We’re very excited for the BMW X3 M, here at BMWBLOG. The new BMW X3 is a great car, one that brings back a little bit of that classic BMW magic that we remember from cars like the E46 3 Series. When we tested the new X3 M40i, the brand’s first M Performance version of the X3, we were incredibly impressed with just how engaging it was to drive, especially for an X3. So the idea of a proper M Division variant is incredibly exciting. To feed that excitement, the BMW X3 M has just been caught doing some testing at the Nurburgring and it looks good.
The standard BMW X3 is already a good looking car, one of the best in the segment, but the X3 M looks better. It’s more aggressive and sportier, with its additional roof spoiler and lower front air intakes. What’s interesting is that it doesn’t seem to have M-specific side mirrors, like those you’ll find on all other BMW M cars. They seem to just be the standard X3 mirrors. Though, that could be subject to change with the final car. You do see four exhaust pipes though, which is a dead giveaway for any M car.
Powering the BMW X3 M will likely be an S58 engine, which will be a modified version of BMW’s B58 engine. So it will be a twin-turbocharged 3.0 liter I6 engine that will likely make around 450 hp. That engine will pair with an eight-speed automatic and an M-tuned xDrive all-wheel drive. There’s been no word on whether or not the X3 M will get the M5’s all-wheel drive system, with its rear-wheel drive mode, but it’s doubtful.
In this video, you can’t really hear the exhaust, as the screaming protest of the tires overwhelms the exhaust, but what you can hear is good. Many BMW enthusiasts feel that the B58 engine in most modern BMWs already sounds better than the S55 engine found in the BMW M3 and M4. So the S58 in this new BMW X3 M should sound even better.
While it may seem blasphemous to have a real M badge on an X3, we actually think this new car will do really well and we can’t wait to drive it.
