This past weekend, BMW M CEO Frank Van Meel went to Nurburgring not only to witness the great results of the DTM teams, but also to introduce to the world the new X3 M and X4 M SUVs. While the reveal was a bit more of a teaser preview, this was also the first time when we have to chance to see the two cars on video, of course, aside from the spy videos.
Unfortunately, the two cars were under heavy camouflage so we can’t really see how they look like. But Van Meel spent some time talking about some of the features we expect to see next year.
One of them was the new engine. BMW hasn’t confirmed the specs or the codename, but they did say “the technological highlight of the BMW X3 M and BMW X4 M is a newly developed straight six-cylinder engine with M TwinPower Turbo technology and high-revving characteristics.”
In our words: “Welcome the S58!” The M-tuned version of the B58 3-liter straight six mill will have at least 450 HP at its disposal. And while that may not seem like a huge improvement for some, the new engine is important not just for the X3 and X4 models but also for other M cars to be launched in the future.
The other important announcement coming from ///M Town revolved around the M xDrive transmission which is set to be used by the BMW X3 M and BMW X4 M models. BMW confirmed earlier in a press release: “Part of the development process is the specific tuning of the M xDrive technology introduced for the first time in the new BMW M5. This technology is deployed in the BMW X3 M and BMW X4 M to ensure constant supreme and performance-oriented transfer of engine power to all four wheels.”
Furthermore, Van Meel promises driving dynamics unparalleled in the segment: “With their M specific performance characteristics, the BMW X3 M and BMW X4 M will set benchmarks in terms of dynamics in their respective vehicle segment.”
