BMW X3 M COMPETITION
Hi-po SUV arrives late to the fray with something special under the bonnet
THE BMW X3 M Competition is aptly named, because it has plenty of it. It’s the latest arrival in a packed market segment full of quality players like the Mercedes-amg GLC63 S, Alfa Stelvio Q, Jaguar F-pace SVR and Porsche Macan Turbo. BMW is a little late to the party, but has the advantage of seeing what its rivals have come up with before wading into the fray.
Only the top-spec ‘Competition’ variants of the X3 M (and its quasicoupe sibling, the X4 M) will be coming to Australia, which means 375kw/600nm from an all- all-new new 3.0-litre twin-turbo
straight-six and 0-100km/h in 4.1sec. The engine, codenamed S58, is important, as essentially the same unit will power the next-generation M3.
It certainly doesn’t want for performance, making light work of even the X3’s substantial 1970kg. There’s a moment’s pause as the two mono-scroll turbos build boost but from there the power continues all the way to the 6700rpm redline. Throttle response is sharp, verging on too sharp when switched to Sport Plus, but the engine could do with a little more character. Despite the sports exhaust fitted as standard to Aussie cars, the soundtrack is a cultured growl – some extra attitude would be welcome.
Power is fed through an eight-speed automatic, which sweetly balances shift speed and driveline smoothness via the M xdrive system that first appeared in the current M5. It offers two modes: the slightly rear-biased 4WD and very rear-biased 4WD Sport. The latter makes the X3 M remarkably lively when driven to its limits; regaining traction requires a lift of the throttle like a traditional rear-drive car, rather than just waiting for the front wheels to pull t the car straight.
Even the most ardent SUV hater would struggle not to be impressed with the speed and accuracy the X3 M delivers when driven hard. The steering is typically BMW M: a thick wheel controls a rack that’s heavily weighted, even in Comfort, and majors on accuracy, not communication. As such you have to trust the grip is there, but it usually is in abundance and the X3 M offers such poise that few allowances have to be made for its size and weight.
This handling prowess comes at the cost of ride comfort. Personally, it leans
just to the right side of acceptable, but if you regularly traverse poorly surfaced roads, the constant jostling could prove tiresome. It’s difficult to imagine a scenario in which the suspension would need to be altered from Comfort, which does rather negate the point of adaptive dampers.
Otherwise it’s very habitable. The interior is functional and premium, with the sports seats particularly worthy of mention. Equipment levels are extremely high – though any other colour than white attracts a $2000 metallic paint premium – which helps justify the $157,900 ask, more than all its rivals bar the eight-pot GLC63 S. The X3 M has the performance chops to stand toe-to-toe with any of them, but its more introverted character might be a handicap in a segment where what a car can do is arguably less important than how it does it.