autoevolution
 

Hear the BMW X3 M Tear Up the Nurburgring - You're Allowed to Get Excited

The 2018 BMW X3 M looks like the kind of vehicle that could make even the most stubborn people out there accept the fact there might be such a thing as a sporty SUV.
2018 BMW X3 M 1 photo
Photo: YouTube screenshot
Don't get us wrong - it still squeals like a pig on the track, but at least it's a very fast pig. If you can ignore the ear-ripping soundtrack, it actually looks like you could do a lot worse than the new X3 M when it comes to the cars you could bring on the 'Ring.

And it's not just the speed, it also sounds good as well. The three-liter, inline-six engine should deliver in the 500 horsepower region, which is close to what the Jaguar F-Pace SVR will obtain from its 5.0-liter supercharged V8 unit. Together with he exhaust, the sound of the BMW X3 M does not disappoint (if you can hear it over the squealing, that is). It's that same feral, slightly high-pitched sound BMW has accustomed us to, and it's superb.

On the design side, the video does not reveal anything new in particular. The X3 looks like a natural evolution of the current model, and the X3 M presents itself as a sporty version of that car. It's got the usual gaping air intakes at the front, the flared wheel arches and matching skirts on its sides, and a more aggressive air diffuser (that's a guess, we can't actually see it) and double twin exhaust tailpipes at the rear. Nothing fancy, just the right bits in the right places.

The X3 M will be built on the CLAR platform, so expect it to come with a rear-biased performance all-wheel-drive system. That means it will be able to misbehave if pushed hard enough, but in most cases, it will just do its best to go where its driver is pointing its nose. And, if past experience with M models and also this clip is any evidence, it will do it quite nicely.

BMW hasn't set an exact timeframe for the release of the new X3 yet, but expect it to be sometime during next year - probably first half for the X3, and maybe a later date for the M version.

If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Vlad Mitrache
Vlad Mitrache profile photo

"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories