5000 miles in a six-cylinder X3: Is this the best warmed-up SUV?

The BMW X3 M is one of those cars that has a reputation for attracting a certain kind of buyer. But actually its buyer base is much broader than you might think, because it has always been a very capable and very practical performance car.

Like a taller, roomier version of the M3. So there is good reason for people to be disappointed that BMW's performance division probably isn't going to give us a new X3 M - not one with a combustion engine, at least.

And yes, this means that, despite its aggressive appearance and lofty price, the range-topping X3 you see here is not an M car. Instead, it's an M Performance car-an X3 M50.

The expected ditching of the X3 M isn't the only way in which this model range has changed. The X3 was first produced in 2003 (22 years ago!) as an SUV version of the 3 Series, which made relative sense. Use the 3 Series chassis, add a bit of ride height, make sure it gets four-wheel drive and voilà: you have something to market. You might even argue that BMW was hedging its bets slightly, having offloaded the manufacturing to Magna Steyr.

Today, things look different for the X3. It's now BMW's best seller, made in the US and South Africa at full-time BMW plants, and it sits on the same platform as the current 5 Series and next-generation 3 Series. So in several respects it has quite convincingly outgrown its status as an extension of the 3 Series.

The G45 (the fourth-generation X3 to those who aren't slaves to BMW's generational labelling) is wider, lower and longer than the old X3. The grille is also quite a conversation starter. The M50 is the most subtle member of the range in some respects, in that it doesn't have any blingy chrome. But it does have something Munich calls the BMW Iconic Glow, which means the grille lights up at night. I'll take a picture for you and you can make up your own mind about it.

At the back, there are four visible exhaust tailpipes, which is a nice nod to the turbocharged 3.0-litre six-cylinder 'B58' petrol engine up front. Its 393bhp and 428lb ft of torque make it the most potent petrol straight six in an M Performance (not full-fat M) car.

But what about this specific car? You might have spotted the numberplate. 'SAV' is short for 'sports activity vehicle', which I'm sure you all knew is the initialism that BMW prefers over SUV. So 'X3 SAV' makes sense. This M50 has £10,000 worth of options on it too, which pushes the price up past £75,000. That's a lot for a junior M car.

The Fire Red paint for £875 is a bargain in my eyes, because it really helps to hide that grille. The adaptive suspension at £625 is a must too. It's not easily configurable like a good old-fashioned (and by old-fashioned, I mean one generation ago) Soft suspension button. But you can manually set the power up to Full and the suspension to Comfort. I'm not too sure if it's a bargain, though: I think it should probably be included in the basic price.

The panoramic roof (£1350), Technology Pack (£2275) and Comfort Pack (£850) need a bit of further testing, really, before I can offer much of an opinion. How about initial impressions?

It's quite the menacing thing, especially with those black 21in wheels. So far the M Sport steering wheel, with the little red stripe on the top to denote the straightahead, feels like overkill for an SUV in which, so far, I have actually turned very few corners.

The infotainment is spot on, though. It connects to my phone very quickly and hasn't made me sign up for a profile! The lack of physical heating controls is thus far annoying, but I'm hoping familiarity will improve this situation.

The ventilated seats are magnificent, but the vents closest to the A-pillars are particularly frustrating: they're controlled via haptics and you swipe down or up a scale, 0 being off and 10 being fully on. Except when it's sunny they become very hard to read and use.

The fuel economy is very impressive so far, too: one cross-London commute returned 38mpg. Admittedly it was early in the morning and traffic was light, but still... This is going to be a good car and perhaps one that's a bit cheaper to run than I had first imagined.

I really think it will be fascinating to find out whether this X3 M50 is enough to keep M car fans happy or if it will always be a bit lightweight because of that missing badge.

Update 2

Get you a girl who can do both' is current internet slang for someone who possesses contrasting qualities. Perhaps somebody who has read Classics at Oxford but also knows how to weld.

Anyway, I saw a video recently and couldn't help thinking of the X3, because I've recently found that the BMW can indeed do both. And one more. Take that, Tik Tokers.

