{"id":3506,"date":"2020-02-12T19:03:00","date_gmt":"2020-02-12T19:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.carpages.ca\/blog\/?p=3506"},"modified":"2020-06-12T19:36:46","modified_gmt":"2020-06-12T19:36:46","slug":"2020-bmw-x3-m-competition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carpages.ca\/blog\/2020-bmw-x3-m-competition\/","title":{"rendered":"2020 BMW X3 M Competition"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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The stench of hypocrisy emanating from the Carpages Garage is overpowering.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

(Sigh)\u2026OK, we\u2019ll come clean. You know by now that we are staunch defenders of low centers of gravity, precise handling and superb efficiency in our cars-so, basically, sedans- and we have always wondered by any self-respecting enthusiast would opt for an SUV instead of their lower riding counterparts. Despite our thinly veiled contempt, we admit to having driven SUVs that have left us shaking our heads in amazement- the sumptuous Range Rover, the fire breathing Mercedes Benz GLC 63 and BMWs own how’d-they-do-that sports car aping X5 M are a few examples. So when BMW confirmed that the X3 would be the next candidate for massaging by the M division, we decided that since we were so impressed by the current G01 generation a few years back (and because anything the M brand gets their hands on usually turns out to be on the right side of insanity) a closer look was in order. Still wearing our customary SUV chip on our shoulders, we cast a wary glance towards\nour Donington Grey painted tester waiting in BMW\u2019s carpark. We figured that it would be a somewhat cool car but not something that you would call great. As it turns out- like it has so many times in the past- we were wrong. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s begin inside before we get to the\nhardware.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Seems like as good a place as any to start.\nWhen we put the X3 M40i through its paces back in December of 2017, we said of\nSAV\u2019s interior: \u201c\u2026it is a comfortable, nicely furnished place to be no matter\nthe length of your journey.\u201d The same is true this time around, but there are\nsome upgrades that ensure your top dog X3 is elevated to a higher level than\nyour neighbor\u2019s rig. The M Sport seats that come from the M3 are excellent\nperches in which to be immersed in your own personal high speed, apex clipping odyssey\nand they\u2019re furnished in two tone Vernasca leather- two things your old pal\nfrom a few doors down cannot enjoy in his humbler X3. The carbon fibre that is\nsplashed around looks good but the weave and topcoat are of exceptional\nquality- we\u2019d absentmindedly catch ourselves touching it while waiting for the\nlights to change at intersections. iDrive is still is intuitive old self so nothing\nto gripe about there. And while we\u2019re sure that the sound system is good, but\nwe are not able to say for sure because while satellite radio is inherently awesome,\nit can\u2019t compete with the noise made in the engine room which provided all the\nmusic we needed.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

