BMW’s New M350 xDrive Gets A Button That Lets You Drift On Demand
BMW has confirmed the next-generation 3 Series with internal combustion engines is in its final phase of development, and the headline spec isn’t the horsepower figure — it’s a button. The new BMW M350 xDrive, the range-topping ICE variant, will offer something BMW has never put in a non-M model: Drift Moment, a feature that routes all engine power exclusively to the rear wheels at the press of a button.
The announcement came September 7, 2026, as camouflaged prototypes completed high-intensity calibration runs at BMW’s proving grounds in Miramas, southern France. The new 3 Series — arriving alongside the fully electric BMW i3 — brings a 437-hp turbocharged six-cylinder, a longer wheelbase, and a new software architecture managing every aspect of its driving dynamics. For performance-sedan buyers who thought drifting was strictly an M Division privilege, BMW is about to change that.
The M350 xDrive Powertrain: 437 HP, 48V Mild Hybrid, 4.1 Seconds
The BMW M350 xDrive is the only variant in the new 3 Series ICE lineup to carry a six-cylinder engine. That unit is a 3.0-liter BMW TwinPower Turbo inline-six paired with 48V mild-hybrid technology, which contributes to a combined output of 437 hp and 428 lb-ft of torque. Drive goes through an eight-speed BMW Steptronic transmission and BMW xDrive all-wheel drive as standard.
The numbers back up the hardware: 0–62 mph in 4.1 seconds, with a 155-mph top speed. The M350 xDrive also comes standard with adaptive M suspension, an M Sport differential, and variable sport steering — the full chassis package, not a trim-level approximation of it. Four-cylinder models in the lineup also carry 48V mild-hybrid tech, though they don’t get the six-cylinder or the M-specific tuning.
Drift Moment: Rear-Wheel Power On Demand, Available to Every Owner
Drift Moment is the feature BMW is leading with, and for good reason. At the press of a button, the M350 xDrive’s xDrive system disengages the front axle entirely, sending full engine output to the rear wheels only. Combined with DSC OFF and M-typical control of the multi-disc clutch, the result is a controlled, driver-managed oversteer experience — the kind previously reserved for dedicated M cars like the M3 Competition.
The feature won’t be live at launch. BMW says Drift Moment will roll out during the course of 2027 via a Remote Software Upgrade — and critically, that update will also reach cars already delivered to customers. Buyers who take delivery before the 2027 software rollout won’t miss out; the capability will be pushed to their cars over the air. That retroactive delivery is a meaningful commitment, and it sets a useful precedent for how BMW plans to develop the car post-sale.
Chassis Upgrades and the BMW Driving Stack
The platform underneath the new 3 Series has been reworked across the board. The wheelbase is longer than the outgoing car, front and rear tracks are wider, and the suspension geometry is new at both ends: a double-joint spring strut front axle and a five-link rear axle replace the previous setup. Anti-roll bar mounts with high preload on both axles improve roll control, and the standard suspension uses newly developed lift-related dampers. Adaptive Suspension and Adaptive M Suspension are available as options, and for the first time, buyers can spec sports tires in 245/35 R20 front and 275/30 R20 rear sizes.
Managing all of it is what BMW calls the BMW Driving Stack — an integrated hardware and software architecture that coordinates driving-relevant systems into a single cohesive layer. For ICE models, a transverse dynamics management system bundles agility functions including the dynamic all-wheel-drive system. It’s a different stack than the one used in the electric i3, which runs the Heart of Joy central computer, but both are purpose-built for their respective drivetrains rather than shared across the lineup.
Neue Klasse Design and What Comes Next
Visually, the new 3 Series adopts the Neue Klasse design language BMW introduced with the i3 — a longer wheelbase, short overhangs, and a reinterpreted version of the four-eyed face that has defined the front end of BMW sedans for decades. The 2.5-box silhouette is intentional: BMW says the proportions are meant to read as a sporty sedan first, regardless of which powertrain sits underneath. Inside, the BMW Panoramic iDrive system with BMW Operating System X handles displays and controls.
Production for the M350 xDrive is set to begin in the second half of 2026, with the full 3 Series ICE lineup following. The Drift Moment software update arrives separately in 2027. For buyers cross-shopping the M340i or considering a step down from the full M3, the M350 xDrive makes a compelling case — 437 hp, all-wheel drive, and a drift button that shows up in your car whether you ordered it or not.
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