UPDATE 11/13/18: BMW has released additional information about the six-cylinder M340i model, which goes on sale in July 2019 as a 2020 model. See the full details and photos here.

When it comes to sedans, German auto executives love to talk about sportiness. Although they never specify what sport they are referring to—racquetball? buzkashi? quoits?—we know what they mean: that a car feels athletic, as a sports sedan should. It's a concept that BMW did much to create and popularize with the 3-series (and its progenitor, the 02-series), but it’s an area in which the current 3 feels notably deficient. So although the new 3-series is bigger, lighter, and more technology-laden than its predecessor, BMW is crowing loudest about how much better it will be to drive.

Known internally as G20, this 3-series is based on the same Cluster Architecture (a.k.a. CLAR) that underpins BMW’s larger longitudinal-engine models, with a structure that uses more aluminum and high-strength steel than the outgoing F30 generation. It is 3.3 inches longer but weighs less than before. Switching to aluminum for the front fenders and hood saved 33 pounds, with reductions elsewhere meaning the new 3-series will come in up to 120 pounds lighter than the equivalent version of the current car.

BMW is particularly proud of the 3’s new position-sensitive passive dampers, which quell large suspension motions with an additional hydraulic element. These will be standard on all versions except those with the adaptive system, and they maintained exceptional discipline during our recent drive of a prototype in Germany.

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Updated Turbo Engines, No More Manual

While other markets will get a plethora of gasoline and diesel engines, the plan is to offer only three choices in the U.S. The four-cylinder 330i and the six-cylinder M340i will use evolutions of existing turbocharged powerplants. A plug-in-hybrid 330e will follow in early 2020, but BMW is being coy about the particulars of that one.

The 330i gets a modest increase in output, with horsepower rising from 248 to 255 and torque increasing from 258 to 295 lb-ft. BMW estimates acceleration figures will be just a tick quicker than the outgoing 330i's, but we wouldn’t be surprised if the improvement is bigger once we get the G20 on a test track. The M340i has the brawnier version of the turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six, which will make its debut in the Z4; it produces 382 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque.

Rear-wheel drive will be standard and all-wheel drive will be optional on both the 330i and the M340i. In Europe, BMW will offer a six-speed manual transmission in certain diesel 3-series, but the only transmission offered in the U.S. will be an eight-speed auto. "Sadly, the take rate on manuals is declining and declining," product manager Stephan Horn tells us when we question this decision. "For this car, we calculate it will be less than 10 percent globally." But company executives have previously committed to offering a manual in the next M3, so start saving.

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Still a 3-series on the Outside

Horses will remain unstartled by the exterior design of the new 3-series, which draws liberally from its larger siblings. The grille is wider and taller, and the headlights are bigger than before. LED lighting is standard, and adapted-for-the-U.S. laser high-beams are available. The side profile is nicely proportioned, and the front overhang is trimmer than the new Z4's.

"It was our main target to keep the overhang short," explains Marc Michael Markefka, lead exterior designer. "We had to negotiate hard with the engineers to keep that. It is two centimeters [0.8 inch] longer than the last car, but with the need to meet tougher crash regulations, that felt like a very good result." Although brand purists will be pleased to see the Hofmeister kink in the rear quarter-window, the trademark shape gains an extra bend, and a separate piece of trim now stretches it into the sheetmetal aft of the door. Markefka, clearly pleased that we noticed, says, "We wanted to stretch the glass graphic toward the rear, but we wanted to keep the door short to have comfortable access to the rear seats."

Techy and Fresh Inside

The cabin of the outgoing 3-series became outdated as soon as Mercedes launched the fourth-gen C-class in 2014 and positively anachronistic when the current Audi A4 followed in 2016. The main message on the new car might be its improved dynamics, but the interior has received a substantial update as well. The entry-level version will have a 5.7-inch digital display in the gauge cluster as well as an 8.8-inch central touchscreen. Buyers of the 330i will be able to upgrade to a 12.3-inch digital instrument display and a 10.3-inch dashboard screen bundled with navigation—goodies that come standard on the M340i.

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Interior space is similar to the outgoing model's, although BMW claims there is more shoulder and elbow room for front-seat occupants. Trunk capacity is unchanged, but the aperture is wider. Acoustic glass and noise-insulating foam in the A-pillars will cut interi­or noise. Collision warning and automated emergency braking will be standard, with a variety of other driver-assist systems on the options list.

The new 330i will carry a base price of $41,195, which is close to the current version's entry point. The base price for six-cylinder cars won't move much, but it will creep past the $50,000 threshold. Sales of the 330i and M340i start early next year, with the plug-in-hybrid 330e following in 2020. There's a remote possibility that a diesel-powered version will make it to our shores eventually, but we're told there is absolutely no chance that the station wagon will cross the Atlantic. But if BMW can restore the 3-series' sportiness, we'll take it in whatever body style we can get it.

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