Behind the wheel of BMW’s X3 M50 SUV – BMW does performance very well and its M series X3 is very well sorted – and at $128,900 I guess you can rightly suggest it should be – the X3 M50’s 3.0-litre turbo in-line six gaining 48-volt mild hybrid boost. With 8-speed ZF gearbox, BMW’s x-Drive all-wheel drive and adaptive suspension ride and handling is a good as it gets, the whole performance polished, athletic and just so smooth, BMW refer to it as a sports activity vehicle SAV rather than a sports utility vehicle and it is in every sense – road noise suppression first class with acoustic glass, however the quad exhaust still provides an aural masterpiece under revs. BMW have thankfully ditched run flat tyres on this model’s 21-inch alloy wheels, the downside however no spare, just a tyre repair kit. Importantly, the interior room in the X3 especially in the rear is excellent with great seats and standard Veganza synthetic leather, if you want the real McCoy it’s another $4,000 – the interior design a highlight with wide infotainment touchscreen and combined instrument cluster although I’d still like buttons for air-con and radio. Warranty 5-years/unlimited km with roadside assistance for three years.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Drive any SUV over $100,000 and you expect it to be a well sorted package but
that’s not always the case however the new BMW X3 M50 SUV at $128,900 is hard
to top. l can hear you saying for that money it would want to be. However, the
flagship of BMW’s best-selling X3 model is as good as it gets – BMW defines it as
an SAV, not SUV, SAV standing for sports activity vehicle and its most apt.
upgraded earlier this year the fourth generation BMW X3 now in four models, sits
on the same wheelbase but is slightly longer and wider and 25mm lower giving it
a sportier profile - utilising a 3.0-litre turbo petrol in-line six now with 48-volt
mild hybrid boost – this adds another 18kW of power and a 40Nm torque boost
from just 1900 revs. With an 8-speed ZF auto gearbox, BMW’s x-Drive all-wheel
drive and adaptive dampers the X3 M50 is a stunning driver. Visually highlighted
with large split kidney shaped grille, which tends to divide opinion, to me it’s far
too large, now highlighted by contour lighting as standard. The BMW X3 M50 SAV
just impressed the more I drove it.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the last 18 months we’ve seen a number of new Chinese car brands, and
almost on a weekly basis, the arrival of new and improved models. As one
long standing dealer said to me recently – David we can’t afford not to take
on new brands from China as the car market is rapidly changing and we
expect them to capture around 40 per cent of the market in a fairly short
time. Take Chery for example, with new sub brands Jaecoo and Omoda on
the move, both have now launched a handful of models, the mid-size
Jaecoo J7 and the larger J8 while Omoda has just released the Omoda 9
hybrid Coupe SUV – by Chery spinning off these sub brands their chasing
a much larger slice of our market, targeting a spot in Australia’s top ten car
brands in just two years. I’m David Berthon

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.