BMW unveils facelifted X3 and X3 M
In the soft underbelly of the category, between Mercedes GLC and Audi Q5 in Europe, the BMW X3 offers itself a very discreet restyling in appearance. The public premiere is scheduled for the IAA in Munich.It is...
01/01/2022
In the soft underbelly of the category, between Mercedes GLC and Audi Q5 in Europe, the BMW X3 offers itself a very discreet restyling in appearance. The public premiere is scheduled for the IAA in Munich.
It arrived after the X5, and it now represents a safe bet for BMW in Europe. The X3, one of the first modern SUVs with rear-wheel drive in Europe, long before the Mercedes GLK and its descendant the GLC. An almost historic vehicle, which had been designed and unveiled initially for the American market, at the Detroit show, before landing in Europe by Austrian production at the subcontractor Magna Steyr.
Since then, things have improved a lot. Starting with the transmission: quickly, the X3 switches to four-wheel drive xDrive. A now traditional configuration: this restyled X3 is (almost) exclusively sold in xDrive. Only the entry-level version 18d (sDrive18d) is rear-wheel drive. The Steptronic automatic transmission is also standard on all models. The M40i and M40d variants also adopt a Steptronic "Sport" version with paddles on the steering wheel and launch control as standard.
Still on the mechanical side, note the democratization of 48V micro-hybridization (already present on diesels) on the 20i and 30i petrol blocks, respectively in four-cylinder 2.0 turbo of 184 and 245 hp. The rechargeable hybrid is obviously always there, especially to seduce professionals. The xDrive30e combines the 184 hp 2.0 turbo with a 109 hp electric motor and 12 kWh batteries. The group develops a total of 292 hp and 420 Nm of torque. The X3 is also marketed with three diesel engines: 20d, 30d and M40D. The first is a 2.0 four-cylinder 190 hp, the second is a 3.0 six-cylinder 286 hp and the last is also a six-cylinder, but with 340 hp for CO2 emissions of between 173 and 192 g/km, depending on the selected options.
Before restyling After restylingAesthetically, the biggest changes unsurprisingly concern the lights (full LED as standard, the matrix LED being optional, as are the “laser” lights), with fairly new work on the rear optics. BMW has also enlarged the double grille.
Here, the large screen of more than 12 inchesInside, there is not much to report from a visual point of view except for the slight evolution of the design of the controls under the touch screen, which goes to a diagonal of 12.3 inches. , optional (10.25 inches standard). We should also mention the presence of new sport seats and tri-zone automatic climate control.
The X3 M, also refreshedThe Motorsport version of the X3 follows the update. The lights, the wider grille, the bottom of the "single frame" bumper, the spoiler and the rear diffuser have been redesigned. Inside, the large touch screen can accommodate the "Driving Assistant Professional" with remote updates. Power-adjustable M Sport seats with backlit M logo and Merino leather are standard. The instrumentation, still digital, adopts the display inherited from the M8.
Under the hood, it is still the S58 block that officiates. Its power does not change (510 hp), but its torque increases by 50 Nm, to 650 Nm. The result is a 0 to 100 which progresses by 3 tenths, to 3.8 seconds. You will have to go through the “options” box to unlock the potential of the X3 M in order to blow up the electronic speed limit, and go to 285 km / h with the M Driver pack. The inline six-cylinder is associated with the M Steptronic gearbox and the M xDrive. The vocalizations are ensured by an exhaust line with controlled valves.
The commercial launch is scheduled for August in Europe.