While dramatic facelifts are the norm these days, every so often, an automaker makes you squint. Here’s a great example: The 2025 BMW 3 Series is here, and it’s a strong contender for the most subtle facelift in the world, despite featuring substantial mechanical revisions.
Historically, BMW has routinely rolled out mid-cycle updates with subtly revised bumpers, new lighting assemblies, updated interior tech, and a few new color, finish and materials choices. This both is and isn’t that.
See, the 3 Series received its major mid-life update (LCI in BMW-speak) for the 2023 model year, when the cabin got a massive screen and the M Sport package got slightly ugly. However, the 2025 car is more interesting than the one currently in showrooms. Sure, there are some cosmetic and tech tweaks, but the major changes all happen under the skin, and if you aren’t on your A-game, you’ll miss this sedan in the wild.
On the outside, the updated 2025 BMW 3 Ser— hang on. That’s the old one. One second.
As I was saying, the updated 2025 BMW 3 Series looks nigh-on the same as the 2024 model. Sure, wheel choices have changed slightly and two new colors (Arctic Race Blue and Vegas Red) join the mix, but that’s about it. Slap a set of aftermarket wheels on it, order it in white, and nobody would tell it’s a 2025 model unless they stepped inside.
Up in the cabin, changes are more numerous but still slight. New steering wheel designs include a flat-bottom option that comes on M Sport models, ambient lighting extends to the area above the central climate control vent, the climate control vents are new, and the infotainment gets upgraded to the more user-friendly iDrive 8.5 with proper fixed top-level controls for stuff that should’ve just been buttons all along. Add in refined graining on the optional Sensatec dashboard, available satin silver “Galvanic” controls and a crystal-like iDrive knob downloaded from larger BMWs, and the banishment of shiny black trim, and the new 3 Series is still bloody subtle. It’s what you can’t see that really counts.
Under the hood of the M340i sits a revised three-liter turbocharged inline-six dubbed B58B30M2, which adds port injection to the existing direct fuel injection system, electronically controlled variable valve timing on the exhaust cam, a revised cylinder head, an updated variable valve lift system, new intake ports, and a revised 48-volt mild hybrid system. The result is 386 horsepower from 5,200 to 6,250 rpm and 398 lb.-ft of torque from 1,900 rpm to 4,800 rpm. That may only be a gain of four horsepower, but it’s also a gain of 29 lb.-ft. of torque. Plus, using both direct injection and port injection has historically been a way to mitigate the carbon buildup that comes with direct injection-only engines, so these changes could pay dividends through the ownership period.
Oh, and don’t think that changes are only confined to the six-cylinder cars. The 330i gets an updated two-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engined dubbed the B48B20O2, and it’s a different animal than its predecessor. Sure, its output of 255 horsepower from 4,700 to 6,500 rpm and 295 lb.-ft. of torque from 1,600 to 4,500 rpm sounds similar to that of the outgoing engine, but it happens over a broader rev range. What’s more, the B48B20O2 has received cylinder head work, new intake ports, updated valvetrain control, a revised ignition system, Miller cycle capability, and updated exhaust gas routing. Talk about substantial updates.
At the same time, the hidden updates aren’t confined to the engine. The upper mounts for the rear dampers are stiffer, and the whole suspension package has been revised to add comfort over pockmarked roads while also ensuring the car, as BMW claims, “handles with even greater overall precision, composure, and controllability.” We’ll need to put tire to pavement to find out, but the old 3 Series with the M Sport package could’ve breathed with the road a tad better, so perhaps these changes are desired. Less desired is how BMW’s made the steering lighter in comfort mode. You don’t buy a BMW because it has overboosted steering, you buy it because it’s usually a more engaging vehicle than an equivalent Audi or Mercedes-Benz. Hmm.
As for pricing, BMW seems to be playing in the same ballpark as before. The 2025 330i starts at $46,675 including freight, while the M340i starts at $60,775. That’s an extra $1,000 for the updated 330i and an extra $2,000 for the updated M340i. All-wheel-drive is a $2,000 option on either trim, and although those price hikes aren’t tiny, we’d need a full list of standard equipment to go apples-to-apples. Expect the 2025 BMW 3 Series to roll into showrooms later this year
(Photo credits: BMW)
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What about the updated plug-in hybrid and its longer electric range? When is it coming to the U.S.?
