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The BMW X3 M50 xDrive has just been handed a proper shot in the arm. Munich has turned up the wick on the M Performance SUV’s 3.0-litre straight-six, lifting output by 33kW to a round 326kW, or 443hp in old money. Alongside the extra grunt comes a new Black Package, an options bundle that drapes the car in shadow and leaves no doubt about which division signed it off. Both arrive in showrooms from December.
Start with the engine, because that is where the real news sits. The M TwinPower Turbo six keeps its 48-volt mild-hybrid assistance but now hauls the X3 from rest to 100km/h in 4.4 seconds. Measure it by the one-foot rollout method and that figure tumbles to 4.1 seconds. Crucially, every M50 xDrive gets the uplift. You do not need to tick the styling box to feel the difference, and the motor still slips under the Euro 7 emissions ceiling.
The Black Package is pure theatre, and good theatre at that. Exclusive 22-inch Polygon 1134 M Black alloys stretch the wheel range by an inch, wrapped around M Sport brake callipers finished in high-gloss black and stamped with a monochrome M roundel. Badges and M logos switch to gloss black with a thin silver outline. It is a restrained sort of menace, closer to a tailored dinner jacket than a fancy-dress costume.
Climb inside, and the motorsport thread continues. Black BMW Individual Alcantara covers chunks of the dashboard, the area ahead of the central display, the inductive charging tray, the door cards and the centre console armrest. Seat covers in Alcantara and Veganza carry blue stitching and piping, the headrests wear an embossed M logo, and the floor mats fly a small M-colours flag. Selected switches get the CraftedClarity glass treatment, while the M steering wheel gains a leather-trimmed airbag boss.
The rest of the X3 line-up has not been forgotten. From December, every version picks up a softer PVC surface ahead of the central screen, a redesigned stitching pattern on the instrument panel and ambient lighting in the centre console cubby and inner door handles. There is a new glovebox release too, plus stainless-steel boot sill protectors on selected models. Cars with the M Sport Package wear Dark Silver entry sills with a black M logo, and the four-cylinder X3 20 xDrive now meets Euro 7. A tidy spread of upgrades, with the M50 taking the headline.
