Test Car Specifications
Model: 2024 BMW X3 M50 xDrive
Price: X3 from £48,375; M50 xDrive from £66,980
Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged straight-six petrol with 48V mild hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic, all-wheel drive
Power: 398hp
Torque: 580Nm
Emissions: 175-189g/km
Economy: 34.0-36.7mpg
0-62mph: 4.6 seconds
Top speed: 155mph
Boot space: 570-1,700 litres
Styling
BMW was apparently set on making the new X3 look as though it was hewn from a single lump of metal, and the design certainly looks a bit cleaner than before. It has a slightly different silhouette, too, designed to add a sporty edge, while some of the details are taken from the new 5 Series. Fortunately, BMW has refrained from going too crazy with the grille, although it's hardly subtle.
And, because this is the sportier M50 xDrive model, there are some more motorsport-orientated tweaks, including bigger wheels, red brake callipers and lots of black exterior trim. It isn't quite as out-there as a full-fat M model, but it's subtly more menacing than the more mundane M Sport trims.
Interior
In a premium SUV, the interior is incredibly important, and that’s an issue for the new X3, no matter which version you choose. BMW executives have quietly admitted cost-cutting measures have left the car with some below-par materials, including those around the door catches, the arm rests and even the dashboard. Fiddly, flimsy air vent controls are a let-down, too, and if you look closely in the rear and in the boot, you’ll find some other less-than-exemplary finishes.
But if you can get past the state of the materials, you’ll find it isn’t all bad. BMW has cleaned up the dashboard design, with buttons almost completely removed from the main panels, and two massive screens dominating proceedings. Although until you start the car, you won’t realise they’re separate screens, because they share the same wide housing that spans roughly half the dashboard’s width.
The technology on display is pretty good for the most part — the screens are sharp and configurable, the responses are quick and most of the menus are logical — but it has its idiosyncracies that tend to irritate slightly, and the removal of buttons from the dash means the main touchscreen has a lot to do. Even things like climate control and drive mode selection are taken care of by the screens, and that’s usually an ergonomic nightmare.
In fairness to BMW, the latest-generation Operating System 9 software is better than most on that front, with temperature controls that are always accessible no matter what you’re doing with the screen and the iDrive rotary controller on the centre console, which allows you to navigate more or less by touch once you’ve learned your way around.
The M50 xDrive also gets some neat touches befitting its lofty position in the range, including much textured gear shift paddles that represent a massive improvement on the standard paddles. There are some other sporty features, too, including a red straight-ahead marker on the steering wheel to remind you you’re in a more performance-orientated SUV.
Practicality
Despite the sportiness of the X3, though, it's still quite a practical family bus, with plenty of space for four adults to travel in adequate comfort. Those in the front will have plenty of room and the person behind the wheel will benefit from a very good driving position, while rear space is neither the best nor the worst in the class. Similarly, at 570 litres with all five seats upright, the boot space is competitive without being exceptional.
Performance
The new X3’s engine range is a broad church, incorporating 2.0-litre petrol and diesel engines, as well as a plug-in hybrid. There’s soon to be a 3.0-litre diesel, too, although that won’t arrive until next year. And even then, the M50 xDrive’s 3.0-litre straight-six petrol engine will still be the pinnacle of the X3 range – at least until the X3 M arrives with even more power.
That car will need quite a lot of power to outgun the M50 xDrive, though, because this car’s engine is turbocharged and fitted with a 48-volt mild hybrid system, which allows it to produce 389hp. As with every other X3, that power goes to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic gearbox, allowing a 0-62mph time of 4.6 seconds and the obligatory top speed of 155mph. That makes the M50 xDrive more than fast enough, but the engine does more than just hurl the car towards the horizon at a vast rate of knots. It’s also surprisingly smooth – the straight-six engine is finely balanced and more refined than you might expect – and better suited to the X3’s character than you might imagine.
Of course, it’s hardly the most economical engine on the planet. If you’re lucky or gentle, you might get close to the claimed economy of around 35mpg, but realistically, you won’t get such a good return from it. And though the engine is smooth, it doesn’t sound all that exciting. BMW has blamed emissions regulation for the relative lack of exhaust and engine noise, and the company has tried to combat that with noise piped in through the car’s sound system. It’s a neat idea, but it’ll always sound a bit fake.
Ride & Handling
As well as beefing up the engine, BMW has also upgraded the M50 xDrive with revised suspension and an updated braking system, both of which are designed to keep the power and pace in check. The result is a small increase in dynamic capability, particularly when it comes to reducing body roll — the amount the car leans over — in corners. But there’s no great improvement in steering feel or outright agility, which is a shame.
More bothersome, though, is the fact that this minor improvement seems to come at the cost of comfort, leaving the M50 xDrive feeling quite bobbly and unsettled on the road, especially around town. It does improve the faster you go, but you have to be doing the sort of speed that’s only legal in Germany before it really becomes comfortable. Below that, it feels as though the rear suspension has a mind of its own.
Value
The X3 range starts at a pretty reasonable £46,800 for the basic 20 xDrive 2.0-litre petrol version, but the M50 xDrive is almost £20,000 more expensive at £64,990. Admittedly, that money pays for more performance and some sporty styling, but you don’t get that much more kit. The important stuff — navigation systems, a reversing camera and climate control — are all thrown in as standard, so the M50 xDrive differentiates itself with updated brakes, 20-inch alloys and style tweaks. But is that £20,000’s worth of extras? No.
Verdict
The X3 M50 xDrive suffers from many of the same issues as the standard X3, but subtracts some comfort in exchange for relatively small upgrades in terms of handling and performance. For our money, the more unremarkable versions of the X3 provide better value and, 99 per cent of the time, they're better cars.
