BMW X3 M (spy shot)
Reports about
the X3 getting the M treatment appear to be true, if the latest test mule we’ve
scooped is any indication. BMW has shied away from ordering the M Division to take
care of its compact SUV, yet it won’t leave its rivals from Ingolstadt and
Stuttgart have the market to their own.
Code-named
F97, the prototype that has been scooped features big air intakes on the front
bumper, side skirts, a roof spoiler, a rear diffuser, quad exhausts and what looks like 19- or 20-inch rims with tires
to match.
It makes
sense, to assume that this is going to be Munich’s answer to the upcoming
Audi RS Q5 and Mercedes-AMG GLC, though it’s possible it’s a mule of another,
unknown version.
The new X3
(internal code G01) will launch next year as a 2018MY, and the first-ever X3 M
is expected to follow soon after, probably spawning a similar variant of its X4
coupe sibling, too.
True to M
fashion, it will feature an appropriately tuned chassis with sports suspension,
quicker steering and large brakes, though the powertrain is anyone’s guess. So
far, it was thought that the twin-turbo inline six petrol unit from the M3/M4,
with anything between 400 and 500 HP, would do the job.
The recently
launched quad-turbo diesel that puts out 394 HP and, more importantly, 760 Nm of torque is a credible option though. After all, if it’s good for
nearly 4.5 seconds in the 750d xDrive that’ll be the first to get
it, it should work just fine on the much more nimble SUV.
Source : Carscoops
