Sometimes, you just outgrow the form factor of a sports sedan. Maybe your kid decided to play the tuba in their middle school band, or you ended up with one more dog than you expected, or you’re just getting tired of lifting bicycles onto a roof rack. Whatever the case, a sensible compact crossover might be in your future, but who says you have to give up horsepower? If you want a practical family car with Schedule I performance, the BMW X3 M might be just what you’re looking for.
Think of it as the best parts of both the current M3 and the old M5 in one practical crossover, cribbing the engine from the former and loads of switchgear from the latter. It’s a compact crossover that’ll blow the doors off of most new performance cars, acquit itself in the corners, and still haul everything a compact crossover needs to. Now that you can buy a used one for the price of a new Nissan Rogue, it’s one seriously tempting option.
What Are We Looking At?
It took a while for the X3 crossover to receive the full-fat M treatment, but it was worth the wait. It all starts with the S58, a closed-deck twin-turbocharged three-liter inline-six with forged internals that would go on to see duty in the current BMW M2, M3, and M4. It’s a proper M engine, cranking out 473 horsepower in the regular X3 M and 503 horsepower in the Competition trim, and it comes attached to the legendary ZF 8HP eight-speed automatic transmission. Add in all-wheel-drive and the same limited-slip rear differential as the M5 supersedan, bolt on stiff suspension and sticky tires, and you’ve got a recipe for school-run mayhem.
When Car And Driver tested a 2020 X3 M Competition, it put up numbers that were almost beyond belief for a compact crossover. We’re talking zero-to-60 mph in 3.3 seconds, a quarter-mile elapsed time of 11.6 seconds at 119 mph, and most importantly, 0.97 g of stick on the skidpad. It’s that last figure that perhaps wowed the magazine the most around the Monticello Motor Club circuit.
It was there, in the circuit’s off-camber corners, that BMW’s heavily fortified compact SUV amazed. Even with a front tire occasionally dangling off the ground, torque continued to flow to the connected rubber, resulting in explosive corner exits and just plain silly speeds on the straights. Still, the idea that any BMW owner will ever do anything like this in a baby hauler that’s all ate up with motor, brakes, and wildly adjustable suspension is absurd.
Absurd? Perhaps, but if you think of the X3 M as an M3 for people who need a little extra cargo space and ground clearance, it makes a certain amount of sense. Perhaps best of all, now that early examples are about five years old, you can now pick one up for the price of a new Nissan Rogue. Talk about champagne taste on a Miller budget.
How Much Are We Talking?
Alright, so we might be talking about top-trim Rogue pricing, but it’s still a Rogue, right? For context, a Nissan Rogue Platinum AWD stickers for $42,310 including freight. Can you find an X3 M for less? Can you ever. This Phytonic Blue 2020 X3 M sold earlier this year on Cars & Bids for a downright reasonable $38,274. With just 43,400 miles on the clock when the hammer dropped, it certainly isn’t a high-mileage example, and its Carfax is squeaky clean. Sure, the aftermarket red front V-brace might not be to everyone’s tastes, but this is still a ton of car for the money.
Maybe blue isn’t your color. No worries, just check out this 2020 X3 M up for sale in Texas for $39,998. Specced in demure silver, it’s done just 49,826 miles since new, and the black interior should hide the stains of family life well. Admittedly, the Michelin CrossClimates on this example are curious tires for a performance machine, but name-brand tires are nice to see, and these should handle whatever weather you throw at them.
Does 473 horsepower simply not do the trick for you? If you hunt hard, you can find the 503-horsepower X3 M Competition within budget. This 2020 model is up for sale at a BMW dealership in Arizona, and while it does have 79,573 miles on the clock, it’s also loaded. Not a bad tradeoff for $38,255. Plus, with a clean Carfax and full dealer service history from new, this is a depreciated German performance machine I wouldn’t be afraid to put some big miles on.
What Could Possibly Go Wrong On A BMW X3 M?
