Photo: S.Baldauf/SB-Medien
Some folks were somewhat disappointed when the 2018 BMW X3 was unveiled yesterday, mainly because the top of the range version was a measly X3 M40i, which comes with "only" 360 horsepower.
Fret not, power SUV lovers, because the X3 M40i is just a small teaser of what's to come in a year or so in the shape of the first ever BMW X3 M. A full M car, that is, and the adjacent spy photos make a pretty bold statement in that direction.
Unlike the X3 M40i, which will use a turbocharged inline six to battle the likes of the Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 and the Audi SQ5, the 2019 BMW X3 M will go all-out with a twin-turbocharged six to have a go at the Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 and GLC 63 S.
Sure, it probably sounds like bringing a knife to a gun fight, but it's quite probable that the 3.0-liter inline six borrowed from the M3/M4 will receive some extra oomph before being transplanted into the X3 G01's engine bay.
At least 450 horsepower, if not more, is to be expected from the X3 M, all of it being sent through an 8-speed ZF automatic transmission to all four wheels. This detail alone should make the small(ish) SUV a tad faster from 0-100 km/h (62 mph) than the BMW M3, despite the negative difference in weight between the two go-fast Bimmers.
As far as going around corners, the pre-production prototype caught by our spy photographers dancing on the Nurburgring seems to be pretty well composed. In one of the photos, you can even see the front-left wheel leaving the asphalt as the car goes around the Nordschleife Karussell corner.
Even though the upcoming M5 G30 will feature an M-tuned all-wheel-drive system, the X3 M will probably use a slightly different version, without the addition of a so-called “drift mode” for safety reasons.
That said, you will likely be able to toss the go-fast SUV on the track just like an overpowered station wagon, which is not mean feat for something that sits so high off the ground.
You should expect the BMW X3 M to be unveiled sometime next year, most likely at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show, with sales commencing a couple of months later.
Unlike the X3 M40i, which will use a turbocharged inline six to battle the likes of the Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 and the Audi SQ5, the 2019 BMW X3 M will go all-out with a twin-turbocharged six to have a go at the Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 and GLC 63 S.
Sure, it probably sounds like bringing a knife to a gun fight, but it's quite probable that the 3.0-liter inline six borrowed from the M3/M4 will receive some extra oomph before being transplanted into the X3 G01's engine bay.
At least 450 horsepower, if not more, is to be expected from the X3 M, all of it being sent through an 8-speed ZF automatic transmission to all four wheels. This detail alone should make the small(ish) SUV a tad faster from 0-100 km/h (62 mph) than the BMW M3, despite the negative difference in weight between the two go-fast Bimmers.
As far as going around corners, the pre-production prototype caught by our spy photographers dancing on the Nurburgring seems to be pretty well composed. In one of the photos, you can even see the front-left wheel leaving the asphalt as the car goes around the Nordschleife Karussell corner.
Even though the upcoming M5 G30 will feature an M-tuned all-wheel-drive system, the X3 M will probably use a slightly different version, without the addition of a so-called “drift mode” for safety reasons.
That said, you will likely be able to toss the go-fast SUV on the track just like an overpowered station wagon, which is not mean feat for something that sits so high off the ground.
You should expect the BMW X3 M to be unveiled sometime next year, most likely at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show, with sales commencing a couple of months later.
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