The sporty side takes over
When you think about it, the term 'sports-utility vehicle' doesn't make sense; it loosely implies that all vehicles in this category are both practical and sporty. In reality, though, very few SUVs can stake that claim.
Do you agree that a Suburban isn't sporty? And, on the contrary, are we right to assume that a Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8, with its 420 horsepower and miserly 1,588-kg towing capacity, isn't very practical?
With the X3 and the X5, BMW seems to have discovered the secret recipe.
Sporty... but maybe a little too sporty?
The X3 offers good performance. With 260 horsepower on tap, courtesy of a 3.0-litre inline-6, acceleration is good but not breathtaking. It's an excellent engine that offers a nice soundtrack and that is providing me with an average of 12.9 L/100 km.
The six-speed manual works marvellously, and the clutch is lighter than I expect. The engine is so smooth that, on two occasions, I found myself driving on the highway in 5th gear instead of selecting the top gear.
The handling reminds me of a sports car. The suspension tuning is firm, very firm, and allows the X3 to be thrown into curves with a surprising velocity for the a truck. The steering also helps in adopting a more aggressive driving habit, and as a result, the X3 is pretty fun to drive.
The compromise of a sport suspension is, obviously, the harshness of the ride when we're not driving with the pedal to the metal. No problem on the highway, but in city driving, the X3 gives its occupants a punishing ride. The truck reacts to the smallest road imperfection, which becomes irritating after a few days. Personally, I'd probably skip the $3,200 M Sport package, which adds a tighter suspension setup. It's an issue that has already been brought up on previous tests of the X3, and it also applies in this case.
When you think about it, the term 'sports-utility vehicle' doesn't make sense; it loosely implies that all vehicles in this category are both practical and sporty. In reality, though, very few SUVs can stake that claim.
 |
| A real "sports"-utility vehicle. |
Do you agree that a Suburban isn't sporty? And, on the contrary, are we right to assume that a Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8, with its 420 horsepower and miserly 1,588-kg towing capacity, isn't very practical?
With the X3 and the X5, BMW seems to have discovered the secret recipe.
Sporty... but maybe a little too sporty?
The X3 offers good performance. With 260 horsepower on tap, courtesy of a 3.0-litre inline-6, acceleration is good but not breathtaking. It's an excellent engine that offers a nice soundtrack and that is providing me with an average of 12.9 L/100 km.
The six-speed manual works marvellously, and the clutch is lighter than I expect. The engine is so smooth that, on two occasions, I found myself driving on the highway in 5th gear instead of selecting the top gear.
The handling reminds me of a sports car. The suspension tuning is firm, very firm, and allows the X3 to be thrown into curves with a surprising velocity for the a truck. The steering also helps in adopting a more aggressive driving habit, and as a result, the X3 is pretty fun to drive.
The compromise of a sport suspension is, obviously, the harshness of the ride when we're not driving with the pedal to the metal. No problem on the highway, but in city driving, the X3 gives its occupants a punishing ride. The truck reacts to the smallest road imperfection, which becomes irritating after a few days. Personally, I'd probably skip the $3,200 M Sport package, which adds a tighter suspension setup. It's an issue that has already been brought up on previous tests of the X3, and it also applies in this case.
 |
| The inline-6 cylinder engine provides reasonable performance. |