While the M3 was once all you needed in BMW's line-up to combine practicality and performance, the age of the SUV means that there are a few more options on the German table.
Those looking for a little more boot space can opt for the larger X3 M or X4 M, and BMW has appealed to this audience by giving the pairing a mid-cycle update, four years after the current generation launched.
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Most of the changes across the X3 and X4 range come in the form of exterior details, with thinner headlights, more chiseled body lines, and larger kidney grilles. But don't stress about that last one, BMW hasn't gone full M3 on it.
If you aren't looking for a fully-fledged performance SUV, BMW is also updating the regular X3 and X4 range in New Zealand, as well as refreshing the current X3 xDrive30e plug-in hybrid.
There are three petrol engine variants available for BMW X3 and X4 as per the current line-up, with 135kW/300Nm developed by the X3 sDrive20i and X4 xDrive20i, 185kW/350Nm from the X3 xDrive30i and X4 xDrive30i 285kW/500Nm from the X3 M40i.
There are two diesel variants exclusively for the X3 line, with 140kW/400Nm delivered by the X3 xDrive20d and 195kW/650Nm from the X3 xDrive30d.
In terms of M upgrades, the two SUVs wear the same updates to their more aggressive exteriors, but the most notable work has been done to the 3.0-litre twin-turbo engine.
This power plant that's shared with the M3 and M4 now produces an extra 50Nm of torque, pushing the total outputs up to 375kW and 650Nm.
This cuts the 0-100km sprint time down to 3.8 seconds in both vehicles, which is a 0.3 second improvement over the current model.
This updated X3 and X4 range as well as their M variants should be arriving in New Zealand in the last quarter of this year, with pricing revealed closer to the launch.
