GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: BMW brandishes fresh X3

A new diesel engine family will be the highlight of BMW's facelifted X3, shown here weeks before its public debut at the Geneva motor show in March.

The Bavarian car-maker’s mid-sized SUV will be the first BMW to use the new 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine family, which is claimed to increase refinement while reducing noise and vibration and lowering fuel consumption by up to seven per cent.

Offered in two specifications at the car’s launch, the new diesel family will be part of a line-up of four diesel and three petrol engines, which will range in fuel economy between 4.7 and 8.3L/100km and in CO2 emissions from 124 to 193g/km.

The latest iteration of the X3, codenamed the F25, is essentially a facelift of the all-new, second-generation model that made its debut in 2010.

Externally, it does little more than stretch the brand’s existing design language via a new grille, new, more aggressive looking bumpers at both ends, redesigned air intakes at the front and new side mirrors, complete with integrated indicators. The car’s more expensive sheet metal parts remain largely unchanged from the existing car.

While the move to the new X3 has seen model weights climb by 20 to 30kg over the existing car, BMW justifies this with a more extensive range of interior equipment, ranging from radar cruise control to a full-colour head-up display and a lane-departure warning system.

Cabin materials have taken a step forward, including new leather seat trims, a new high-gloss black panel to hide the climate-control air-conditioning system and a touchpad controller to manage the multi-media functions via the BMW iDrive module.

However, despite new netting arrangements and a 40:20:40-split folding rear seat, the X3 retains the 550-litre capacity of the outgoing model, as well as its 1600-litre total capacity with the seats folded flat.

That’s largely because the body and chassis architecture are unchanged, including the 2810mm wheelbase, 1881mm body width and the current car’s sophisticated five-link rear suspension and strut front-end.

The 2014 X3 is just nine millimetres longer than the old car (with all of that growth in bumper plastic) and the only major difference is a 14mm reduction in overall height, to 1661mm for the X3 xDrive 20d.

While the car will be available in Europe in 18d, 20d, 30d and 35d diesel forms, there will also be two-wheel drive versions of the 18d and the 20d. For those who like spark with their fuel, there will be 20i and 28i four-cylinder petrol versions and a six-cylinder petrol 35i.

Australia, though, is likely to follow its current strategy of eschewing the 18d and starting with the xDrive 20i ($59,000 for today’s model, plus on-road costs), then offering the 20d ($63,100 today), the 28i ($72,645) and the flagship 30d (currently $76,500).

BMW has made no announcement on the pricing expectations it has for Australia, though the range is expected to be on sale mid-year. No two-wheel drive version was considered last time around, so expect it to be ignored again.

The headline act for the family is the new diesel engine, with the 1995cc four-cylinder engine boasting 2000 bar of injection pressure and, in 20d form, 140kW of power at 4000rpm and 400Nm of torque from just 1750rpm.

That’s up 5kW at the same revs and 20Nm over a slightly narrower rev range (1750-2250rpm) and enough to push the 1745kg X3 20d to 100km/h in a respectable 8.1 seconds (down 0.4 seconds) and on to a 210km/h top speed, even with its 225/60 R17 low-resistance tyres.

Importantly, however, fuel consumption for the new X3 20d drops by 0.4 to 5.2L/100km.

The powertrain of the X3 30d remains largely untroubled, however, and the 1820kg machine is shoved around by 190kW of turbocharged inline six-cylinder diesel power. The key isn’t the power, but the car’s 560Nm of torque from just 1500rpm, which may be one of the reasons why BMW has seen fit to lift its braked towing maximum by 20 per cent from 2000kg to 2400kg.

The addition of an idle-stop system, low rolling resistance tyres, a coasting function that disconnects the transmission on downhill sections and brake energy recuperation means that this same powertrain might have 20kg more to deal with, but it shaves 0.1L/100km from the combined fuel consumption of the existing model, reducing it to 5.9L/100km.

Despite that, the car rides on larger 245/50 R18 tyres and is faster, with BMW claiming a 0-100km/h sprint time of 5.9 seconds (0.3 seconds faster) and a top speed of 232km/h, which is 22km/h more.

The diesel version BMW Australia chose not to bring last time around (hopefully it will change its mind) was the X3 35d, which produces 230kW and 630Nm in the new X3. It’s a 5.3-second proposition to 100km/h and uses almost the same amount of fuel, despite carrying identical powertrain hardware.

While the xDrive 20i offers the same power (135kW, but over a wider 5000-6250rpm speed range) and torque (270Nm) as before, changes to the eight-speed automatic transmission have made it considerably quicker, slashing almost half a second to 100km/h (now 8.2 seconds).

That’s still more than the diesel version and its 7.2L/100km fuel consumption figure (down 0.3L/100km) is considerably thirstier, too.

The strongest of the four-cylinder petrol models will be the X3 28i, which runs a powertrain any 328i buyer would be familiar with, carrying a twin-scroll turbocharger, direct fuel-injection and variable valve timing and lift.

The 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine is architecturally identical to the 20i motor, but justifies its claim to BMW’s classical moniker by delivering 180kW and 350Nm.

The F25-series X3 28i will reach 230km/h (up 20km/h) and hits 100km/h in 6.5 seconds (down 0.2 seconds) and is equipped with an eight-speed automatic transmission and 245/50 R18 low-resistance tyres. Again, fiddles around the edges of the car’s eco engineering have seen a slight (0.2L/100km) drop in consumption, to 7.3 litres/100km.

The heavy hitter of the petrol family is the turbocharged 3.0-litre inline six, with 225kW and 400Nm. The sweet-spinning engine is a mainstay of the 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 Series and X5 and X6 models and has no problems throwing the 1815kg X3 35i to 100km/h in 5.6 seconds, but BMW Australia has never shown much interest in it, for fear that it would step on the X5’s toes.