BMW makes great inline-six engines. Good\nto know.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Ha! If that\u2019s a tactic to avoid enabling us\nto blubber hysterically about the goodness of BMW\u2019s legendary powerplants,\nwell, it ain\u2019t gonna work. This all-new engine known as the S58 is BMW\u2019s most\npowerful version of a six cylinder they have ever produced. They took some\nunique routes in order to deliver the savage power and zinginess you would\nexpect- it packs a shorter stroke for hungrier rev building, low friction\nturbochargers, a forged crankshaft and a unique cylinder head design that happens\nto be manufactured on a 3D printer. Our Competition trimmed tester\u2019s 503 horsepower\nare accompanied by a soundtrack that BMW says is \u201carresting\u201d, which is a bit\nlike saying Bella Hadid is cute- both are slight understatements. It never gets\nold and your willpower will be tested by trying not to drive around in too low\na gear just to hear it sing. There are baffles in the exhaust you can close with\na push of a button to quiet things down, but why would you? The sound this\nthing makes when you start it up on a cold morning gave us shivers of delight.\nAlong with the superhero engine, other familiar bits donated from the M5 are\nbolted up for good measure, like the excellent ZF 8-speed automatic\ntransmission and the trick electronic rear differential. There are some baubles\nthat stiffen the chassis, and massive braking hardware makes sure that you can\nerase the gobs of speed served up by the drivetrain. The behavior of the X3 M\ncan be adjusted through multiple setting for throttle response, steering heft\nand suspension firmness, or there are the M1 and M2 buttons adjacent to the\npaddle shifters which allow you to pre-program your own tailored settings that\ncan be summoned instantly. We took to using M1 for a slightly spicier feel than\nthe default setting, and M2 we employed for maximum anger- Sport Plus all the\nthings!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s go back to the part where we talk\nabout hypocrisy.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s time we embraced our mea culpa<\/em>\nmoment. This is undeniably an SUV (OK, SAV or Sports Activity Vehicle in BMW\nparlance) but darned if it doesn\u2019t drive like one. The numbers the X3 M is capable\nof are astonishing, not just because it\u2019s an SAV but also the way it shames\nmany so called sports cars. These types of vehicles were meant for schlepping\nfamilies and their stuff up to cottage or maybe some light off tarmac\nendeavors, not clinging to the skid pad at almost 1g of lateral acceleration.\nYet your internal organs will find themselves compressed in various ways by\nphysics as you accelerate, turn and brake with surprising ferocity. An SUV\nshouldn\u2019t be able to do this<\/em>, your mind screams at you as the X3 M sashays\nwith expert proficiently around your favorite sparsely traveled roads. If an M5\nditched it\u2019s V8 for the new S58 six and increased its ground clearance by\nseveral inches, it would drive exactly like the X3 M. We didn\u2019t take it\nanywhere near a track, but we bet it would perform as flawless as its mighty\nbig brother, albeit not as quickly. During our far too short time with the X3\nM, we got dumped on by a major snowstorm and where most people choose to stay\nindoors in those conditions. Not us. It\u2019s the perfect weather recipe for fun\ncourtesy of silly oversteer, and the X3 proved to be a willing playmate. We must\ngive a shout out to the MDM setting for the traction and stability control\nsystems. It lets you hang the back end at slip angles that would make Bo and\nLuke Duke beam with pride but it saves your bacon if you get carried away\nyee-hawing a little too much. This is brilliant stuff that you can enjoy\nthroughout the year and not just in the warmer months. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What might go wrong?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t like feeling yourself jiggle when you\nhead out to run some errands? Us neither, which is why we tried the Sport and\nSport Plus suspension settings in the interest of science and then never left\nComfort mode again. You\u2019ll want to avoid the more aggressive settings pretty\nmuch everywhere but a racetrack because the X3 M\u2019s ride can be borderline\npunishing on our beleaguered roads. We feel a bit guilty calling out a good\nfriend, but the inline six has a noticeable whiff of turbo lag right off idle\nfrom a full stop- it lacks the kick to the spleen delivered by AMG\u2019s\nmagnificent V8 engines. It feels odd complaining about this quirk in an SUV\nthat runs low 11 second \u00bc mile times, but this first world problem will not\ndeprive you of sleep at night, and the X3 M\u2019s turn of speed doesn\u2019t seem to\nsuffer whatsoever. Lastly, the fact that the M40i version exists might give\nsome pause for thought- it is definitely not as quick but hardly slower, and it\nhandles better than an SUV of its ilk ought to and costs less. Plus it isn\u2019t as\nhardcore as the M version, a trait which some will prefer in a daily driver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Should I buy an X3 M Competition?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

You are probably guessing that we\u2019d answer this affirmatively, and you\u2019d be right. We think that the \u2018base\u2019 X3 M with \u2018only\u2019 473 horsepower is great, but why not step up to the Competition- in for a penny, in for a pound, right?  Let\u2019s get real for a second- when you shop this segment of steroidal SUVs, you don’t buy one because it’s good at taking the kids to hockey or because it can easily accommodate your family and their stuff in luxurious digs, which they will happily and easily do. You patronize this segment because of the sheer silliness and outright speed-  let\u2019s face it, these things make no sense whatsoever but what they lack in pragmatism they make up for in stupid fun. The X3 has certainly got you covered, enough to make even the most stubborn SUV hater wave the white flag in defeat. It may hurt us in the feelings to say, but as we reassess and recalibrate our automotive values, we submit that this is a full-fledged M car worthy of the title- SAV or otherwise, we love it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2020 BMW X3 M Competition \u2013 Specifications<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n