$60K for a base 6 cylinder is pretty wild.
Is it? It’s the upgraded engine and the stuff it competes with (Audi S4/5, AMG Lite Mercs, Acura TLX Type S, G70 3.3, etc) all hover right around that price and also all have 6 cylinders outside of the recent AMG abominations. BMW has never been the value proposition…that’s the role the Acura and G70 serve….or Infiniti Q50 if you want to get weird and party like it’s 2014.
The B58 is also easily the best engine out of the lot unless you want to bring the Blackwing or IS500 into the equation. It offers nearly 400 horsepower stock and can be tuned to make way, way more. The 3 series also offers AWD, which the IS500 and Blackwing don’t. It’s also shockingly fuel efficient…if I recall correctly it’s rated for 26 MPG combined.
Not sure about where you are, but the taxes on the Blackwing and IS500 are really prohibitive here in DC. Anything that gets 20 MPG city or less gets slapped with a 7.5% tax and the city council wants to raise it even more. So in the first few years those cars will be much more expensive to own when you factor in the gas chugging and taxes.
Long term it’ll likely even out, but the B48, B58, and S58 engines are some of the most reliable mills Germany has produced this century. I certainly wouldn’t bet on them to outlast something Japanese, but they’re not the train wrecks that German luxury engines are known to be.
Maybe the M340i is a wee bit pricey, but it just checks so many boxes for a luxury performance sedan and is still within spitting distance of its competitors. There’s a reason they aren’t depreciating like luxury sedans usually do. Even 4 year old examples with clean Carfaxes still sell in the 40s.
Holy shit, that’s legal!!??? I thought this was America?
My statement was much more a reflection of not keeping up on what entry luxury sedans cost in general than a BMW-specific complaint. Really, upon looking at BMW’s website the small difference between a 340i and 540i (only about $5000 considering the 540 comes only with AWD) is what surprises me the most.
Wildly cheap, I think you’ll find.
6 cylinders were in the 50k range 10 years ago so no surprise there.
I was hopeful to see a NA 6-cylinder added, but I should’ve known better.
B58 is love. B58 is life.
I’ve been a dyed in the whole 3 Series Defender for a long time and that’s not changing. As far as luxury sedans go the base 330i is genuinely a great driver’s car. It’s playful, light on its feet, offers RWD goodness, and the B48 (that’s now been updated) is absolutely nothing to sneeze at. I nearly bought a 330i a few years ago and I mildly regret not doing it.
I haven’t driven the M340i but given that it adds God’s own engine to the equation I’m sure it’s fantastic…and there’s a reason why it seemingly runs away with every sport sedan comparison. I don’t like how light and numb modern BMW steering is, however. In parking lots and the like it’s quite nice but when you crank everything to 11 it still feels very isolating, which is a shame.
That being said, I’m terrified of what the next 3 series will be like. By modern BMW standards the current generation is a really attractive car that offers multiple stellar ICE engines. It’s one of the few models that retains a bit of that old school BMW juju. It’s not perfect by any means, but if you want a luxury sedan in that 40-60 range it’s absolutely what I’d recommend every time.
I’d like them to upgrade the PHEV so its range is more competitive, but other than it’s a great car. I’m worried that the next one won’t offer a similar palate of great ICE engines, a similar level of driving joy, or a package that’s as elegant. BMW just moved the 5 series fully away from anything that can be construed as being the ultimate driving machine.
It’s purely a luxobarge now…and at that point I’d rather go all in on that concept and get a Lexus. The appeal of BMWs has always been that they’re more dynamic than their competitors. They’re moving away from that rapidly and I hope my beloved 3 series isn’t the next victim because it’s always been a special car to me and many other enthusiasts who came of age in the 2000s.
The 3 is still special for me as well, but it does feel a bit more homogenized with the rest of its competition than it used to be. I love the 330e as well and might get a used one as my next DD but if I’m being honest, if Lexus had a hybrid IS300 I’d probably get one of those.
I love the IS500 on paper but it’s too damn expensive. They’re all kitted out to like $70,000, lots of places are slapping markups on them, and enthusiasts have lots their shit about them so much that they don’t and likely won’t depreciate at all.
