BMW says there’s no next-gen X3 M planned, and that means the super SUV only gets to hang around for one full generation. Which, by extension, implies that it might one day end up pretty hard to find a nice one. Doubly so when the thing in question is an enthusiast-centered vehicle that actually drives pretty well. The BMW X3 M checks a lot of boxes when thinking about what kind of vehicles might become highly sought-after in the coming years. Even if it isn’t the first place you’d look.
The X3 M Wasn’t the First; But It Might Have Been the Best
Sure, the X3 M wasn’t the first BMW M SUV. That crown, of course, belongs to the E70 X5 M. But the super SUV was the first vehicle ever to receive the S58 engine you’ll find across the lineup today – including under the hood of the legendary BMW M3. It made identical power to the M3 that followed, too – 473 horsepower. Competition Package vehicles bumped power up to 500 horsepower and Car and Driver even managed to get one to sprint from zero to 60 mph in a – frankly, dubious – 3.3 seconds.
Aiding that blazing fast spring was no doubt the M xDrive all-wheel drive system. The BMW X3 M was the first all-wheel drive M car powered by a six-cylinder, and set the bar and expectations for the forthcoming G80 M3 and G82 M4. Its smaller size – relative to the X5 M, anyway – and inline-six sound really made it feel like what it ultimately was: an M3 on stilts.
SUVs Are – Apparently – Collectible
If you watched Barrett Jackson earlier this month or even considered looking at vintage truck and SUV listings on any number of the online auction sites out there, it’s pretty obvious that there’s a market for vintage SUVs. And while early BMW SUVs aren’t quite commanding the ludicrous prices that some restomod Broncos and Chevy K10s are, it’s probably only a matter of time – especially when you consider all the interesting high points unique to the X3 M.
Limited(ish) Production
There was only one generation of X3 M. If there’s another X3 M coming, it’s all-electric. In 2021, BMW Group produced 4,418 examples of the X3 M, compared to the whopping 113,831 standard X3 units. Assuming similar production numbers for each year, less than 30,000 X3 M SUVs will ever exist. That’s not far from total North America production of the E46 M3, which is around 26,000. But remember – X3 M production in Spartanburg travels around the world.
I’m not going to proselytize too much on the supposed rarity of the SUV, but let’s face facts. They’re only making them for a little longer. Quite soon, actually, it will be too late to buy one new – and there will be a finite number to choose from that haven’t been modified, crashed, or had other misadventures that might make them undesirable to own.
I think it’s a shame that the X3 M isn’t coming back, as in my opinion it represented one of the best products BMW offered. Instantly-recognizable styling, a sweetheart of a powertrain, excellent ergonomics, and just-right sizing and dynamics (compared to larger M SUVs, anyway) made it always a treat to drive. Will the X3 M ever cross the auction block for the money we see E30 M3s get? Probably not. But then, with all of its fine qualities, I wouldn’t be all that surprised.