This tale begins at 5.30am with a long day ahead. The BMW's first job was to ferry me from home in east London to the Autocar office in west London. An unglamorous task, but one that was deftly executed by big comfy seats for my backside, huge mirrors for my eyes and insurance premiums, and close to 40mpg for my wallet.

Meetings completed, synergies aligned, brain cells lost. It was now time to head to Ripon, in North Yorkshire, for a launch-about four and a half hours on the motorway and a very different experience from that stop-start commute.

And, once again, nothing short of serene. Effortless torque from the lovely B58 engine made overtaking on the motorway and B-roads up there absolutely worry-free. Useful for when you're having quite a long day.

Perhaps you're expecting some kind of sporty driving-based paragraph here, something about how good the X3 is to chuck around. Not this time. The last way it truly excelled was in the car park. I was staying somewhere dead posh - like, so posh it had valet parking.

I didn't allow a teenager to park a car belonging to BMW, but in a driveway full of Bentleys and Aston Martins the X3 really, genuinely did not look out of place. One of the valets even said: "That sounds quite fruity, sir."

I'm not hugely surprised by just how competent this thing is, but on reflection it's the sound system and gearbox that tie these contrasting qualities together. The optional Harman Kardon set-up is incredible. I've tested loads of very expensive systems that just can't seem to get podcasts right; they always seem a bit pitchy and quiet.

But this excels. Perfect for when you want to get on with your day very early while not wanting the stereo to be too banging. The gearbox is a much simpler thing to explain: it just gets me. It is near telepathic. It is to the point where you could forget this thing has gears.

Update 3

Back when Jane Austen and the like were still writing, they would often take themselves to the seaside for some rejuvenation. I've never actually read Pride and Prejudice, but I reckon writing for Autocar is much the same, so I figured I too should head out of the big smoke for some fresh air.

My wife suggested Rye. I'd never been before and it's in one of those fabulous locations that's both rural and not too far away from London. It would also give me a chance to test monotonous start-stop city manoeuvring, a bit of motorway, a few B-roads, then how it behaves on tight Tudor streets.

I've been driving a Renault Captur E-Tech of late, and I can't get over how different that car's hybrid system is compared with my BMW X3. Granted, it's not like-for-like, as the M50 is only a mild hybrid. But the E-Tech's hybrid powertrain is constantly in flux, forever changing its propulsion method, seemingly unable to pick between engine or motor or both.

And the regenerative braking is sticky and inconsistent. Crawling through traffic to get out of London made me appreciate how well the X3's hybrid system is integrated. It can move along at low speeds with just the battery, and the motor is gentle when it kicks in.

This was a relaxed affair, with the eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox succinctly doing all the changes for me. And do you know what's crazy? The Captur isn't night-and-day better on MPG: just above 50 compared with just below 40.

Finally, onto the open road. I have spent a few hundred miles on the motorway, and the ride is spot on - better than what you might imagine for a heavy car with 21in wheels and stiff suspension. But there is a catch: the road noise verges on slightly irritating. The Harman Kardon stereo is broadly excellent - especially good at amplifying quiet podcasts - but there's a resonance at 70mph that the X3 just can't shift.

We had actually managed to factor in a stop at a vineyard en route to Rye. I was, of course, sans vin - as were plenty of other people, judging by how busy the car park was. It was full of very posh SUVs - think Range Rovers - and the X3 didn't look out of place, which wasn't a given.

Parking between very expensive machinery also cemented my thoughts on the rear camera. The quality and clarity of its image on the touchscreen is as good as you might expect from a £75,000 car. But the camera moves with the steering wheel's movements (kind of like the lights on an old Citroën DS), which means the parking space becomes a moving target. After weeks with this car, I still haven't got used to it.

The trip from vineyard to our hotel in Rye was uneventful, with the X3's usefully large wing mirrors and parking sensors keeping me in check in the tighter sections of the very old centre. Great view out, too.

Next we headed to the beach. Finally a chance to get some real fresh air. The road down was rutted and there was even a photo op beside some sand dunes. I suspect this is the most off-roading I will do in the X3. Whether or not it's better on these types of roads than a 3 Series is immaterial, but the extra suspension travel gave me the confidence in getting down them.

