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.
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.
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.