Sept 21 2005
The X3 has the same pedigree, the same badge, the hefty price tag and similar
looks.
It may share some of the style of its older brother, but it feels and drives
like a conventional car and is better looking. But the base model is also nine
grand cheaper at around £26,00 which puts it firmly in the slightly more
well-heeled 'aspiration wannabe' market.
The compact 4x4 packs blistering performance, particularly in the three liter
test model. The six-cylinder powered beast is eye-wateringly quick and will
power to 60mph in just eight seconds.
But it is also wallet-wrenchingly thirsty and as the Speedo zips up, the fuel
gauge rockets downwards.
It is incredibly refined. The only racket you will hear as you accelerate away
is likely to come from the powerful sound system speakers, because the growl of
the engine and wind noise are very subdued. Handling is very sharp and there
should be no worries about diving into the corners, because body roll and
wallowing has been left to the bigger boys.
The test car had a whopping £6,485 worth of extras. Admittedly they were the
absolute luxuries, such as a state-of-the-art navigation system. Kit on the
entry model includes roof bars, alloy wheels, CD player and six speakers.
You also get a full list of safety equipment, which includes the patented
all-wheel xDrive system which feeds power to either axle when it senses danger
or wheel spin.
It is not cheap to buy and it is certainly not cheap to run in terms of fuel
consumption and emission. BMW claims around 23 mpg, but the onboard computer
refused to get above an average of 20.
The two-liter diesel and the soon-to-be-unveiled three-liter diesel will be
cheaper and maybe more popular alternatives, the three-liter allowing buyers to
keep the big-engine punch and some cash in the wallet.
There have been many critics of the X3, but in some respects - looks and price -
it could be a better proposition than big brother.