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By Jonathan Crouch

BMW's X3 M Competition is a 510hp SUV powerhouse. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 36

With this X3 M Competition model, BMW's M division turns its attention to the Munich maker's mid-sized SUV and creates a remarkably uncompromised road burning end result. An M3 crossover? That's about the size of it.

Backgroundword count: 139

It wasn't so long ago, with products like BMW's X5 M and X6 M, that many were questioning whether the Munich marque's M motorsport division should be making SUVs. Now though, and looking into the future, you wonder just much of this sub-brand's output won't be of SUV models. We've already had three in recent times, the XM Plug-in Hybrid following on from the X4 M Competition and the subject here, the X3 M Competition. As the name suggests, those latter two models are basically the same car, the X4 variant simply endowed with a lower roof line and a wider rear track. Which makes the X3 M Competition the most practical and family-orientated of the two. Though how practical and family-orientated a mid-sized SUV with 510hp and a £90,000 price tag could ever be is open to question.

Driving Experienceword count: 272

Even if you happen to disapprove of the idea of BMW's M division meddling with an X3 SUV, you can't deny that the job has been done properly here - even before you start looking beneath the bonnet. The steel coil suspension has been fully re-tuned, the brakes are uprated, the steering upgraded and an actively locking rear differential added. Plus there's the highly configurable four-wheel-drive system from the current BMW M5. The key though, as with any BMW M car, lies with the engine, which as enthusiasts might expect is the 'S58'-series high performance straight-six 3.0-litre twin turbo unit borrowed from the M3. For our market, it only comes only in top 'Competition' spec, which means 510hp and 650Nm of torque, figures that no other BMW six cylinder engine in history has surpassed. It's quite a powerplant, with a forged crankshaft, an indirect intercooler, a lightweight cylinder head and twin monoscroll turbo chargers boosting at up to 2.3 bar. Which first means that when you hit the big red starter button, it sounds satisfyingly snarly. And second of course guarantees that it's also very, very fast. Helped by launch control, 62mph from rest is just 3.8s away en route to a top speed which would probably be in the 180mph region if the limiter didn't click in at 155mph. As with all proper M cars, you use the central screen to set up your preferences for engine response, exhaust note, stability intervention and the change times of the M Steptronic 8- speed paddleshift auto gearbox. Then save your favourite settings into the twin red M buttons mounted on the steering wheel.

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