Article Summary
- The entry-level BMW 3 Series Sedan costs €49,900 in Germany for the 318, before you start throwing options at it.
- Alpine White is the only “free” color, while these 18-inch wheels are the only set that doesn’t cost extra.
- You can’t have another interior theme unless you’re willing to spend more.
The base version of a luxury car is like the Loch Ness Monster. People will tell you that it exists, but no one has really seen it in real life. However, if you have some time to kill, the cheapest version of a car sold by a premium brand is just a click away. Sure enough, BMW has already fired up the online configurator for the new 3 Series. And yes, this is how the G50 looks with no extras.
Spending €49,900 in Germany buys you this absolute-basic 3 Series in 318 flavor, with a turbocharged 2.0-liter gasoline engine making a not-so-rapid 154 horsepower. Since all the press shots feature the G50 with the M Sport Package, the configurator is our only way so far to see how the 3er looks without it. Predictably, it swaps the black accents for body-colored surfaces, but we wouldn’t necessarily say it looks worse.
Per BMW’s modus operandi, Alpine White is the only color you don’t pay extra for. All the others cost an additional €990, or even €1,190 if you opt for M Brooklyn Grey or the fresh M Castellet Blue we first saw on the i3. As with the body finish, we kept the wheels stock: a classic silver 18-inch set you can swap for larger 19- and 20-inch alloys costing as much as €2,500.
2027 BMW 3 Series Interior Without Any Extras
Naturally, the cabin is also devoid of any add-ons. “Essential” is marketing jargon for the interior design in its most attainable form. The seats come wrapped in what BMW calls “Econeer,” a cover made from a recyclable textile composite, with the upper fabric made entirely from recycled PET. It comes in Vivid Grey and looks more than decent for a base trim. If not, you can splurge on real leather with an Individual option priced at €2,980.
Just like BMW promised, the 17.9-inch touchscreen is standard even on the cheapest 3 Series. The same goes for the pillar-to-pillar windshield projection, making the dashboard layout virtually identical to the electric i3’s. In Germany, the large panoramic glass roof with climate comfort glazing is standard, but the bad news is that no section slides open.
Old And New 3 Series Together
BMW has already removed the old 3 Series G20 from the configurator to make room for the new G50. However, German buyers can still customize the Touring (G21), since that one will remain in production for a while. A new G51 is all but confirmed to arrive later this decade. In the meantime, the M3 G80 and G81 are still very much alive, so you could say the company is concomitantly selling two generations of the same car.
With the fully electric i3 (NA0) now in the mix, the 3er lineup has never been this diverse. However, the G50 marks the end of the diesel engine, as BMW won’t put a “d” badge on the sedan’s trunk for the first time in about 40 years.
