Crossover has power to spare
The 2018 BMW X3 M40i is a performance crossover that gets the heart thumping while still being adult enough to fit four adults and all their stuff for a five-day weekend away.
And what a weekend it was. On the highway, the X3 earned its M-mmmerits on Missouri’s twisty backwoods roads, where wild turkeys, armadillos and deer are more frequent than oncoming traffic. Some of those turkeys were in the backseat, requesting more crossover and less performance.
I obliged, at first. Cognac Vernasca tan leather swaddled the interior in plush comfort, and ventilated 14-way power front seats and a three-zone climate system kept the seven-hour drive as comfy as a seven-hour drive can get.
The tallest passenger, at six-foot-three, was a tight fit front and back due to his particularly bulbous knees, but headroom was plentiful thanks in part to the panoramic sunroof. One of those same knees had a tendency to block the driver’s hand from using BMW’s controller dial in the centre console. The 12.3-inch touchscreen display is crystal clear, with excellent navigation display and functionality, which is also conveniently projected on the head-up display (part of the optional Premium Package).
The controller dial, touch screen and redundant steering controls are all portals to vehicle info, so every taste to access technology is satisfied. Of course, there’s overkill. Everyone enjoyed the novelty of gesture controls, such as circling your finger in front of the centre stack to adjust volume. Why not reach a few centimetres more and use the knob? The silly novelty is complemented by six different ambient lighting options. What was not silly was the money grab of charging extra for Apple CarPlay and for wireless phone charging, options usually thrown in for free or bundled in a package by other automakers.
That is not the German way. Despite three packages on the tester, including gesture control bundled with the every-angle-covered surround view camera as part of the optional Executive Package, our X3 did not have adaptive cruise or lane-keep assist.
Road noise was minimal despite the gaping maw overhead, and both EcoPro and Comfort modes were smooth enough to allow for intermittent naps from everyone but the driver.
At 29 cubic feet, cargo room was as tall and deep as it was wide, and a clever underfloor storage shelf helped secure delicate items.
It did everything you’d expect from a luxury compact crossover. Until we unloaded the gear (and the turkeys) to hit those undulating backwoods roads.
The first X3 to be injected with BMW’s laudable M Performance line features a new 3.0-litre turbocharged inline six-cylinder engine. Along with the eight-speed automatic transmission, total output is 360 horsepower compared with 306 horses in the outgoing xDrive35i. Torque jumps 25 per cent to 369 pound-feet. It’s mmmmarvelous.
There is no lag from a stop, and the stomach drops a little as you catch your breath out of second gear on your way to hitting 100 kilometres per hour in just 4.8 seconds. Paddle shifters give the driver control of any red-lining tendencies. Sport mode turns the instrument cluster from blue to red, and the fuel-monitoring gauge becomes a red-rimmed RPM gauge. It also tightens the steering for much sharper execution. The thrumming engine note is artificially amplified through the speakers, but it still quickens the pulse.
It’s quicker than the Audi SQ5, and a tad slower than similarly priced Mercedes-AMG GLC43 and Porsche Macan S.
The most direct comparison is the 340i sedan, once the benchmark of the essential driver’s car, with ample power, direct steering and peerless handling. But an all-wheel-drive crossover just can’t handle as well as a rear-drive sedan. It will always be bigger and taller by design; the driver is more removed from the contours of the road and the heaviness demands more space for braking. Yet on its own, the X3 is a delight.
Run-flat tires are a question mark, but the suspension and grip never questions confidence; it's fun to drive.
The redesigned X3 is the kind of car that can make the weekend getaway even more fun, and the weekday commute more enjoyable.