At 4,714mm long, the new i3 is 49mm longer than the current 3 Series, but it’s also 38mm wider and 42mm taller, visually hiding some of that extra mass. In fact, when you realise that the car in these pictures is wearing a set of 21-inch wheels, the stubby proportions actually reveal themselves as being quite bloated in reality. 

The nose is dominated by the same new-age face as the concept, and features a more streamlined design than the iX3. Its two black ‘grilles’ are illuminated all the way around, and sit above a clean lower opening with active shutters and functional air curtains. 

Down the side, BMW’s designers have looked to previous 3 Series models for inspiration, and the first that comes to mind is the boxy E36 from the early nineties. Fundamentally, the body is generally much cleaner and more solid-looking than current BMWs, and although there’s an even wider iM3 on the way, each of the four wheelarches has been swollen quite considerably, giving it an aggressive stance. 

The rear is more conservative, with simple rear lights that sit either side of the BMW badge. What helps the i3 look properly ‘new’, though, are some of the elements that don’t immediately jump out. As on the iX3, the door skins now meet the glass without any plastic trims, the flush door handles clean up the profile, and the integration of the headlights into the front ‘grilles’ keeps shutlines and awkward junctions of plastic and metal to a minimum.

Inside, BMW’s fresh cabin layout is centred around BMW’s Panoramic iDrive system and new touchscreen interface. The Panoramic iDrive is the big mover and shaker in this arrangement, because it replaces a traditional dial pack in front of the driver in favour of a full-width head-up display shown in a black area at the base of the windscreen. 

As well as showing your speed, range and other key driving information, it can also be customised to show bite-sized pieces of all sorts of information, from G-meters and power displays in Sport mode, to a virtual assistant and driving tips in Eco. Another nice element is turn-by-turn instructions when the embedded navigation is active.

The 17.9-inch angled touchscreen then takes care of the majority of functions, because there’s no longer a physical iDrive controller. BMW has taken care to make sure often-used features, such as switching off the driver assists or changing the temperature, are easy to access, and key elements including front and rear demisters, the volume control and hazard lights still have physical controls by the small gear selector.

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