The design of the next generation of BMW X3 is going to be an important one. It will come in two flavors, the new X3: standard and electric. The former will be based on BMW’s newest CLAR platform, while the latter will be based on BMW’s Neue Klasse architecture. That should make the new X3 an exciting new model for many customers. However, if it looks as unusual as so many modern Bimmers do, that might not mean anything. In some spy photos, we get a glimpse of what this new X3 might look like, which could give us an indication of how popular, or unpopular, it might be. (We don’t own the spy photos but they can be seen here)
In these new photos, the BMW X3 you see is the internal combustion version. Without any hybrid or electric test vehicle badges, which are required in Europe, it must either be a gasoline or diesel-powered car. Which is good for the sake of design because it means we get to see what BMW did with its kidney grilles. Thankfully, they’re incredibly normal.
Unlike the gaping holes in the face of the M3 and M4, this new BMW X3 will have perfectly reasonable kidney grilles, which look like the correct size for the vehicle. It will also have some swoopy headlights, a boxier front end, flush door handles, and a very X3-like profile. Obviously, it’s still wrapped in camouflage, so there’s no guarantee what we’re looking at will be the final design, but it does look like a typical X3. So don’t expect any radical changes.
One area of interest is its Hofmeister Kink, though. Or should I say, the lack of visible Hofmeister Kink. BMW seems to have hidden it behind some body panel fakery, so don’t take the test mule’s lack of kink too seriously.
This new BMW X3 seems to be refreshingly normal and I’m very much here for it. BMW designs have become so cartoonishly in-your-face that they no longer feel like BMWs. But the X3 seems like a return to form and that’s a very good thing. As we’ve seen with the BMW i3 and, more recently the iX, funky looks will sway public opinion more than the quality of the car. So it’s a very good thing that this new X3 looks handsome and understated, like a proper BMW should.