Back home. I parallel parked, having still not got my head around the moving camera. I locked the X3 and caught myself looking back as I walked away. This is some car.

BMW X3 vs Toyota Supra: Testing the bookends of BMW's supreme B58 straight-six engine

Update 4

If you've ever visited Texas, you won't have missed a slight obsession with how big it, and everything in it, is. It's not entirely unwarranted: the state is three times larger than the UK.

You definitely notice it if you drive anywhere: my brother lives near Houston, and once on holiday we drove 17 hours to visit New Mexico, which shares a state border with Texas. It makes you realise how lucky we are that LeShuttle makes it easy to drive to multiple European countries relatively easily.

So when my 16-year-old niece and 11-year-old nephew visited from Texas recently, keen to travel, I hatched a plan to take them and my mum on a road trip that would tick off three European countries with a total mileage that wouldn't get you from Houston to Amarillo.

The BMW X3 M50 seemed the ideal choice. I didn't want anything too small, since my niece and nephew are used to holiday road trips in my sister-in-law's spacious Audi Q7 (which is actually modestly sized in Texan terms). But nor did I want anything massive, since I'd need to navigate the narrow roads of Brugges, Belgium, to reach our hotel.

I still held my breath driving onto LeShuttle but negotiated it without clipping any of the alloys. The boot easily housed everything the four of us needed while the rear seats proved sufficiently spacious and offered enough charging ports to keep various mobile phones, iPads and Switch consoles powered up. And, it would turn out, ample cubbyholes to stash Belgian chocolate.

This wasn't exactly the sort of road trip where I was going to make full use of the X3 M50's 393bhp, but that power did make motorway driving in the UK and through France and Belgium effortless. Traversing Brugges offered plenty of challenges that tested the BMW, not least the many cobbles. Despite the M50's stiffened suspension, the ride remained good and there were no complaints from the back seats.

I was certainly glad I wasn't driving anything bigger in our hotel's ultra-tight underground car park. The spiral ramp down was tight enough to give the sensors a field day, but it fitted. Just. The ventilated front seats prevented me from sweating too much.

Time in Brugges (waffles were eaten and boat rides were taken) was complemented by a few outings, including a trip into the Netherlands to tick off another country and spot some windmills. I'd hoped some country roads would give me a chance to push the X3's handling edges, except I'd forgotten that part of Europe is flat and features largely straight roads.

Still, we visited three countries with ease and my niece in particular was left amazed by the rich, deep history on offer in Brugges and the surrounding area - something Texas definitely doesn't have.

The return journey was similarly effortless and quick, and the X3 even surprised me with its fuel economy. The multi-country road trip was done on one tank of fuel. It was a good demonstration of why the X3 is such a hit for BMW: it's big enough for almost anything you would need to do with it, without its size creating compromises

By James Attwood

Final report

I thought I'd like this. But I really, really liked it. And I'm not the only one. The BMW X3 M50 was by far and away the most requested car on the long-term fleet over the past few months and has been all across London, a bit of Derbyshire and the entirety of Wales as well as France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Colleague Sam Phillips became a big fan when he nabbed the keys off me for a week. Associate editor James Attwood took it on a European road trip with three passengers and was amazed by its ability to swallow luggage and people, all while being just the right size for our roads.

Matt Saunders declared it better than a Porsche Macan 4S Electric and Audi SQ5 Sportback, writing: "To drive and enjoy driving, it delivers almost across the board."And during my last report, I put it up against an early Toyota Supra with the same engine.

Not really a comparison, of course, but driving them back to back, it struck me that the sports car was not a night-and-day better steer than this SUV with a 570-litre boot and a mahoosive 65-litre fuel tank.

Negatives? It is a touch garish. Especially with the Fire Red paint and black wheels. Its glowing grille, to quote my Gen Z colleagues, is mad cringe. I actually think it probably does offer a useful function of additional daytime-running lights during dusk and dawn, but when going out to the car in the morning, it did make me start up and drive off very quickly in hope my neighbours wouldn't see it.

