2004 BMW X3 3.0i Road Test

Three Scoops Please

Walk a kid into an ice cream parlor featuring more flavors in the cooler than square feet on the floor and expect a lengthy,

With all the variety in the current BMW lineup, it's like walking into a ice cream parlor. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press)

agonizing delay during the selection process. I've taken my offshoot into such dens of delectability and needed a shave and change of clothes by the time we exited. Sometimes the solution to the "I can't decide which flavor" impasse is to merge the top three picks into a triple-scoop cone of blended delights.

Eventually the same decision-challenged kids grow into adults and find they face an automotive equivalent to the well-stocked ice cream parlor. "Should I choose the sporty 330Ci coupe, the sensible 325Xi wagon or the all-terrain X5 3.0i?" Each of the BMW variants brings with it certain benefits and limitations in terms of handling, performance,

With the X3, BMW has delivered the automotive equivalent of a triple-scoop cone to those once indecisive, junior non-conformists. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press)

family accommodation, cargo space and off-road ability - not to mention value for the almighty buck.

By merging the diversity of performance, practicality and off-road ability into its new for 2004 X3, BMW has delivered the automotive equivalent of a triple-scoop cone to those once indecisive, junior non-conformists. I was, and occasionally remain, a vacillating body of youthful indecision, so I fully appreciate rides that are a distillation of virtues derived from a variety of automotive formats. Recreationally active individuals and families can maximize their automotive applications by relying upon the same vehicle to perform the daily combination of commuting, kid-hauling and recreational duties, and with today's prohibitively high cost of living that just makes sense.