Originally Posted by JCL

It translates from German as Life Cycle Impulse, but it literally means the mid-life refresh, usually around the four year mark of the standard seven year product cycle for BMW. Also called a facelift. Grills usually get changed, lights, engines, some options, depending on which model it is. Applies to all BMW models, not just X3s. The X3 was out in 2003, and the LCI was in 2006.