Down & Dirty

Is a blown V8 or a twin-turbo ix the best way to make an suv go way faster than it should? We head to the forest to find out

- Louis Cordony

Cristian wants to eat the doughnut in his hand. But he’s failing. Terribly. Not by his own fault, though. The BMW X3 our photographer is passenger in is more to blame. As we belt up Mount Donna Buang, a few hours east of Melbourne, each corner.arrives just in time to rip it away from his gaping maw, the huge centrifugal forces proving this X3 is much more than a high-riding family wagon on fancy wheels.

That's because this is the brand-new M version. Of course, that letter and this car are not the most natural pairing. A few decades ago we'd imagine engineers in Munich headquarters would strangle product planners for even suggesting the idea. But the market demands more performance SUVs than ever. Sales are so lucrative BMW M predicts the X3 will become its best-selling car. Even better than the M2.

The X3 M scores some serious weapons to help get the job done and out here, on these corners, they seem to be working — especially in range-topping Competition trim. Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S boots lend enough grip to enter a bend without touching the brakes. The nose, perched high off the ground, tenaciously tracks your intended line. It’s so much more hunkered down than the regular X3 that it feels like a completely different car.

The thing is, after going over what’s changed (and the $157,900 price!) it basically is. And one squeeze of the throttle reinforces that. Its nose harbours the all-new S58 engine we'll see in the next M3 and M4. Twin turbos pressurise an inline-six to produce 600Nm. And with a forged crankshaft, closed-deck block and 3D-printed cylinder head, the new three-litre is good for 375kW. But then there's the rest of the story.