Wednesday, 23 March 2011 10:46 Marcus Schumacher
BMW X3 stands prominent among its rivals with its trade mark BMW handling, spaciousness, and outstanding refinement, yet what it lacks is the styling, which is quite upsetting, unexpected interior trim and a little ride comfort too.
2011 BMW X3 Review
Styling
As X3 was considered to be from the family of X5, in fact a smaller version of it, its design was most likely to be closer to it, yet the styling of X3 is totally disappointing. The outlook of the car doesn’t look classy at all. It has a slim stance which looks rather narrow, while the side and back are also not impressive. However, the front is quite better if looked ignoring the massive body behind. As compared to other BMW models specifically the M5, this coupe lags in road presence as well.
Comfort
Considering X3 to be a luxury SUV we expected extreme refinement, and gladly we didn’t get any disappointment. The cabin is superbly refined, well-isolated from wind and road noise no matter what the speed is. The engine has also been muted, but only when given a hard push. Though the rear view is not that bright for the driver yet the view from the front is adequate. It is easy for the driver to attain the best driving position with the help of numerous steering and seating options available. Though due to the tarmac-biased suspension the ride seems a bit firm, however there is no compromise over uneven roads as the ride remain bearable.
Quality + Reliability
It is difficult to admit for a car like X3, who shares most of the dashboard layout and switchgear from the 3-Series, to have suspect trim quality, but unfortunately that is the truth. Though, looking on the whole we find the controls on the dashboard logically placed and made of fine quality material. Yet, what disappoints is the low quality of the panel. Nevertheless, we expect the switchgear, borrowed from 3-Series, to carry on the family tradition of good reliability.
Handling
As expected the handling is really outstanding and is the key feature of X3. Its marvelous body control without any loose body movement, is rare to find in mid-size SUVs, and makes it a real pleasure to drive. BMW X3 is quick to respond with plentiful on-road grip and has an accurate steering too. All these remarkable features give class-leading drive to this SUV, which is totally unbelievable for any SUV at all. With its compact width it is easier to be driven through city areas.
Performance
The engine option available for 2.5si is the in-line six-cylinder 2.5-litre which is able to produce 218bhp and 250 Nm of torque while having range of 2750-4250 rpm. This enables X3 to hit 100 km/h from 0 in 8.9 seconds, while being smooth aided by the plentiful torque. It’s not just the engine refinement that is the strength of X3, but its six-speed automatic transmission with Steptronic as well, as it helps changing gear unnoticeable and has a great part in the remarkable on-road performance of the X3.
Running Costs
BMW utilizes latest technologies to develop environmental friendly and less fuel consuming cars. Just as in X3 the brand new direct injection technology, has helped the SUV to maintain a reasonable fuel economy with the official figures of 9.9 km/litre. With longer intervals of service and maintenance the high costs associated with these activities become reasonable to certain extent. As obvious the insurance of expensive cars is always high and so is expected for X3. X3 doesn’t have a sufficient number of rival SUVs and hence has a good market for the new as well as the second-hand market, in addition to this; it is a popular brand and is expected to depreciate less with its high reliability record.
Value For Money
Having no notable contenders in the SUV market for quite a long time even from the automakers such as
Mercedes-Benz and
Audi, we can compare X3 with the
Land Rover Freelander 2.0-litre which has adequate on-road and excellent off-road performance. However, the key feature that makes X3 dominating is its superb handling. Another comparable SUV is with big engine and big money, the
Lexus RX 3.5-litre. It may be ahead of X3 in providing comfort yet X3 outclasses others with its extraordinary handling.
Equipment
X3 impresses with its comprehensive list of latest equipments including automatic hill descent control, park distance control, differential brake, and all-wheel xDrive system with variable torque distribution. It comes with 17-inch alloy wheels, xenon headlights, foglights, rain sensors, automatic climate control, Sports seats for front two, Sports leather steering wheel, and stereo with MP3 decoder. For the safety of the passenger the Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), with anti-lock braking system, brake assist and traction control, as well as airbags are provided.
Roominess
Though apparently the stance of X3 looks narrow, yet there is no lack of space inside. There is plenty of room for those who’ll sit in front as well as for the back seats passengers. The head-and-leg room is plentiful for both the places too; in fact the rear legroom competes against the X5’s. The storage capacity of the boot is remarkable at 480 to 1560 litres even more than what the boot of X5 offers. Another advantage to the boot is the 60:40 split and fold of the rear seat to increase its capacity. There is just one problem regarding space which is due to the transmission area at the middle that limits the foot room for the person sitting on the middle rear seat.
Environment
BMW utilizes latest technologies to develop environmental friendly and less fuel consuming cars. The brand new direct injection technology is helping BMW in completing this task. As compared to other engines with same output the fuel consumption and CO2 emissions of X3 are much better. X3 has emission level of 228 g/km which is justifiable considering it is an SUV.
“The X3 to be launched in India will be assembled from completely knocked down (CKD) kits at the Chennai plant,” said Schaaf. At present, the plant assembles BMW 3 series and 5 series sedans as well as the X1 models. 
