It’s safe to say the M5 G90 stole the X3 M50’s thunder at the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed. To make things right, we’re here to show love to the M Performance G45. BMWBLOG spent quality time with the hottest version of the fourth-generation luxury crossover and its fresh Dune Grey color. Flaunting quad exhaust tips, the new not-quite-M X3 looks the business.
If you’re wondering about the wheels, that’s a 21-inch set in the 1037 M two-tone style. It’s a size higher than the standard alloys offered in a couple of designs. BMW has previously told us there would be a 22-inch set but we haven’t seen it so far. Chances are it’ll be an upgrade available only through the M Performance Parts catalog.
More and more performance BMWs are getting a flat-bottomed steering wheel and the X3 M50 is no exception. Although the company’s best-selling model uses iDrive 9, it still has a rotary knob. It’s actually the only vehicle part of the vast portfolio to offer this combination. By switching to the latest infotainment, most conventional buttons have been eliminated. It’s all been done in the name of minimalism, although cost-cutting was likely a factor as well.
We believe there won’t be another full-fat X3 M with a combustion engine, so the M50 will effectively be promoted to flagship status. It’s not going to be the only version with a six-cylinder engine since a more potent diesel with an inline-six is confirmed for 2025. However, the oil-burner won’t be branded as an M Performance car. Rather than being called an M50d or something to that effect, it could be known as xDrive30d or xDrive40d.
BMW will make the X3 in Spartanburg but the xDrive30e plug-in hybrid is going to roll off the assembly line at Plant Rosslyn in South Africa. The market launch is set for Q4 2024 for Europe and the US, with other regions to follow from January 2025.
