Sinister BMW X3 M50 Black Package Gets 22-Inch Wheels
by Adrian Padeanu · BMWBLOGArticle Summary
- The Black Package is exclusive to the M Performance version, allowing the BMW X3 M50 to show its dark side.
- It’s the first time the X3 comes with 22-inch wheels straight from the factory.
- The Black Package arrives alongside other updates for the X3, including a more powerful engine and a slightly upgraded interior.
Well, that escalated quickly. Only yesterday, BMW announced a series of updates for the X3, including a significant power bump for the M50. Now, the company has revealed a new Black Package for the M Performance crossover, because apparently 443 horsepower wasn’t enough to get attention. Available exclusively for the M Performance version, the Black Package gives the hottest gasoline-powered X3 a much more sinister appearance.
It also marks the first time the X3 can be ordered from the factory with 22-inch wheels, so there’s plenty of visual drama. High-gloss black brake calipers with monochrome M logos join the look, while the exterior M badges and model designation also get a black finish with silver outlines. In other words, BMW has gone through the catalog and clicked the “make it darker” button repeatedly.
The black theme continues inside, with the package adding generous amounts of Alcantara to the dashboard, the area ahead of the central display, the smartphone tray, door trims, and center-console armrest. The black Alcantara/Veganza seats get blue stitching and piping, while the M logos are embossed into the headrests.
The Nicest BMW X3 G45 Interior Yet?
There’s also an M interior trim in an aluminum-carbon structure, fancy Individual Crafted Clarity glass elements, and black floor mats with blue piping and an M-color flag. Even the M steering wheel gets a special leather airbag impact absorber. But the Black Package itself doesn’t make the luxury SUV any faster. That’s because BMW is applying the mechanical upgrade to every X3 M50 xDrive, regardless of whether the customer orders the murdered-out treatment.
As announced yesterday, the turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six with 48-volt mild-hybrid technology now produces a stout 443 hp. That’s 44 hp more than before and makes this the most powerful version yet of BMW’s B58 engine, as already seen in the M350 xDrive. Predictably, torque is also up by 40 Nm (30 lb-ft), reaching 580 Nm (428 lb-ft).
The extra muscle cuts the 0-to-100 km/h (62 mph) sprint to 4.4 seconds. Using BMW’s recently introduced one-foot rollout method, that figure drops to 4.1 seconds. The engine also meets Euro 7 requirements, which is particularly noteworthy, given that BMW has extracted substantially more power while meeting tougher emissions regulations. It’s a win-win situation.
Up next
A True X3 M With A Gas Engine Still Isn’t Happening, But An Electric One Is
And yes, before anyone asks, this still isn’t an X3 M. BMW has no plans for another combustion-powered X3 M, but the M50 is getting increasingly difficult to dismiss as merely an M Performance halfway house. A full-blown X3 M is still going to happen, but it’ll be entirely electric. The “ZA5” is likely to break cover next year with a quad-motor setup and ludicrous power.
The X3 M50 Black Package hits Europe in December 2026, when the whole X3 lineup will receive the interior improvements BMW announced yesterday. We’re talking about ambient lighting for the center-console storage compartment and interior door handles, a new stitching pattern on the dashboard, and an updated glovebox opener. In the back, you now get stainless-steel edge guards if you go for the spicy M50 or the plug-in hybrid 30e xDrive.
With every next-generation model BMW rolls out, it gradually kills off the iDrive controller. That’s why press images like these, with the dial front and center, will become increasingly rare in the following years. Logic tells us that the X3 will go down in history as one of the last models to have it.
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