I’m going to preface this article by saying that I’m a big fan of the BMW X3 M40i. Which is actually something that surprised me quite a bit. I wasn’t a big fan of the first two generations of X3 and I thought that this new one would be much of the same. Plus, when I first saw that BMW was making an M40i variant, I thought it would just be a soft crossover with a big engine. But it’s so much more than that.
Yes, it does has a big engine under the hood. Sporting the B58 3.0 liter turbocharged I6 engine, it makes 355 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque. When paired with an eight-speed automatic and all-wheel drive, the X3 M40i is capable of 0-60 mph in about 4.6 seconds. That’s properly quick for any car but downright fast for an SUV of the X3’s size. And it feels every bit as fast as that, as the turbo-six is punchy, responsive and pulls hard with even just a small prod of the throttle pedal.
But it’s more than just a fast, straight-line SUV. Turn the wheel and you’re met with surprisingly sharp and communicative steering. This is not hyperbole: the X3 M40i has my favorite steering of any BMW outside of the M2. It also turns in quickly, corners flat and can seriously carve some canyons. It’s a genuinely fun car to drive.
We get to see all of that in this new POV video from AutoTopNL. We also get to see how great the cabin is, how luxurious it is and how good the engine sounds. If you hadn’t already noticed, the BMW X3 M40i is one of our favorite new BMWs and it shows that the Bavarian brand is certainly trending upward. We’re really hoping for a BMW X3 M.
