My camera man over here was still in kindergarten when I first tested a car for AutoWeek. It was on the circuit Assen, with a BMW M3, an M5...
and a Z3 M Coupe. We were looking for the ultimate BMW M-feeling. After a day playing and steering with the cars, there was only one conclusion...
The M5 was too heavy, the M3 was fun but the Z3 M Coupe was the clear winner. Compact, agile, sharp, big engine, just a sensational car.
It was kind of mean as well. Lots of them have been crashed, but it sure was a party animal. I got the same feeling from a M3 CSL,
the E46. Released in 2003. In 2010, you had the 1M Coupe, another mean party animal. Very raw edged, but if you were able to...
control it, you could write and read with it. It did exactly what you wanted. But if you look at the past decennium, they released an X5 M,
an X6 M. So you could ask yourself: 'what does this M even mean anymore?' And it's weird times, because there's lots of power-SUV's around now.
The GLC AMG, the Alfa Stelvio Q, the Jaguar F-Pace SVR... All kinds of big SUV's with over 500 horsepower.
Now however, there's a new kid on the block: the X3 M.
It's a true M if you look at what BMW Motorsport has done to the engine, because it's much more than they've done to the M40i or M40d.
That means that they've done more than swapping chips and tightening up the suspension. They really went all in with this car.
And it shows from the outside. Big bumpers, a spoiler on the roof, double exhausts, 21-inch wheels... And it continues on the inside.
Carbon, a nice sports wheel, special buttons, great bucket seats. That's all good, but what's most important is found underneath the skin.
I already mentioned the chassis, and that it's been tweaked. But that's not the only thing, they've specially developed the whole suspension..
for this car. Wishbones, anti-roll bars, steering case, the steering. They took everything and made it sportier.
Of course, a true M can't go without an M-engine. And I'm talking about the proper M-engine: a 3.0-litre straight-six.
90 percent of it is entirely new compared to the M40i. This is going to be the engine which'll power the M3 and M4 in the near future as well.
But the question is: are all of those things able to conceal the fact that this isn't a sporty car to begin with? It's big, it's heavy,
it's got a high center of gravity, it isn't a sports car. Not like the Z3 M I was talking about earlier. Well, when it comes to the engine,
that won't be a problem...
510 horsepower, because this is the Competition-version. 600 Nm of torque, 4,1 seconds from 0-100 and a top speed of 285 km/h.
Proper M-numbers, but more importantly is the way it feels. Especially when you put it in Sport-mode, something you'll need lots...
buttons for. However, when you put it in Sport Plus, the throttle response is incredibly direct. From 2.500 RPM, it's one linear power curve.
All the way to 7.200 RPM, and it sounds amazing.
It revs so incredibly high. You'll hit 200 km/h before you know it, and then you go faster.
The true M-sensation you're looking for. And that soundtrack. It sounds amazing.
Just listen to this!
A straight-six is so nicely balanced, very harmonious. The only downside to it, if you ask me, is the lack of a DCT automatic gearbox.
It has a manual transmission, which I can speed up or slow down with buttons on the gear lever, but still.
If you're driving fast and you switch to the flappy paddles... If you brake and change down, it's not quick enough.
But those are details, only applying to when you're on the limit. We already talked about the buttons, but you can also use them to...
alter the chassis. You've got a button here next to the gear lever, but you can also access it in the board computer,
by programming my favorite settings on one of these M-buttons. That way, you always need to press once and get your favorite settings.
For a car this size, it corners really well. There's lots of grip, especially if it's dry. That means your able to precisely aim the car on the road.
Corner to corner, like on this road here. It's a real fun car to drive. I do think the chassis is a tad too hard. Sure, you can vary, but even...
in the most comfortable mode, it's too hard. And that's what you want, but it feels like they've tried to overcompensate.
It does make it a tad nervous, and that's not very positive for the refinement. Too bad, because the hard damping can't conceal the fact...
that it's a very heavy car. If you start pushing it to the limit, you'll feel the weight steering the nose. Especially when it's wet.
When you've got some understeer, and you try to correct it with the throttle, it won't go very smoothly.
Sure, it has four-wheel drive, but most of it is sent to the back. So when you try to counter the understeer, it's too abrupt.
The weight plays too big of a role. Porsche has done it better with their Macan. It's more refined and balanced. So it's possible, but BMW...
wasn't able to do it.
In short, the ultimate M-feeling isn't found in this X3 M. Having said that, it's a very impressive car which corners faster...
than you'd ever imagine and it steers incredibly direct. The engine in the front is truly amazing, and if you think about the fact...
it's going to be in the M3 in the near future, maybe connected to the DCT automatic gearbox... That's a sight to look forward to.