While used BMWs have something of a reputation for going horribly wrong, the X3 M has proven to be incredibly stout, with just a small number of common issues, all of which are relatively minor. Some owners have reported broken wires to their driver’s heated seat, with dealership repairs for that running around $1,000. In addition, an exceptionally small handful of owners have reported broken muffler baffles, but those seem to have been largely sorted under warranty. Otherwise, spark plug replacement interval is fairly short, and oil changes are a bit involved due to having to move the strut tower brace and airbox to get at the filter, but the fundamentals of the X3 M are rock-solid.
Should You Buy A BMW X3 M For Nissan Rogue Money?
If you can afford the gas and tire bills, absolutely. For new Nissan Rogue money, you aren’t just getting a ferocious M car, it also shouldn’t eat you out of house and home by spending time in the shop. Plus, it’s still a practical compact crossover, just with enough bite to pick on Hellcats should you desire to rock up to your local drag strip.
Top graphic credit: Cars & Bids
Support our mission of championing car culture by becoming an Official Autopian Member.
-
The Seriously Rare Lincoln Blackwood Is Now A Gloriously Weird Affordable Tow Rig
-
You Can Buy A 416-Horsepower V8 Lexus IS F For The Price Of A New Corolla
-
This Depreciated Bentley Might Be The Cheapest 200 MPH Car
-
You Can Buy A 550-Horsepower Jaguar F-Pace SVR For The Price Of A Loaded RAV4
-
This Life-Sized Wooden Model Of A Bentley Continental GT Is One Seriously Weird Way To Spend $46,250
Please send tips about cool car things to tips@theautopian.com. You could even win a prize!
I feel like the ride quality issues would be smoothed out nicely with some rally coilover suspension from Flatout or Yellowspeed or something. I’d rather a CUV be able to perform on dirt roads than the Nürburgring anyway, and this seems like an ideal platform for such a thing.
You can receive an invoice from the service department…..For The Price Of A New Nissan Rogue.
All these comments about the ride make me want to drive one and see how bad it can be (my frames of reference are a Dodge Viper and F350 Super Duty)
This like saying “for the price of a dead, rotting horse, you could buy a bag full of sewage!”
Or a Jatco Xtronic CVT…
So how does this compare to a Macan. The Fiance will need a car next year, she has decided at least one of us needs to have some sort of suv, which ok, fair. I’m pushing something sportier than her current Trailblazer, but that is perhaps not sensible.
I’ve driven the Macan S and X3 M40i and I think they’re comparable. Macan handles and rides a little better on air suspension (not tried coils) but surprisingly little in it. I prefer the BMW interior and that gen iDrive works well but YMMV. Performance-wise both have plenty. No direct experience of the Macan Turbo but I would expect it to get you to your destination with your teeth intact and not requiring a trip to the chiropractor unlike the X3M.
Wait, a Nissan Rouge can cost 42,000 U.S dollars?
Mitsubishi Outlander PHEVs can be bought for just over 52k in top trim
Having driven an Outlander as a rental vehicle, that’s pretty mind-blowing… Unless it comes with a glove compartment packed with gold bars I have a hard time figuring out how you can make one of those worth that much.
I went with a neighbour to test drive one of these and as others have said the ride was completely unacceptable – and that was on what I have previously assumed to be a smooth road. He actually got the M40i which is much better rounded – that was 2021 and he’s still very happy with it; no problems as far as I’m aware.
Under no circumstances should you purchase one of these without some kind of warranty.
I’ve driven one of these on an extended test loop, and even romping on it doesn’t feel all that fast, and the ride is punishing.
The numbers don’t lie, but it doesn’t feel like an 11 second car when you’re actually on the road driving it, even with hooligan throttle control.
Two things: 1) these ride rough. Like “I hit a pothole and bit a hole through my tongue” rough; 2) insurance can be alarmingly high depending upon where you live. A buddy was going to buy one until he test drove it and spoke to his insurance agent. The brutal ride and high insurance dissuaded him. I’m not sure my kidneys have ever recovered from that test drive five years ago…
For reference, that’s the same 0-60 time as my 2021 F900XR, an 895cc sportbike.
Buy the Nissan people will look at you like you hate cars, buy the BMW and people will think you’re a BMW owner. So if you don’t care what other people think of you buy what you want, if you care what other people think of you well….
I’d buy the Prius so people will look at me like I’m a BMW owner who hates cars.
“oil changes are a bit involved due to having to move the strut tower brace and airbox to get at the filter” what ????