The interior in general is a mixed bag. I really adore the optional 'Comfort' seats and the view out - and seating position - is spot on for me. It's high up and imperious but doesn't feel like you're driving a truck. But there's a lot in there that annoyed me. The infotainment just has too much to do - I wish the heating controls had some kind of physicality to them.

The screen is also a big stretch for the driver. I actually have a build suited to 1960s Italian sports cars (short legs, long arms), but if you were my inverse, you'd really struggle to tap some of the units at the far end of the display on the move.

Then there's the reversing camera. It's sharper than a Tom Ford suit and it pops up in the right moments and it has all the angles you could want. But with the standard angle, the lens moves with the steering wheel and it just feels like a static parking space becomes a moving target.

Oh, and the giant piece of plastic situated at the top of the door card that controls the side ventilation and the door locks is proper naff. It flexes and creeks and moves when you use it. Which I admit I didn't actually do an awful lot. But it is also touch capacitive and the lights for the touch capacitive-ness can become invisible in direct sunlight.

These are pretty minor foibles, though, because this is a truly excellent car. James is completely right about the size. It looks huge when you first see it, but it's actually a bit smaller than the previous-gen X5. In very old car parks, it can still be a bit sketchy but, broadly, parking is fine.

I have to parallel park on my street and I never found it a problem. The boot is frankly enormous and the rear seating area (complete with its own climate controls) is also cavernous. But I was truly blown away by the BMW-ness of it all.

The taut body control gives a real sense of connection with the road and it feels natural despite being four-wheel drive and heavy. In fact, the only way it feels a bit digital is in the engine note that gets piped in if you switch to Sport. And that's pretty much the only negative I can come up with about the engine.

It is a peach and elevates the driving experience. It's smooth, effortless, torquey in any gear and responsive, it has a wonderful, near-telepathic integration with the gearbox and it is just a joy to use. On fast roads or slow snaking tracks, it was precise and wieldy.It's also monstrously quick.

The 4.6sec 0-62mph time is almost a bit of a misnomer. The yardstick of what fast is has been ruined by EVs to the point where 4.6sec doesn't look to be amazing on paper. But it feels very brisk off the line and the M50's mid-range grunt is epic. Overtaking just requires zero effort.

To play devil's advocate for a moment, there's the tricky question of the 3 Series. You can buy one with the same engine for around £7000 less. But the truth is these cars are not answers to the same questions.

An M340i saloon just can't handle family life, whereas an X3 can. I'm not blessed with rug rats but my friends are and I am continually shocked by how much stuff accompanies two young children.

Is this M50 good enough to act as the performance X3, seeing as there's no X3 M? The answer is yes. BMW's M division could easily whack in an 'S58' six-cylinder with around 500bhp, stiffen the suspension and put big wheels on it. And while it would be quicker, I just don't think it would spark as much joy for me in the day-to-day.

BMW X3 M50

Prices: List price new £64,590 List price now £71,005 Price as tested £79,090

Options: Technology Pack £2275, panoramic roof £1350, Comfort Plus Pack (rear side window blinds, ventilated front seats, front and rear heated seats) £1330, Driving Assistant Professional £1275, Fire Red Paint £975, Comfort Pack (front lumbar support, Travel and comfort system, Harman Kardon stereo) £850, Parking Assistant Pro £800, M adaptive suspension £625, Luxury instrument panel £450, heated steering wheel £250

Fuel economy and range: Claimed economy 36.2mpg Fuel tank 65 litres Test average 35.6mpg Test best 39.1mpg Test worst 25.2mpg Real-world range 509 miles 

Tech highlights: 0-62mph 4.6sec Top speed 155mph Engine 6 cyls in line, 2998cc, turbocharged, petrol Max power 353bhp at 5200-6250rpm Max torque 428lb ft at 1900-4800rpm Gearbox 8-spd automatic, 4WD Boot 570 litres Wheels 21in, alloyTyres: 255/45 R21 (f), 285/40 R21(r) Kerb weight 1980kg

Service and running costs: Contract hire rate £796.04 pcm CO2 177g/km Service costs None Other costs £5.99 (screenwash) Fuel costs £861.98 Running costs including fuel £867.97 Cost per mile 17 pence Faults None