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Diesel and RWD BMW X3 Heading US Way

BMW has a couple of surprises planned for the North American market this year, one of them implying the continuos expansion of the diesel range in the US.
2015 BMW X3 LCI 1 photo
Photo: BMW
At the moment, there are only 5 diesel models available in the land that hates oil burners and their xDrive alternatives for those pesky winter months. The latest addition was the 7 Series 740Ld xDrive, a car that, we think, won’t sell in big numbers anyway.

However, after many debates and a lot of inquiries from all sorts of customers, BMW will finally introduce a diesel X3 in the US, the xDrive28d. As the name suggests, the car will be fitted with a 2-liter 4-cylinder diesel engine making 190 HP and 280 lb-ft (380 Nm) of torque.

In the SUV though, the consumption figures will be different, however. The average estimates put the xDrive28d somewhere between 52.3 and 56.5 mpg imp. (5.4-5 l/100km), while the benchmark sprint to 60 mph is done in just under 8 seconds.

Another premiere for the US market will be the sDrive28i model, the first rear-wheel-drive X3 model ever made. The car will be using the trademark 2-liter 4-cylinder turbocharged engine found on the 328i, making 245 HP and 350 Nm (260 lb-ft) of torque bringing superior handling characteristics and agility to the package with a sprint to 60 mph of just 6.2 seconds.

The LCI model also brings a new front fascia and added optional features inside alongside the new iDrive system and bigger navigation screens. Sales begin this Spring and the North American debut of the LCI X3 will take place at the New York Auto Show, later this month.
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