A bit more than an everyday ride
For a start let it be said that the BMW X3 is not exactly a car which inspires passion. It is not a rumbling V8 sports car, the kind we always hope to see arriving at the Motorvision offices. It is, after all, a family-friendly compact SUV. This is a category which we all find justifiable – given that there is sometimes quite a lot of power in play – if somehow indefinable. But it remains an incontrovertible fact that over 600 thousand X3 models have found buyers.
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- BMW claims an averaged consumption of 8.8. Not all that surprising that in our tests it proved hard to keep the car’s thirst below 13.5 litres. Okay, we were driving fast.
Six of the best
What we find attractivein an X3 as a test subject is its motorizations. We are already familiar with the twin-turbo boosted three litre six-cylinder power plant from the 135i coupé and convertible models. Bit of these caused a lot of excitement and found an enthusiastic welcome. Now it remains to be seen what kind of job it can do in the tall standing and 260 kilos heavier X3.
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- With the second generation of the X3 there are new motors. The three litre six-cylinder is installed in an X3 for the first time.
Yes it can
One might tend to start off in an X3 rather gently, it is after all a family SUV. But after just one kick-down there’s the temptation to go for more. Giving the engine time to warm up is a test of the driver’s patience. For the impulse is there to push the accelerator all the way down. When you hear that six-cylinder sound you get addicted to down and dirty. In 5.7 seconds the X3 makes it to a hundred kilometres an hour, which is not bad for a compact SUV! Top speed is 245. It is hardly surprising that the X3 is a comfortable cruiser on the Autobahn. But how does it deal with fast corners? Surprises here, for the X3 is agile, responds quickly and gives a degree of feedback from the road. Pushing through the curve until the rear wheels screech is great fun even in a tall SUV. And the X3 remains easy to control, partly thanks to the long 2.81 metre wheel-base. The eight-speed automatic transmission is shifted by the steering-wheel paddle but even in automatic mode there is always enough power on hand, with the engine producing 306 horsepower and 400 Newton metres of torque. BMW claims an averaged consumption of 8.8. Not all that surprising that in our tests it proved hard to keep the car’s thirst below 13.5 litres. Okay, we were driving fast.
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- In the second X3 generation which has been on the road since last year there are quite a few changes.
Judging the second X3 generation
In the second X3 generation which has been on the road since last year there are quite a few changes. The weaknesses of the first generation, such as the sluggish four-cylinder petrol engine, the primitive interior and the hard suspension, have been eliminated. And the size of the X3 has grown to approach the dimension of its bigger brother, the X5. It is now 8.3 centimetres longer. Basically the X3 must be judged to be a solid vehicle, a tall standing compact family SUV not made primarily for fun.
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- The weaknesses of the first generation, such as the sluggish four-cylinder petrol engine, the primitive interior and the hard suspension, have been eliminated.
The only option
The top motorization option, however, demands that the judgment be revised. For the X3 xDrive 35i is no longer just for soccer mums. In the X3 xDrive 35i the horsepower-hungry man of the house will be happy to take the wheel and do needless detours on the way home from work. Not that he is trying to avoid the little wife, he’s just enjoying the 306 horsepower at his command. Open up the engine and every single kilometre driven is a joy. And, let’s be honest, nobody ever takes an X3 off-road.
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- The three litre six-cylinder engine of the BMW X3 xDrive 35i delivers306 horsepower and 400 Newton metres of torque.
13 thousand Euros between the basic price and the happy driver
Now if he wants to make his wife’s eyes light up by bringing the least expensive X3, the xDrive 20d, up the driveway he will have had to part from 39,400 Euros. But for his own use he might opt for the top version the X3 xDrive 35i at 52,150 Euros. In truth he will have little choice. For anyone who has driven this model it will be seen as an absolute must.
