This is the first time BMW ha launched an M version of the X3 in India. Although it rivals the Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 Coupe, its quite a lot more expensive as it comes to India as a full import. It is however powered by the most powerful straight-six M petrol engine ever.
Just as Mercedes launched the made-in-India GLC 43 AMG Coupe in India, BMW too thought of dropping an M SUV. BMW launched the X3 M in India yesterday for a price of Rs 99.99 lakh, ex-showroom. Of course the price is steep and it certainly wouldn’t be as affordable as a made-in-India GLC 43 AMG. This is also the first time BMW has launched an M version of the X3 in India and the company claims that its powered by the most powerful straight-six M petrol engine. Lets look at it in a little more detail.
What’s Under The Hood?
The BMW X3 is powered by a newly developed “TwinPower Turbo” 3.0-litre inline-six petrol engine that produces 480hp and peak torque at 600Nm. The engine comes mated to an 8-speed M Steptronic gearbox with all-wheel drive and an active rear differential.. BMW claims the 0-100kph sprint comes up in jut 4.2 seconds while the top-speed is limited to 250 kph. BMW says this engine features the latest tech upgrade, and is said to have track-tested cooling and oil supply systems. You get four driving modes – Comfort, Efficient, Sport and Sport+.
These modes allow you to alter various parameters of the car including the electronic dampers. You can even customize these parameters individually with the M1 and M2 buttons on the steering wheel. Moreover, the all-wheel drive is rear biased, so you can always have some fun trying to slip the tail out.
What Are The Cosmetic Upgrades?
Of course this being an M car, it gets its due share of M cosmetic upgrades. That includes a sportier looking bumper with huge air dams, blacked out kidney grille with double slats along with a ‘X3M’ logo, discreet roof rails and an aggressive looking rear spoiler as well. The X3 M rides on 20-inch M branded alloy wheels along with M branded brake calipers as standard. The quad exhausts round off the look at the rear. The rest of the design is in line with the regular X3 but the aggressive proportions give the SUV the right amount of sporty credentials.
What Are The Updates On The Inside?
Although the design and layout of the dashboard is pretty identical to the standard X3, it gets certain M-specific updates. That includes the new electrically adjustable sport seats with memory function and an M-specific instrument cluster. Even the seatbelts have red and blue stitching with M-branding and they look expensive. The X3 M also gets a panoramic sunroof and split-folding rear seats.
Other features have been carried over from the standard X3. Some of the highlights would be the adaptive LED headlights, a 10.25-inch i-Drive infotainment system with Apple CarPlay, a 12-speaker infotainment system, ambient lighting, three-zone climate control, rain sensing wipers, anti-dazzle interior and exterior mirrors, head-up display, wireless phone charger, and a powered tailgate. Sadly, BMW still does not offer Android Auto with the X3 M.
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Some of the highlight safety features on the X3 M includes six airbags, ABS with brake assist, EBD, electronic stability control, an electronic parking brake with an auto hold function, and a tyre pressure monitor.
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The BMW X3 M also rivals the Porsche Macan S in India along with the Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 Coupe. The Mercedes is however a lot more affordable owing to local assembly. Sports SUVs are obviously quite as thrilling as some sports cars that you can buy for a similar amount of money. They however offer similar levels of performance and actually make great sense for Indian roads. You can have fun driving your car and not worry about damaging it all the time.
