Everyone wants a piece of the latest automotive fashion statement - the soft-roader - and none more so than those with a large disposable income. In the rarified atmosphere of the $400,000-plus luxury softie, there is a wide choice of 4x4s loaded with leather and wood. Now there is another: the BMW X3.
The X3 might look just like a smaller X5, but it is different. It is 87mm longer than a 3 Series Touring and 102mm shorter than the X5. Its styling is not as clean as that of the 3 Series or X5, though, with clunky details like the front bumper and indicators you will either love or hate. At a glance, though, the X3 looks just fine, with a pleasing silhouette similar to the X5's.
The X3 has a choice of two petrol in-line six engines. The base model, the 2.5i, has a 2.5-litre engine with a five-speed automatic gearbox. The 3.0i (three-litre) is also five-speed automatic. Both have plenty of standard equipment, such as stability and traction control, ABS brakes and hill descent control.
There are plenty of options for the X3, such as a glass sunroof, bi-xenon adaptive headlights, which swivel when turning, and satellite navigation.
The X3 interior is quite austere in typical Germanic fashion, and the interior dimensions appear similar to that of the 3 Series. The seats are firm and give good lateral support, and while back-seat passengers in the three-person pew may not like the laid-back rake of the seat back, they will like the generous head and leg room.
The three-litre engine fires up and settles to a silky-smooth idle, and just gets better from there. It is tractable in the lower range and will rev up to its 6,500 rpm redline swiftly when overtaking. And boy does it sound good, wailing like a BMW M3.
