If you’re not a fan of the BMW 4 Series’ massive grille, then the spy shots we have of the 3 Series Touring today should make you quite happy. As best we can tell, the facelifted 3 Series won’t be seeing the supersized grille, and these spy photos all but confirm that very notion. Keep in mind, this is the standard 3 Series Touring, not the M3 Touring that was spied with the massive grille back in October 2021.

Update 2-7-2022: The BMW 3 Series Touring was spied on public roads yeat again, suggesting that its reveal isn't that far off.

Update 2-7-2022: BMW 3 Series Touring Spied for the Second Time

Original Story

Based on the camouflage of this model, it seems pretty clear that the 3 Series isn’t going to change much as it transitions through its mid-cycle update. The front and rear fascia will be modified or tweaked just slightly while we can spot a new headlight design behind the camo here. These appear to be laser headlights, based on the blue hue, and the running light signature seems to be sharper than before as well.

In the rear, the LED graphics of the taillights have been tweaked, but it doesn’t appear as if BMW has changed the shape of the taillights themselves. This prototype doesn’t seem to have the M Sport package, either, and it should be noted that there’s some kind of sensor or camera on the roof-mounted spoiler. We can now also confirm that the separate rear glass will carry over through the facelift, so that’s good news.

Despite the fact that the 3 Series Touring prototype was spotted on the side of the road, our photographers weren’t able to get their lenses close enough to the interior for any usable shots. The 3 Series sedan, however, has been spied with a new dual-screen curved infotainment and instrument cluster that is said to feature iDrive 8. That’s also available on the 2022 2 Series Active Tourer, so that’s not all that surprising.

Beyond the 3 Series Touring and the aforementioned M3 Touring, the 3 Series facelift will also bring us the first-ever 3 Series Electric, which will be sold alongside the standard 3 series as a standalone model, but it won’t be part of BMW’s i lineup. Expected to see the updated 3 Series make its debut sometime in early 2022 before going on sale in Europe in the early summer. The U.S. will see the updated 3 Series launch sometime after that as a 2023 model.