There is ample room in front, although my legs did hit the dash bottom at times. The tilt/telescope steering wheel has a good feel; the seats are grippy, but not necessarily as comfortable as on other BMWs. All in all, the interior is like an old friend who hasn't changed much over the years. On the other hand, he wasn't your best friend.
My major concerns were the cupholders and the lack of small storage areas. This is a sports activity vehicle and it must have the utility inherent in competitive models and that includes the ability for people to eat, drink, and carry whatever. I would say the people who designed this interior were neat nicks who have no earthly idea of what a mess a family can make when there isn't enough storage spaces or good cupholders.
With a fuel capacity of 17.7 gallons your real life driving range between trips to the gas station is going to be about 300 miles. If you opt for the standard six-speed manual transmission you are going to average about one mile per gallon more. This is in line with others in this weight and engine output category.
In terms of six-cylinder competition, I would say the Volkswagen Touareg, Lexus RX 330 and Cadillac SRX are closest although neither offers the road feel of the X3. The Lexus is larger, softer riding, and has more luxury features. The Cadillac, with the six-cylinder engine, has an available third seat and a kinder ride. The Volkswagen has a superior interior, more off-road capability, but is about 1000 pounds heavier and feels it, especially at the fuel pump. My choice would probably be the X3 simply because it is more fun and I can get my music, skateboard or whatever trend I am following onboard and out of site.
Family conference: BMW has put fourth a noble effort to provide a sporty vehicle that can comfortable hold a family and provide adequate performance and utility. What they have also done is create a great venue for a more powerful version that could create an entire new niche vehicle; the hot rod SUVs. It would not take much to make it competitive with the current champion, the turbocharged Porsche Cayenne, since that model must carry around 800 pounds more. We believe there is an M engine putting out 315 or more horsepower sitting in one of these somewhere in Germany right now. Meanwhile, the X3 won the Alcan Winter Rally.
In the meantime the best combination we found was the X3 with the optional 3.0-liter engine and five-speed Steptronic. We would stay with the regular suspension, but be tempted to order the Servotronic vehicle-speed-sensitive steering for $250 since it makes the X3 more fun to drive and park. We would also consider GPS, bi-xenon headlights and rear parking sensors.
