BMW gives two diesel options in India for the BMW X3 model. And the customers see no interest in a petrol version.
The USA and Europe markets too find the big petrol engine very unpractical at the rising fuel prices. However, BMW has come up with a more powerful and efficient four-cylinder petrol engine that might just change the rules for Sport SUVs.
It is a 2.0-litre twin turbo petrol engine that uses BMW’s ‘Twin Power’ technology and extracts more turbo efficiency across the rev range. This gives the BMW X3 an amazing output of 245PS, which striking for a 2.0 litre four-cylinder petrol. And the torque figure is 350Nm, which propels the X3 from halt to 100kmph in just under 7 seconds, half a second behind the Audi Q5 with a 3.0-litre diesel.
This engine named, xDrive28i is similar to the engine powering the 3 Series, 5 Series and Z4 and gives an estimated 21 miles to the gallon. However, don’t expect the xDrive28i to be any cheaper. It gets more standard equipment, including a power liftgate, 18-inch alloy wheels, chrome tailpipes and Driving Dynamics Control, which is BMW’s idea for a better fuel-efficient SUV. Expected to go in production in April, it is still not certain if it will be launched in Indian market.