2018 BMW X3 M40i Long-Term Arrival

With a blip, rip, and a snarl of its exhaust note on startup, the BMW X3 M40i has entered our long-term fleet for a year of amassing miles. This tuned and tweaked version of BMW’s mainstream SUV is the performance offering for the third-generation X3. Press the start button, and it’s immediately obvious this is not a standard-issue X3. As soon as the straight-six fires up, the engine goes into a burbly, deep, high-revving idle that most certainly announces your daily departure from the neighborhood to anyone with ears.  More important, though, is that it’s a daily reminder that this X3 means business and craves more than just jaunts to work, Home Depot, and the grocery store.

The 2018 X3 M40i replaces the standard car’s four-cylinder turbo for a turbocharged inline-six that makes 355 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque. This gives the M40i a notable 107 hp over the X3 xDrive30i. But it’s important to note that this is not a full-blown M car like, say, an X5 M. Rather it’s a BMW that’s been massaged by the M division with a slurry of added parts and tuning meant to sharpen all aspects of the driving experience. What this means is that M has enhanced the driving experience here but not as thoroughly as it will when it rolls out the promised X3 M later in 2019. Yet letting the M division shape its magic into the X3 makes a lot of sense because most agree that, unlike some of BMW’s current car and SUV offerings, the X3 has embodied BMW’s core driving dynamics ever since the gen-one vehicle went on sale here in 2004. So yes, take your already well-driving crossover and make it louder, faster, and handle better. And in doing so, become directly competitive with Audi’s SQ5 and Mercedes’ GLC 43.

Included in the M40i’s price is BMW’s Driving Dynamics Control (adjustable ride) and a sport-tuned eight-speed transmission with paddle shifters. Notable M equipment includes better brakes and steering, plus an adaptive suspension. The steering and brakes come standard, but the suspension is a $700 add-on. Default wheel size on the M40i is 19 inches, but this test car has been upgraded to large-and-in-charge 21-inch wheels wrapped in Bridgestone Alenza 001 RFT tires ($1,900).

Additional standard equipment includes a stitched dash, leather sport seats (with a muscular-looking stitching that looks like Batman’s suit), adaptive LED headlights, and a burly body kit that’s unique to the M40i and gives the vehicle a substantial-looking stance while parked on the curb. Unique puddle lights known as the “welcome light carpet” cast a multi–hockey stick design onto the asphalt below the rocker panels, and the same design is also mimicked in the dome lights and HVAC vents inside the cabin.

Additional options include BMW’s Premium package ($3,300), which includes heated front and rear seats, a heated steering wheel, navigation, and a head-up display. The Executive package ($2,250) includes parking assist, gesture control, an upgraded all-digital instrument panel, and 3-D surround view, which uses onboard cameras to help you avoid rubbing the X3 on any hard, inanimate objects while parking.

Other a la carte items include adaptive cruise control ($1,200), a Harman Kardon stereo system ($875), a wireless charging pad in the center console ($500), front ventilated seats ($350), , Apple CarPlay ($300), and rear-seat window shades ($250). The snazzy blue paint is called Phytonic Blue Metallic and is a $550 upcharge.

All tallied up, this X3 rings in at $68,670. And with that we set off ripping and roaring up and down California’s highways as we pile on the miles and send the X3 to all corners of the state in search of weekend exploration and the path less traveled (and lots of curvy byways). This X3 is unmistakably fast and capable, but we also want to know how it will hold up to the wear and tear of being a performance SUV in the hustle and bustle of the L.A. jungle.

2018 BMW X3 M40i
BASE PRICE	$55,295
PRICE AS TESTED	$68,670
VEHICLE LAYOUT	Front-engine, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door SUV
ENGINE	3.0L/355-hp/369-lb-ft turbocharged DOHC 24-valve I-6
TRANSMISSION	8-speed automatic
CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST)	4,282 lb (50/50%)
WHEELBASE	112.8 in
LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT	186.1 x 74.7 x 66.0 in
0-60 MPH	4.8 sec
QUARTER MILE	13.4 sec @ 103.7 mph
BRAKING, 60-0 MPH	112 ft
LATERAL ACCELERATION	0.85 g (avg)
MT FIGURE EIGHT	25.9 sec @ 0.72 g (avg)
EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON	20/27/23 mpg
ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY	169/125 kW-hrs/100 miles
CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB	0.86 lb/mile

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