BMW X3 M50 xDrive First Drive Review
05 Oct 2024|3,271 views
What We Like
Racier styling done tastefully
Sublime straight-six engine, packing delectable firepower
Remarkable handling
Still decently comfortable - and very practical - for the daily drive
What We Dislike
Cockpit doesn't feel sufficiently driver-focussed
Size remains evident despite all of the engineering wizardry
The case for a performance SUV has always been a weird one.
The laws of physics have it that extra weight and height are both banes to a car's agility and responsiveness - so stuffing a machine bearing exactly those qualities with lots of firepower seems counterintuitive, to say the very least.
Still, SUVs are what The People seem to want more and more of these days. And as machines like the performance flagship of the latest-generation X3 show, the result can still feel surprisingly cohesive - if the right balance is achieved.
While news on a full-blooded X3 M is still unclear (in press materials, this brooding SUV pictured here is referred to as the most powerful iteration of the current X3), the onslaught of performance SUVs in the house of BMW nonetheless continues with the M Performance variant of the X3: Known as the X3 M50 xDrive.
If one found the vertical/diagonal mix on the grilles of the standard X3 too flowery, it's likely they'll enjoy the more subdued effect enacted by the simpler horizontal bars on the X3 M50's instead.
Circular quad exhausts peek out from beneath the lower bumper, too - an unmistakable sign that this means tougher business than your standard X3 20. Meanwhile, red brake callipers can be opted for above the standard blue ones for drivers who want to turn the heat up further.
Otherwise, however, the X3 M50 revels in being understated. Since the standard X3 already gets sports seats, this M Performance variant switches things up only slightly by throwing a bit of alcantara into the upholstery mix.
The driver also gets a flat-bottomed sports steering wheel - but again, if you had already opted for your standard X3 with the M Sport package, a good serving of these racier bits would have been present already anyway.
You can appreciate that the X3 M50 is the sort of sleeper SUV unlikely to turn heads to the unknowing driver sitting next to you in traffic… That is until it blasts away at breakneck pace, with a decently beefy soundtrack to boot.
Hold up - what about those digits in its name?
At this point, you should be getting used to the fact that BMW has chosen to drop the 'i' suffix from its petrol-powered cars (alongside the 1 Series, the X3 is one of the first model lines to see this come into effect).
Even this, however, isn't where the headline lies here - because the bigger change is not alphabetical, but numerical. There's a good reason why the previous car was known as the X3 M40i, and this is now known as, well, the X3 M50: Pop the car's bonnet open, and one will find the most powerful straight-six engine bestowed upon an M Performance model (half a step down from a full-fat M model, we reiterate) yet.
With some added poke from the mild hybrid system's electric motor, too, system output stands at 393bhp and 580Nm of torque, allowing the X3 M50 to blast from 0-100km/h in just 4.6 seconds - 0.2 seconds quicker than its predecessor.
The experience is slightly confounding, given how eager this two-tonne SUV is to not just shred up derestricted stretches on the Autobahn, but to also pull off onto quieter backroads.
Can such a large and heavy car pull this hard? Should such a large and heavy car pull this hard? No matter - it's happening anyway, the low rumble of its straight-six suddenly letting rip into an angry growl as you depress the left paddle twice. With its eight-speed transmission set into Sport, the car is hilariously brash in its conveyance of every gear change to the driver as well.
Speaking of which, there's no denying that that straight-six is the beating heart of the X3 M50: Always in the background, waiting to be awoken; and infusing the car with all the viscerality and drama of a rock concert. A decade ago, an SUV would not have been where one expected to be reminded of the storied magic of BMW's straight-sixes - but the X3 M50 does an extraordinary display of it.
On the whole, the ride is slightly stiffer than the standard X3, but with the optional adaptive sport suspension (specific to this M50), things are surprisingly more accommodating at its limit. Set into Sport, its suspension tightens up further without the jitteriness that seems to come with a similar setting on the standard X3 with the M Sport package.
Also specific to the X3 M50 are its limited slip rear differential and quicker steering rack. Grip is fantastic through bends, and the car's taut chassis does a good job of keeping its weight in check. It's quick to turn, more than happy to hold a line, and then rabid and sure-footed as it shoots out of a corner.
There's no getting around the sheer size of a not-compact SUV - and even the best sports seats do not cancel out the un-sporty elevation in driving position that comes with one. Arguably, however, it is also the blend of these qualities that conjures some level of cognitive dissonance - and makes the experience so amusing.
There is one glaring downside though. The neatened out centre console on the new X3 may be easy on the eyes, but putting the X3 M50 into your desired drive mode on the move requires some finesse: Firstly, looking down to even locate the 'My Modes' button... which then pulls up all the different Modes... following which you can then select Sport. At times like this, it's hard not to think back fondly on the dedicated driving mode buttons of the previous car.
Having said that, the X3 M50 - like the standard X3 - more than redeems itself with its versatility. Noise aside, its compliant enough to drive around less intensely when left in its default or efficiency-oriented settings.
Truthfully, with the X3 as its base, the X3 M50 is still unlikely to be appreciated foremost for its firepower and performance.
Here, a driver's purchasing decision is likely to see practicality and space prioritised above all, followed by performance further down the line. After all, if it was the thrill of driving you were in singular pursuit of, you'd perhaps get a hot hatch for less money - or top up for a properly decked out sedan.
But the reality also remains that there are indeed those sorts of buyers that want to have their cake (space for the whole family) and eat it (leave a decently powerful two-door sports car dumbfounded on the highway). To that end, there's no doubt that even while it draws from the preternatural all-roundedness of the X3, the X3 M50 is a different beast altogether: Confusing as a proposition, but thoroughly entertaining and formidable, no less.
Don't forget to check out our take on the latest BMW X3 20 xDrive here too!