I’d find that car mighty appealing at $50,000. At $70,000+ with the additional costs of gas and high taxes related to its thirst I find it a lot less appealing, unfortunately. But anyway, I’m crossing my fingers that the new Civic Hybrid powertrain finds its way up to the Integra. Boy would that be an appealing package…
I work for a dealership network that has an Acura and Honda dealership. I haven’t had a chance to ask the owner if the Integra is getting a hybrid option. I would be shocked if they didn’t, especially since it’s more powerful than the 1.5T.
If they can keep a loaded one around the same price as a loaded 1.5 liter Integra I would absolutely buy one. The Integra is a really attractive and useful package for a comparatively reasonable price. Add in the efficiency and low end oomph of a hybrid and you’ve found the sweet spot. The regular Integra is already really efficient.
I feel like the hybrid is basically going to be an even better version of that. It’ll be faster, more efficient, and have a smaller carbon footprint. Really the only downside to me is that you likely won’t be able to get in manual but I live and commute in DC. I don’t want a manual daily anyway, and the eCVT is still better than a traditional belt one.
Hondas don’t even have an eCVT, their hybrid system has no transmission and instead uses the electric motor as the transmission. There’s a single gear for direct drive from the engine for highway cruising.
The Integra could simply get more powerful electric motor to give it a hp bump over the Civic and maybe even better efficiency.
They have updated the PHEV – at least in Europe. I’d imagine that goes for the US too.
It’s gone from 38 miles tops, to 63 miles (on the optimistic WLTP cycle, so more like 28 and 47 miles in reality.)
https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-news/first-official-pictures/bmw/3-series/
Looks good as a Touring in that red too…
I’m hoping the Neue Classe 3-series EV will have something of the old 3-series to drive. The i4 drives very nicely (and from the driving seat, you don’t have to look at that front end). However, you’re never going to get over the physics of it being heavier, and I say that as a big EV fan and current Polestar 2 driver.
The fact that they’ve kept the smaller grills on 2 LCI’s gives me hope. We have a ’21 330e M-Sport and love it. It may have finally turned the wife into a bit of a car person. She actually said to me this weekend, “You know I can’t go back to a boring car now”. I know the 330e isn’t the best at everything, but it’s darn near great at everything. With less and less “cars” out there every year, it’s nice to see constant improvements to the 3 series. These aren’t cheap new, but when the BMW depreciation hits, they can be a pretty good used car to pick up after someone leased it.
I see 330es in the 30s all the damn time and they REALLY tempt me, especially certified. I’d like it if they had more EV range since my commute will pretty much use all of the battery every day and charging every single night would be a bit of a pain/force my car into the driveway and my wife’s onto the street…but if for some reason I suddenly needed a car I’d probably buy a 330e.
That being said, I’m crossing my fingers that the impressive new Civic hybrid powertrain makes it up to the Integra. If it does I’m sprinting to buy one.
Yeah, it does need more range, and the electric efficiency is nothing like my Volt was, but it’s a much more fun car to drive. The wife has a 1 mile commute to work and a 5 mile round trip to the school to get my son twice a day, so the electric range is enough for us, but it would barely get me to work and back with my 8 mile commute. The only other real complaint for us is that the OEM run flat tires lasted about 19,000 miles. We swapped to standard tires with a 50,000 mile tread warranty, so I expect them to either last longer, or payout on that warranty.
The battery in the 330e has been upgraded with this change too, with quite a significant increase in range. The figures here are WLTP, so pretty much bull, but the real world figures should also have similar improvement.
https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-news/first-official-pictures/bmw/3-series/
That’s a big upgrade. It’s only like 9kWh usable right now and they are increasing it to 19.5, so it should take it above 40 miles of real world range. I tend to get around 20 when it’s not winter, but I have a X-drive which hurts it a bit. For further proof of “my 2014 Volt was way more efficient”, I could frequently squeak 40 miles out of the 10.4kw usable battery in my Volt.
The other big change seems to be an 11kw on-board charger. That should nearly triple the speed of the charge. The size might be different for the US market, but that should get a full charge down around 2 hours, which is really fast for a PHEV.
With the gauge cluster behind it, the steering wheel appears excited to see me.