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A Look at Facelifted BMW X3 Diesel – what’s new and what’s not?
BMW announced the pricing of the facelifted version of the X3 in January 2022. However, at that time, only the petrol-powered version of the SUV came to India. In February, BMW added a diesel-powered version of the facelifted X3, thus completing the lineup of SUVs. How much it is different from the petrol-powered variant and the erstwhile generation model it replaces? Let’s find out.
Variants and Prices
Compared to the petrol-powered BMW X3, which came in two variants – xDrive 30i SportX Plus (Rs 59.90 lakh) and xDrive 30i M Sport (Rs 65.90 lakh), the X3 diesel arrived in India in a single fully loaded xDrive 20d Luxury variant, which is priced at Rs 65.60 lakh. This new variant single-handedly replaced three variants of the pre-facelift X3 diesel – xDrive 20d Expedition (Rs 49.90 lakh), xDrive 20d xLine (Rs 55.98 lakh) and xDrive 20d Luxury Line (Rs 64.83 lakh).
Visual changes on the outside
The new facelifted BMX X3 diesel completely reflects the changes introduced in the petrol-powered variant. The new double kidney grille has become sharper to look at, and both the “kidneys” of the grille are not closer with more amount of chrome on them. The all-LED headlamps have become sleeker as well, with new dual J-shaped daytime running LEDs in place of dual C-shaped units. The front bumper has been revised with a longer silver skid plate and sleeker and sportier inserts on its corners. Like the headlamps, even the LED tail lamps are now sleeker with new inserts. The diesel-powered X3 comes with 19-inch alloy wheels as standard, which are different from the 20-inch alloy wheels on the pre-booked petrol X3.
Visual changes on the inside
On the inside too, there are no differences between the X3 diesel and its petrol-powered counterpart, as both of them share the layout and list of features. The cabin of the BMW X3 diesel looks premium and futuristic with a 12.3-inch full-TFT instrument console with revised graphics, a big 12.35-inch touchscreen infotainment system with gesture control.
Apart from that, the SUV also gets a long list of comfort and convenience features, including a panoramic sunroof, leather upholstery, three-zone automatic climate control, 360-degree parking camera and Harman Kardon music system. It also gets cruise control, hands-free parking and powered front seats.
Engine and Transmission
It is where the diesel-powered X3 is completely different from the petrol-powered version. Here, the heart of the BMW X3 is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine, which it shares with the smaller X1 SUV. The engine is available with an 8-speed automatic transmission as standard and produces 190 bhp of maximum power and 400 Nm of maximum torque, similar to what the engine produces under the hood of the X1.
Competition
With the inclusion of a diesel engine, the BMW X3 now offers stronger competition to its arch-rivals like Mercedes Benz GLC and Land Rover Discovery Sport. Meanwhile, the petrol version of the X3 will rival the other petrol-only SUVs like Audi Q5, Volvo XC60 and Lexus NX.
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