What We Like
Racier styling done tastefully
Sublime straight-six engine, packing delectable firepower
Remarkable handling
Still decently comfortable - and very practical - for the daily drive
What We Dislike
Cockpit doesn't feel sufficiently driver-focussed
Size remains evident despite all of the engineering wizardry
The case for a performance SUV has always been a weird one.
The laws of physics have it that extra weight and height are both banes to a car's agility and responsiveness - so stuffing a machine bearing exactly those qualities with lots of firepower seems counterintuitive, to say the very least.
Still, SUVs are what The People seem to want more and more of these days. And as machines like the performance flagship of the latest-generation X3 show, the result can still feel surprisingly cohesive - if the right balance is achieved.
While news on a full-blooded X3 M is still unclear (in press materials, this brooding SUV pictured here is referred to as the most powerful iteration of the current X3), the onslaught of performance SUVs in the house of BMW nonetheless continues with the M Performance variant of the X3: Known as the X3 M50 xDrive.
If one found the vertical/diagonal mix on the grilles of the standard X3 too flowery, it's likely they'll enjoy the more subdued effect enacted by the simpler horizontal bars on the X3 M50's instead.
Circular quad exhausts peek out from beneath the lower bumper, too - an unmistakable sign that this means tougher business than your standard X3 20. Meanwhile, red brake callipers can be opted for above the standard blue ones for drivers who want to turn the heat up further.
Otherwise, however, the X3 M50 revels in being understated. Since the standard X3 already gets sports seats, this M Performance variant switches things up only slightly by throwing a bit of alcantara into the upholstery mix.
The driver also gets a flat-bottomed sports steering wheel - but again, if you had already opted for your standard X3 with the M Sport package, a good serving of these racier bits would have been present already anyway.
You can appreciate that the X3 M50 is the sort of sleeper SUV unlikely to turn heads to the unknowing driver sitting next to you in traffic… That is until it blasts away at breakneck pace, with a decently beefy soundtrack to boot.
Hold up - what about those digits in its name?
At this point, you should be getting used to the fact that BMW has chosen to drop the 'i' suffix from its petrol-powered cars (alongside the 1 Series, the X3 is one of the first model lines to see this come into effect).
Even this, however, isn't where the headline lies here - because the bigger change is not alphabetical, but numerical. There's a good reason why the previous car was known as the X3 M40i, and this is now known as, well, the X3 M50: Pop the car's bonnet open, and one will find the most powerful straight-six engine bestowed upon an M Performance model (half a step down from a full-fat M model, we reiterate) yet.
With some added poke from the mild hybrid system's electric motor, too, system output stands at 393bhp and 580Nm of torque, allowing the X3 M50 to blast from 0-100km/h in just 4.6 seconds - 0.2 seconds quicker than its predecessor.
The experience is slightly confounding, given how eager this two-tonne SUV is to not just shred up derestricted stretches on the Autobahn, but to also pull off onto quieter backroads.
Can such a large and heavy car pull this hard? Should such a large and heavy car pull this hard? No matter - it's happening anyway, the low rumble of its straight-six suddenly letting rip into an angry growl as you depress the left paddle twice. With its eight-speed transmission set into Sport, the car is hilariously brash in its conveyance of every gear change to the driver as well.
Speaking of which, there's no denying that that straight-six is the beating heart of the X3 M50: Always in the background, waiting to be awoken; and infusing the car with all the viscerality and drama of a rock concert. A decade ago, an SUV would not have been where one expected to be reminded of the storied magic of BMW's straight-sixes - but the X3 M50 does an extraordinary display of it.
On the whole, the ride is slightly stiffer than the standard X3, but with the optional adaptive sport suspension (specific to this M50), things are surprisingly more accommodating at its limit. Set into Sport, its suspension tightens up further without the jitteriness that seems to come with a similar setting on the standard X3 with the M Sport package.
Also specific to the X3 M50 are its limited slip rear differential and quicker steering rack. Grip is fantastic through bends, and the car's taut chassis does a good job of keeping its weight in check. It's quick to turn, more than happy to hold a line, and then rabid and sure-footed as it shoots out of a corner.
There's no getting around the sheer size of a not-compact SUV - and even the best sports seats do not cancel out the un-sporty elevation in driving position that comes with one. Arguably, however, it is also the blend of these qualities that conjures some level of cognitive dissonance - and makes the experience so amusing.
There is one glaring downside though. The neatened out centre console on the new X3 may be easy on the eyes, but putting the X3 M50 into your desired drive mode on the move requires some finesse: Firstly, looking down to even locate the 'My Modes' button... which then pulls up all the different Modes... following which you can then select Sport. At times like this, it's hard not to think back fondly on the dedicated driving mode buttons of the previous car.
Having said that, the X3 M50 - like the standard X3 - more than redeems itself with its versatility. Noise aside, its compliant enough to drive around less intensely when left in its default or efficiency-oriented settings.
Truthfully, with the X3 as its base, the X3 M50 is still unlikely to be appreciated foremost for its firepower and performance.
Here, a driver's purchasing decision is likely to see practicality and space prioritised above all, followed by performance further down the line. After all, if it was the thrill of driving you were in singular pursuit of, you'd perhaps get a hot hatch for less money - or top up for a properly decked out sedan.
But the reality also remains that there are indeed those sorts of buyers that want to have their cake (space for the whole family) and eat it (leave a decently powerful two-door sports car dumbfounded on the highway). To that end, there's no doubt that even while it draws from the preternatural all-roundedness of the X3, the X3 M50 is a different beast altogether: Confusing as a proposition, but thoroughly entertaining and formidable, no less.
Don't forget to check out our take on the latest BMW X3 20 xDrive here too!
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- Exterior And Interior
- The Drive
- Conclusion