Following an unplanned leak on the Internet, BMW decided to unveil the facelifted BMW X3 earlier than expected.
As you can see from the image above, not much has changed. The subtle upgrade includes modified bumpers, a new grille and restyled head and tail lamps.
The interior boasts new upholstery options, an upgraded infotainment system and the latest iDrive system, which has a touchpad integrated on the rotary knob controller. The X3 can now also be equipped with the “Smart Opener” option. This option, which made its debut on the 3 Series, allows the driver to open the boot by moving their foot around underneath the rear bumper.
The biggest change is to be found under the bonnet. The 2,0-litre, four-cylinder diesel in the X3 xDrive20d now produces 140kW and 400Nm of torque. The claimed combined average fuel consumption for this model is 5,0 l/100km. That’s mighty impressive for a medium-size SUV with a claimed 0-100km/h acceleration time of 8,1 seconds.
No release date has been set, but we suspect the facelifted X3 to find its way to South Africa before the end of 2014.