BMW X3 M40i 2019 Review

If I wasn’t a car person, and someone told me they just bought an X3 M40i, I’d be very confident they voted for the Shooters Party in the last federal election. It sounds more like a high-caliber weapon than a vehicle.

Move beyond its clinical name however and the most potent BMW X3 available in Australia today – until the X3 M arrives – is a very fine modern day chariot.

It's not surprising the X3 has eclipsed the X5 as Australia's favourite BMW SUV, nor that it's overtaken the 3 Series, because it looks good, feels good and drives well.

This particular weapon is powered by Beemer's 3.0-litre turbo-petrol straight-six engine and works up 265kW and 500Nm. All that creamy-smooth straight-six clout pumps through a savvy eight-speed ZF automatic transmission via an all-wheel drive system.

Now, if those numbers and words mean little to you, try this translation: It's very smooth and very fast.

In full attack mode, the potent BMW X3 generates enough thrust to propel its 1768kg mass from 0-100km/h in 4.8sec – providing you use the launch control system.

Mash the throttle from standstill in one of the less ballistic drive modes and the X3 M40i still rips forward at a brisk clip, and it's made all the more entertaining by a surprisingly gruff exhaust note that includes a chorus of crackles between gearshifts and on the overrun.

Indeed, the BMW X3 M40i is engaging to drive and far more vocal than I had anticipated, which is a nice touch from the usually conservative BMW. Of course you can wind down the loud exhaust acoustics if you like and even switch to an Eco mode to save fuel.

For the record, I managed 10.9L/100km over a week's driving according to the trip computer.

This included a fair whack of full-throttle launches from traffic lights, a weeks' worth of commuting and a 300km round trip to the hills. Overall it was around 500km, so that figure of less than 11.0L/100km ain't bad.

On demanding, twisting roads the BMX X3 M40i felt bulletproof, tracking through corners more like a low-slung coupe than a high-riding SUV, thanks to clever suspension fettling and a 50:50 weight distribution front to rear.

The steering is pretty good for an SUV, with subtle feedback and the big 21-inch alloy wheels shod with hefty 245/40 tyres at the front and even wider 275/35s at the rear generate scads of grip. The all-wheel drive system provides even more stability when blasting out of corners at full noise, thanks in part to an M Sport differential that cleverly divvies up the power.

Although the run-flat tyres have improved over the years, they still ride firmly on cruddy road surfaces and this can affect the ride comfort in everyday scenarios. Adaptive M suspension is standard and is pretty good in regular mode but gets almost too firm when set to agro.

For around $100K you get a fair bit of car with the BMW X3 M40i starting with all the visual stuff, which gives the car a sporty, premium look. Standard equipment includes tasteful 21-inch alloy wheels with (very capable) M Sport brakes, an M Sport exhaust system and an M aerodynamics package.

The latter includes a roof wing, side skirts and bold front and rear bumpers, all of which are tied together with a contrasting grey finish.

Adaptive LED headlights, LED foglights and LED brake lights are gratis too, as are interior features like power-operated Vernasca leather seats with overt grey stitching. There's a neat cluster of controls around the stylised gear stick, including buttons for modes and auto-hold park brake and the icing on the cake is the customisable digital instrument display.

It's not quite as fancy-pants as the setup in the new BMW X5 but the way the digital display is integrated into the dashboard is still lovely to look at, with a nice blend of eye candy 'because we can' and useful info, such as road speed, fuel consumption and outside temperature.

The steering wheel looks good and feels plush, there's a large 12.3-inch widescreen infotainment display and everything works as expected, such as the voice control and parking monitor. Oh, and the parking monitor is exceptional, borrowed from the 7 Series, and allows you to view the car from several angles.

There's a premium ambience in the cabin too, the leather upholstery teaming up with aluminium accents to impressive effect, while a 16-speaker Harman Kardon stereo provides impressive audio quality to ease the daily commute, whether listening to thrash metal music or the dulcet tones of astro-physicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.

I really like the high-tech stuff too, especially the semi-autonomous driver aids. Driving Assistant Plus is standard, and it makes soul-crushing freeway traffic snarls far less stressful. The system incorporates active cruise control with idle stop, which controls brakes and acceleration, while front cross-traffic warning plus steering and lane control assistant take are of steering. The systems work well and are easy to initiate and I found myself using them very frequently in urban areas and on freeways.

The X3's sensor suite is sometimes flummoxed by faded road markings or tram tracks but by and large it’s one of the better systems out there. The future of commuting looks bright, because systems like these really take the sting out of it.

Perhaps the only significant whinge, apart from the sometimes-firm ride, revolves around the Bluetooth phone streaming. I'm running an iPhone 8 and more often than not it would not re-pair with my device when getting in and starting up the vehicle.

BMW Australia has looked into the issue and it could be my device, as it also happened with a BMW 2 Series tested last year.

For the most part however, the BMW X3 M40i was hard to fault. It's not quite as loud and lairy as the Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 with its rifle-crack gear change exhaust acoustics and doesn't have the lavish interior of the Audi SQ5, but we're talking a hair's breadth difference here.

There's ample room for four adults, boot space of 550 litres is generous (expanding to 1600 litres) and a powered tailgate and proximity unlocking doors will make your motoring life a little more efficient.

Like most luxury cars running costs aren't this cars strong suit and a warranty of three-years/unlimited kilometres is not as sharp as Lexus, which has a four-year warranty.

Premium grade 95 RON petrol is required when filling the X3's generously-sized 68-litre tank which can adds hundreds of dollars to annual fuel bills. However, BMW offers a capped-price service plan that covers all services for around $300 per annum, as part of a five-year/80,000km package priced at $1495. That's the basic plan, while the 'plus' plan is $4400 for the same five-year period.

Above and beyond all the luxury and high-tech features, the X3 is a quiet car to drive when cruising, which is pleasing during the daily commute. Its size makes it good for transporting people and goods without being so large as to rule it out of inner-urban combat.

But more than its everyday capability it's an exceptionally good corner carver. The simple satisfaction of flogging this six-cylinder weapon along a twisting, turning country road once every while is considerable. It's a sign of a competent, well-thought out product when long after you've handed the keys back you continue thinking about it.

This is the effect this particular SUV had on yours truly and comes as no surprise that the BMW X3 is the brand's top-selling vehicle thus far in 2018. To be honest, I reckon the stir-crazy BMW X3 M is going to have to be pretty amazing to beat this model for overall appeal.

Just don’t try and say the car's full name three times in a row with a mouth full of carbonara. Now, where did I put that Shooters Party vote card?

How much does the 2019 BMW X3 M40i cost?
Price: $99,529 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 265kW/500Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 8.9L/100km (ADR Combined) / 11.0L/100km (as tested)
CO2: 204g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP (2017)