BMW South Africa keeps finding ways to draw more people into showrooms and buy an X3. The locally assembled luxury crossover recently gained a rear-wheel-drive Pure Edition, and now we’re learning about another special variant. The Rugged Edition isn’t a limited-run model as the name might imply, but an optional package.
It’s available exclusively for the X3 20d xDrive and should perform better off the beaten path thanks to its smaller wheels. It ditches the standard 19-inch alloys for an 18-inch set painted in Frozen Midnight and wrapped in meaty 225/60 R18 General Grabber tires. While adaptive suspension is usually an option on the “G45,” it comes standard on the Rugged Edition.
BMW South Africa sweetens the deal with a slew of extra items. For example, the X3 Rugged Edition gets a black roof rack that holds a 320-liter roof box. BMW-branded, of course. All-weather floor mats and transparent protection film are also included. More importantly, the diesel crossover gains heated front and rear seats. An electronically deployed trailer tow hitch rated at up to 2,500 kilograms is part of the package as well.
The Rugged Package costs R 102,000, or nearly $6,000 at current exchange rates. That’s on top of the X3 20d xDrive’s base price in South Africa of R 1,136,417.20 (almost $66,000).
This fourth-gen X3 is no stranger to off-road upgrades. Mere months after its launch last year, the hot M50 received a customized version for the Rebelle Rally. The M Performance X3 gained custom skid plates, Falken Wildpeak A/T Trail tires, and other goodies. After covering some 2,500 kilometers over seven days, the specialized X3 M50 secured a podium finish with Rebecca Donaghe as the driver and Syndiely Wade as the navigator.
Looking ahead, BMW might extend the “Rugged” theme even further with a dedicated model. We’ve heard of a potential “G74” arriving late this decade as a three-row adventure SUV with hybrid and electric power. It would be a CLAR-based vehicle with links to the next-gen X7 (“G67”), meaning it would retain unibody construction rather than switch to a body-on-frame setup. It’s unlikely to be as tough as a Mercedes G-Class, but it would offer better off-road capability than any BMW X model before it.
