Somebody in Munich pulled out a phone at the right moment. A Reddit user posted photos of a production-ready 3 Series prototype shot from behind, and the rear bumper gives it all away. Four exhaust tips, two per side. Likely, that makes this the 2027 BMW M350.
The logic is simple enough. BMW has spent the last few years reserving quad exhaust tips for M Performance models and full M cars, and the M340i’s dual round pipes do not carry over to the G50. The next M3, the G84, is not expected to start assembly until around July 2028, so a quad-tipped 3 Series sedan running errands in Munich in September 2026 is not a baby M3 prototype. It is likely the M340i’s replacement, and BMW is dropping the “i” suffix from its combustion M Performance cars the same way it did with the X3 M50.
We Already Know How It Drives
This is the rare spy shot that arrives before BMW has fully revealed the car and let all media drive it. Back in July, BMW flew a small group of journalists to its Miramas proving ground in southern France to sample the M350 xDrive under wrap, and we spent a full day with it across a technical handling track, a wet slalom, a high-speed circuit, and a two-hour road loop.
The B58 inline-six carries over with 48V mild hybrid assistance, now making 437 hp in US spec and 443 PS in Europe, alongside 580 Nm (428 lb-ft) of torque. The extra twist over the M340i comes almost entirely from the hybrid system, which contributes around 40 Nm of its own to fill in before the turbo spools. Power still goes through the eight-speed ZF automatic and xDrive. BMW quotes 4.1 seconds to 62 mph (100 km/h).
Adaptive M suspension is standard rather than optional this time, with no lesser setup offered on the M350 at all. The tires grow to 245-section fronts and 275-section rears on 20-inch wheels, the biggest package BMW has ever put on an M Performance 3 Series. There is also a rear differential lock, M Sport brakes sized for this car, and as seen on these spy photos, a Gurney flap and a deep diffuser at the back.
The Reveal Is Close
By now you might have figured that the reveal is close because even BMW doesn’t seem to concerned about driving an uncamouflaged car around Munich. Production starts at Dingolfing in November 2026 but first deliveries in the U.S. are not expected until early 2027.
