An image that reportedly gives us an early glimpse at the new X3 facelift was spotted online. The shot was captured somewhat embarrassingly from BMW’s official Spanish website (BMW.es) and provides a good look at the side portion of the new car, along with a hint of the front and rear. Up front, the most apparent and visible element that has undergone change are the angular headlights that appear to take after the 4-Series. The daytime-running “halos” are less circular and more pointed, but the overall appearance looks very much in line with BMW’s current design direction.
Of course, the biggest and potentially
most controversial element of any modern-day BMW is always going to be how
prominent is the double coffin kidney grille. It’s tough to tell from this
angle, but it appears that the grilles might indeed be larger than the outgoing
SUV’s, if not as all-consuming as the M3/M4 or X7. In addition, the front of
the LCI (as BMW aficionados call it) X3 appears to sport a separate air inlet
that takes up space below the kidneys.
Other notable aspects include a
re-profiled front bumper, which looks as sharp as you’d expect if a little
cleaner than the outgoing car. The rear lights appear to be smoked too. Some
speculation online has indicated that the X3 depicted is the M40i. If so, the
aggressive bumper and wheel design may be toned down for lesser models.
Interior changes are expected to be kept
to the minimum. Similarly, BMW is not expected to make any powertrain
modifications to the 2022 X3. Instead, they’re likely to stick with the current
range of petrol and diesel engines and one or more plug-in hybrid models. Also,
expected to remain will be the X3 M powered by a 473 hp (503 hp in Competition
spec) 3.0-liter twin-turbo straight-six.
