The X3 is the smaller of BMW's two Sports Utility Vehicles but is by no means a small car. Fitting into the premium family SUV niche, this is a safe, visually attractive and practical choice, aimed largely at young professionals with children.
You will get a choice of engines with the X3; two highly refined diesels - 2.0 and 3.0 litre and two six cylinder petrol units 2.5 and 3.0 litre. The tested vehicle was a 2.0D SE with a six-speed manual gearbox, which I had for a few days. During this time I used the car on a wide variety of journeys, including a run to Dublin Airport, a return trip of about one hundred and forty miles with two passengers, several large suitcases and my dog (he wasn't flying he came along as an interested observer). This is a jaunt you want to do in comfort, with the least drama possible and I found the X3 to be perfect, eating seemingly endless miles in sixth gear. The torque provided by the smaller of the two diesel engines allowed for easy overtaking with the minimum of fuss and down-changing. Low-end power was good, giving a hint that this would be a great towing car. Although fantastic through a range of driving, the X3 really excels at higher speeds and is a very capable cruiser.
On tighter roads, the X3 is surprisingly agile. SUVs generally have a higher centre of gravity and whilst some its rivals struggle at higher speeds to take bends confidently, this car is extremely accurate and
safe on the tightest of corners. Ride comfort and noise levels are also particularly good. Driver control, input and feedback cannot be faulted; this is a highly evolved setup.
The airport run was the best type of test for passenger and load space that I can think of. Multiple passengers, both human and canine, a large load combined with a long and time constrained journey can test, not only the internal space, but the general comfort of all those involved. The X3 has enough legroom in both the back and front for the loftiest of people, as well as a cavernous boot. The rear seats fold in a 60:40 format, providing about 1500 litres of luggage space when fully folded this is huge and beats a number of the larger SUVs. There is very little wasted space inside the cabin with lots of stowage space in the form of clever cubby-holes and useful door, console and dash compartments.
As with all BMWs, there is a good choice of trim in the cabin. My car was equipped with the optional leather upholstery in black and brushed aluminium trim. All of my passengers including the four-legged one, were completely satisfied with comfort levels, this is one of the many attributes that
designers at BMW pride themselves on and was more than obvious in the X3. Good build quality, as expected, is tangible everywhere, however some of the cabin plastics did feel a bit on the cheap side. You will get alloys and an mp3-compatable CD player as standard throughout the range. Although most X3s will not see anything rougher than a pebbled driveway, it is equipped for a degree
of off-road driving - the xDrive system provides traction through all four wheels automatically when a loose surface is detected and hill descent control, when selected will limit your descent speed on steep off-road slopes.
On the safety front; four airbags, Antilock Braking System and a traction and stability system all work together to protect you and your passengers.
The X3 has been about for a few years now and has sold in significant numbers, resale value is strong and demand is typically high. Fuel consumption for the tested 2.0d SE variant is usually in the low forties (combined) and is pretty good for a car of this type.
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