I dated a woman whose dad had a 2010ish X5M and it was nuts. The car felt dangerous because it just had so much power, was a blast to drive.
That being said, I’m not buying a fucking CUV and you can’t make me!
But why would you
I looked into these when we were cross shopping before going with the Q7. It was my understanding that while they are pretty good looking, pretty reliable, and blisteringly quick, the ride quality is “oof”. Just a bit too harsh when we were in the market for something more family oriented and cush. I recently loaded a bunch of baby gear into the in-laws X3 and I couldn’t fit it all in the cargo area with the rear seats up.
I’ve come closer to pulling the trigger on one of these than I’d like to admit. The S58/ZF8 combo is shockingly reliable. Keep in mind that maintenance is still going to cost a lot, but these really aren’t known for having any serious failure points. The B58/S58 combo are some of the most foolproof engines BMW has ever made.
But boy are you accepting some compromises with the X3 or X4M. The fuel economy is hilariously bad. Like these make 392 Chargers and Challengers look efficient. I get that efficiency is not the point here but a 3 liter turbo straight six getting sub V8 fuel economy is hard to wrap your head around.
These also ride like absolute shit. There are aftermarket fixes for it, but they don’t do the one car solution thing as well as you’d think. A lot of online X3M owners say they regret not just getting the M40i instead. You get exponentially better gas mileage, a less harsh ride, and nearly the same power. That’s probably where I’d spend my money to be honest…I get the allure here because these are the cheapest modern full Ms, but if it’s the M experience you crave I think you’d be better served saving up for one of the coupes or sedans.
I looked at one of these and the ride is the one thing that killed it for me. It was brilliant on perfectly smooth tarmac, but you felt every little imperfection in the pavement when the surface became rough. It was tiresome to drive on city streets after 20 minutes.
As Nsane said, get the M40i (I did), flash a quick Bootmod3 tune on it and easily get 450hp on the stock B58. Its also way cheaper on tires and brakes. I’ve had my M40i completely trouble free for over 60K miles.
I mean I daily a Kona N in the city and the ride definitely sucks arse. But I paid $35,000 for it and it has a 10 year powertrain warranty. I can’t imagine spending $80,000 on a new luxury car that rides like shit. At 40 it’s decidedly more tempting but again…I’d just go M40i.
I’m giving my 16-year old my ’18 Grand Cherokee and selling my ’99 MRoadster to clear a garage space. A 2020-2021 X5 is my leading candidate at the moment, but the part of me selling my MRoady keeps telling me to look at the X3M or M40i (the X5M is out of budget). I’m pretty sure that I will prefer the cushiness of the X5, but the little voice keeps nagging me. The X5 is a little bigger than I want/need and the X3 is a little smaller most likely. F-Pace P400 is also on my list, but that too is driven by the voices in my head.
X5s are just so damn nice though. I’ve driven a 40i and my dad has a 50e. They ride really well, getting a B58 as your base engine makes the upgraded mills feel unnecessary, they’re shockingly quick, and they handle about as well as any big SUV I’ve ever driven. Really the only downsides are the cost of ownership and the steering. Modern BMW just cannot figure out how to engineer feel back into their steering racks.
The weight, ratio, and accuracy perfectly fine but you just can’t feel a damn thing. For the average luxury buyer it’s a non-issue, but for us enthusiasts it leaves a bit to be desired. But still, I’m a big X5 fan. Unless you want to swing for the fences on a Cayenne it doesn’t get much better…and with the Cayenne the base engine is still worse than the B58. Once you get up to the 2.9 liter things get more interesting but base for base it’s X5 all day.
I’m not sure we can get the full measure of a German car’s durability by looking at only <5 year old examples.
This may well turn out to be a bargain, but I wouldn’t call it one yet.
By what method?
From CarEdge, the ten-year cost of ownership by brand still ranks BMW up with Jaguar and Land Rover. A little behind Bently and Porshe. The X3 model ranks near the Range Rover. 107th out of 119 ranked premium models.
That sounds like a very useful resource for the “budget baller” community.
I assume you mean the people who need to buy a highly depreciated, out-of-warranty BMW X3 M rather than a new one?