drift function feels like BMW making a rather deliberate statement. As the industry races towards electrification, it has decided there is still room for one more properly mischievous straight-six.
While the M350 itself is still some way off, City AM readers can already arrange to test drive select models from the BMW range at authorised dealers. Book your test drive here.