2021 BMW X3 M Review, Pricing | X3 M SUV Models | CarBuzz

While we live in a remarkable technological age with magnetorheological dampers that can adjust to a million and one road imperfections in the blink of an eye to make Ferraris ride like S-Class Mercedes, a true sports car will always have a firm edge to its suspension. That’s the case with the X3 M, which is firm-riding even in its slackest of suspension settings. For most, the harder pair of damper settings will only ever find use on the track, as the pockmarked roads, firm suspension, and 21-inch alloy wheels of the Competition-equipped model are more than enough for real roads.

Out there in the real world, the firm suspension has good reason for existing, though. The X3 M behaves like a sports car in almost every way imaginable. It grips when cornering, it stays flat under sudden directional changes, and the engine hauls it along at a rate of knots. Despite being a large vehicle, it feels small and nimble, with the only giveaway being the raised ride height and commanding seating position. The electronic power-assisted steering, when left in Comfort mode, is beautifully weighted and quick to respond to inputs, but it lacks the feel one might find in a hydraulically power-assisted steering setup. In its other modes (Sport and Sport +), it simply becomes too heavy, unnaturally so, with more weight than any unassisted setup and no extra feedback to show for it.

I’ve always felt that a high-riding, heavy SUV could not handle like a sports car, and yet the X3 M defied this notion with every mile I drove. The front end tucks in neatly, the back end rotates with predictable power-on oversteer, and the brakes bring proceedings to a halt quicker than they have any right to do. It’s only when you push the X3 M beyond its limits that it stops being a sports car and suddenly becomes a circa 4,600-pound SUV, prone to all the laws of physics there are.