The long-awaited third generation of the BMW X3 is almost here. Sporting contemporary exterior styling, more luxurious interior finishes and a new range of performance engines, the X3 is taking the fight to the Audi Q5 and Mercedes-Benz GLC. Adding best-in-class technology and connectivity features, the X3 has come of age and, for BMW, it can’t arrive soon enough.
Picture yourself as an Australian car executive. Frequently at the back of the queue for deliveries, sometimes you won’t get your vehicles in the country until they’ve been on sale elsewhere for upwards on six months. On occasion you may even be launching a new vehicle while the next generation has already been previewed to overseas buyers.
Australia may have been the runt of the litter but for savvy European manufacturers, we have become an increasingly important marketplace. We typically buy more high-margin vehicles – no base models here -- so in a market which is heavily skewed to SUVs, it makes sense to bring in high specification models as quickly as possible.
BMW Australia has succeeded where other importers have struggled and has confirmed it will be among the first markets to receive the new BMW X3, with cars going on sale here next month at the same time as Europe.
It is understandable that the company is excited about the impending arrival. Even with an ageing X3 in run-out, SUV sales still make up over half of all the company’s vehicle sales here. And the launch earlier this year of the rather-good Audi Q5 will have put further pressure on its mid-sizer.
Thankfully BMW’s excitement is well-placed. The all-new X3 is really rather good.
At the Portugal launch of the new range, we took the opportunity to drive the two top-spec models, both of which will be coming to Australia.
The BMW X3 xDrive 30d will be first cab off the rank when it goes on sale alongside the xDrive 20d ($68,900) and xDrive 30i ($75,900) in November.
On sale for $83,900 plus on-road costs, the X3 3.0d delivers punch in spades. Its 3.0-litre turbocharged diesel engine is matched with an eight-speed sports automatic transmission and generates 195kW and 620Nm, 60Nm more than the last generation 30d. The torque is staggering, with a sharp jab of the throttle flinging driver and passenger rearwards.
Unfortunately on this test drive, there wasn’t much opportunity to stretch the legs of the 30d on the open road so we’ll reserve full judgement to the upcoming local launch.
This drive was really a demonstration of the X3’s off-road capability. The X3 offers ground clearance of 204mm, the same as the outgoing model and moderately improved approach and departure angles.
Hill Descent Control works well and can be set at 1km/intervals up to 20km/h. On large rocks and smooth declines, the system isn’t as intrusive or conservative as experienced in other vehicles. It doesn’t grab or graunch and not as disconcerting for novice off roaders.
On looser shale surfaces, the system works well, locking wheels as required to successfully navigate this trickier surface. There is a bit more noise at this stage yet it remains very capable. Of course it is unlikely that the third generation X3 will get much of a work out off-road, yet it still needs to be able, should the need arise.
The diesel engine will prove a worthy towing companion, the X3 offering braked towing capacity of 2400kg, up from 2000kg in its predecessor.
A dose of M
A surprise addition to the BMW Australia X3 line-up is the performance X3 M40i. Announced last week and set to be on sale by mid-2018, the BMW M40i is powered by a recalibrated version of the 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbocharged engine we loved in the BMW M140i.
It generates 265kW and 500Nm putting on a par with the new petrol-powered Audi SQ5 – its obvious rival. Numbers-wise it also stacks up well against the Porsche Macan GTS besting it in both power and torque.
In practice the X3 M40i is a riot. Its exhaust at start up is nice and throaty while in sports mode, the pipes are opened to deliver an enhanced note. It really isn’t what we’ve come to expect from an X3 but it’s a nice surprise!
What’s also quite pleasant is that in comfort setting, the exhaust note is muted so it’s not as relentless as, say, the Mercedes-AMG GLC 43. It makes for an SUV which is easier to live with day to day and a bit less shouty around the city.
Acceleration to 100km/h for the M40i is claimed at 4.8secs, also improved over the Porsche Macan S Turbo. Power delivery is smooth and accessible and matched with a composed ride, even on standard 20-inch wheels, the X3 M40i packages up into a very nice ride indeed.
There’s little bodyroll evident in cornering and the chassis seems lithe for an SUV. The ride is stiff but on mixed road surfaces it wasn’t overly harsh. Sports mode tightens things up further but isn’t too unpleasant.
The X3 is well insulated from external sound and with the exception of some wind noise around the roof line, the cabin ambience was impressive. Even the Pirelli P Zero run-flat tyres failed to cause too much noise intrusion but I daresay a local ride on our coarse chip road might give us more room for concern.
Giving the clearest demonstration that this is a city SUV, we found the steering feel to be on the light side, particularly on comfort setting. Flick to sports mode and it tightens, delivering greater feedback but in its lightest setting it is verging on properly effortless. City SUV drivers will no doubt love its ease of use but I found it lacking in personality.
Visibility around the X3 is good and the addition of available technology including 360-degree camera and remote parking adds to the flexibility of the X3. Function has also been thought through with clever details including a boot floor which is raised on a strut so it stays open during loading.
The second-row seats can recline for extra passenger comfort or can be tilted slightly forward to give an additional 100 litres of boot capacity if required. Latches at the rear of the boot enable easy operation of the 40:20:40-split folding second row while clever details like onboard storage of the parcel shelf make packing a breeze.
Tech-laden
Technology features abound and include a suite of driver assistance technologies that lay the building blocks towards an autonomous driving future. Adaptive cruise control including lane keeping assist is available at launch, and from December 2017 vehicles will also be available with lane change assist which will assess available space in traffic and move the vehicle itself to overtake.
An additional showpiece for the X3 is the capability of the new iDrive 6 system, which integrates with BMW Connected Drive to offer seamless connectivity with mobile devices, with far greater functionality than Apple CarPlay or Android Auto systems.
Vehicles equipped with appropriate hardware can beam a 360-degree image of their location to a phone via the BMW Connected app while location sharing enables a journey to be tracked by friends and family.
While it isn’t available in Australia just yet, iDrive 6 also enables the vehicle to be synced with a Microsoft 365 account to read diary information and emails to the driver. Phone numbers stored in calendar invites can be dialled direct from the iDrive system without the need for the driver to touch their phone.
BMW’s impressive Display Key is available as an option on the X3 enabling remote start and heating, vehicle status information and remote parking. With such a suite of technologies included on the X3, BMW has catapulted its medium SUV into category leader territory.
Up until now, the BMW X3 has been a solid performer but in its last guise, it failed to excite against its main rivals and its finish and execution was frankly bland and uninspired.
This third generation is a charm and head and shoulders above its predecessor. Critically for BMW, in a market where medium SUVs remain the fastest growing and most competitive segment sales, it faces down its competitors with a compelling mix of detail, excitement, execution and technicality.
BMW Australia has every reason to be excited.
2017 BMW X3 30d pricing and specifications:
On sale: November
Price: $83,900 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 195kW/620Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 6.0L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 158g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: N/A
2017 BMW X3 M40i pricing and specifications:
On sale: Mid-2018
Price: $100,000 estimated (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 265kW/500Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 8.4L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 193g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: N/A