2004 BMW X3 3.0i Road Test

And in the case of my tester, the optional torque-happy 3.0-liter (182 cu-in) inline-six provided plenty of thrust to do just

The optional torque-happy 3.0-liter inline-six provided plenty of thrust. (Photo: BMW Canada)

that. This engine is a BMW icon, revving freely to redline and producing plenty of grunt in the process. While rated at only 225-horsepower and 214 pounds-feet of torque, its "Double Vanos" variable camshaft control must do something magical as this beautifully balanced machine pulls longer and stronger than its specs would intimate. Power is plentiful at low rpm and delivered very linearly and audibly, in a pleasing sort of way.

In my Mystic Blue metallic tester, the smooth escalation of power was fed through a six-speed manual gearbox that shifted with deft precision. The short throws engaged with a decisive click-click, affirming to the driver that the intended gear was locked and loaded. Although expertly finding the gears was a done-deal, releasing the clutch smoothly was more of challenge than it should have been. Why? Well perhaps the rigors inflicted by one journalist after another were beginning to take their toll on

On a winding road, the X3 handles more like a sports car than a typical SUV. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press)

what otherwise, is an awesome box of cogs. Nonetheless, equipping an SUV with a six-speed manual transmission convinces me that BMW isn't just paying lip service to their claim, "any road, any reason, any time."

Pick a winding road and the X3 will serve up sports-car-like handling sufficient to dispel any preconceptions of what SUVs are supposed to drive like. In fact, with handling so composed and predictable it wasn't until I opened the door and dropped my size 11's to the roadway that the X3's SUV reality hit me like a swat across the head. Similar to underestimating the drop of a fairly high step, plopping a foot out of the X3 can be met with an unexpectedly long drop, especially after deluding yourself that you've been hustling a sports sedan about town.