BMW X3 M50 xDrive MHEV driving report: exotic role
BMW's X3 SUV model has been in high demand worldwide for many years. The current top-of-the-range engine is impressive. But its price is no less impressive.
(Image: BMW)
Perhaps you feel the same way: if you select the configurator for the new X3 on the BMW website, you will initially wince. Scoffers may remark that this has been the case with every new BMW model for years. But the interior with its light blue accents, which cannot be deselected, is certainly not to everyone's taste, especially in combination with the beige seat upholstery. In real life, however, it doesn't look nearly as garish and can be turned off in the car. BMW could not afford to scare off X3 customers in this way, as the SUV has been one of the most sought-after models in the world for many years. The top model X3 M50 xDrive MHEV was available to us for an initial test drive.
Exotic role
BMW is now offering the fourth X3, initially with two mild hybrid petrol engines, a diesel and a plug-in hybrid. There will not be a battery-electric offshoot on this basis, but there will be an SUV of a similar size based on the"New Class" platform. The role of the exotic model will probably be played by the mild hybrid petrol engine with 293 kW that we drove. This is not only due to the price of at least 82,500 euros. In the past, a similar amount of power was rarely in demand in the X3. Nevertheless, BMW could also significantly up the ante with combustion engines, as the SUV was previously available with more than 350 kW.
In the current generation, the only six-cylinder engine produces 280 kW from a displacement of three liters. A small electric motor contributes a maximum of 13 kW, which BMW adds to the total output. This is not the case with the torque: a maximum of 580 Nm in total, with the combustion engine and electric motor specified as 540 and 200 Nm individually. The electric motor is located in the transmission and is intended to support the petrol engine where developers deem it necessary.
The six-cylinder from next door
In practice, the influence of the electric motor can hardly be experienced, as its power output is simply too low in view of the powerful six-cylinder next door. Despite an unladen weight of around two tons, the driving impression is, as expected, massive. The factory promises a standard sprint time of 4.6 seconds, and on the short test lap there is no reason to doubt this even slightly. The engine responds to acceleration inputs with little delay and is always very powerful when required. In all other current X3 models, the top speed is limited to 215 km/h; the provisional top model is only slowed down at 250 km/h.
BMW X3 M50 xDrive MHEV (12 Bilder)
BMW
)BMW specifies 7.7 to 8.3 liters/100 km in the WLTP. It may be that these figures are achievable, but this requires a driving style for which nobody will buy an X3 with such a performance range. In everyday driving, the figure is likely to be a fairly reliable 10 to 11 liters, and of course you can easily get away with more. A heavy car with a large frontal area and a voluminous combustion engine: there is nothing in this calculation that has a moderating effect. The fact that BMW has integrated a small electric motor here should not be misunderstood, which is probably not the case for the majority of the target group: anyone who orders this combination knows what it means for the balance sheet - especially in terms of fuel consumption.
Comfort despite dynamics
What is remarkable is what BMW once again delivers in the chassis area. It goes without saying that the M50 is not and cannot be a sedan chair. But even in the sport setting, it avoids excessive harshness and filters out small bumps unobtrusively. The handling remains largely neutral up to high speeds. Only when you really let it rip do the weight and the slightly too high seating position become noticeable. The steering provides a decent amount of feedback and clearly outclasses the iX1 eDrive20, for example, in this respect.
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The interior is free of almost any buttons. There are only a few direct access points to a few functions around the rotary control. You have to familiarize yourself with the infotainment system, although BMW includes a voice control system that could win over even skeptics. The once physical favorites buttons have now disappeared into a submenu that can be accessed with a swipe across the screen from top to bottom. At least they still exist, and there should be such a shortcut in every infotainment system.
At least not shabby
The material impression is surprisingly plain in some places. Although the fourth X3 doesn't look as shabby as the very first X3, the proportion of hard plastics is quite high considering the price. The cladding of the head-up display and the "interaction bar", which can be used to control the air vents, among other things, do not match the premium claim. It is not clear what possessed BMW to introduce this type of control. And no, the X3 lettering next to it doesn't make things any better. In any case, the entire interior design appears somewhat undercooled.
The assistants made an excellent impression during this first test drive. Even the recognition of traffic signs works exceptionally well here. For an extra charge, the driver can be assisted with all kinds of things, whether it's automatically adopting recognized speed limits, stopping at stop signs or red lights or changing lanes on the freeway. A system in which the latter can also be started by eye scan is not yet available in the X3. BMW has been offering it in the 5 Series since last year.
Bravely calculated
Those interested in the X3 will also have to get used to other things. Many extras are no longer available in conjunction with the base model, while BMW now only offers other things in packages. Instead of a sliding glass roof, there is now only a fixed glass roof. At 1500 euros, it is almost as expensive as the panoramic roof with opening function in the predecessor. An X3 has never been cheap in its history, but the speed at which the 65,000 euro mark has now been exceeded, even with the basic petrol engine, seems bravely calculated. A plug-in hybrid, equipped as most customers are likely to order it, will cost another 10,000 euros more, and the M50 we drove with its full equipment comes to more than 95,000 euros. This is even more shocking than the colorful strips in the configurator.
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(mfz)