BMW X3 3.0sd Review

One of the big minuses of the first X3 were the kidney-punishing ride induced by the somewhat sporty settings of the suspension and of course, the runflat tires. BMW took notice of this, so the facelift brought new changes for the car's behavior from this point of view, mainly by removing the runflat idea, instead equipping the X3 with your average “bicycle” spare wheel, which has a maximum speed of 80 km/h (50 mph) and is located underneath the car, just beneath the trunk. Even though the facelift model has a very improved suspension comfort, the car's jerkiness when passing over rougher roads or tram lines is still there.

The interior decibel level is well contained, and the comfort features list is long enough for the year we live in. The car we tested was equipped with heated seats all around (yes, even in the back), heated steering wheel for those cold winter mornings, front electrically adjusted seats (which we would have liked better if they were Motorsport Technik ones), automatic climate control and a very nice panoramic sunroof. On the whole, the facelifted X3 didn't transform in a puffy British GT overnight, but it doesn't play as near as many games with your spine when going over paved roads. Also, we're not exactly hardcore critics in the sound area, but the Harman-Kardon hi-fi audio system is (literally) music to every audiophile's ears.

From the technical point of view, the X3 3.0sd is typically German. The 3 liter inline six oil burner has won a good array of awards so far and for good reason. The sequential arrangement of the two turbochargers is genius in keeping that nerve inducing lag as non-intruding as possible.

There's a small turbine working at very low revs and a bigger one which starts spinning as soon as higher revs are achieved, thus minimizing any delay of response and keeping the throttle input as sharp as possible. The 286 hp and 580 Nm (427.8 lb-ft) of torque can sometimes induce nausea on the unsuspecting passengers every time your right foot becomes too heavy for the accelerator pedal.

The six-speed automatic transmission first appeared on the van Hooydonk-ized 7 Series, which is good enough proof of the amount of technology behind it. The gear changes are almost seamless and the Sport mode can keep the engine boiling at over 4000 rpm on a regular basis, as long as you give it enough pedal.

From the list of technical features, probably the most impressive one is the greatly advertised xDrive. Normally, the torque distribution is 62% on the rear and 38% on the front axle, but, depending on the different driving situations you are to be found in, the power delivery can vary between 0% on the front while the rest is sent to the rear, and 50/50.

The xDrive is based on an electronically actuated multi-plate clutch that works much faster than other four-wheel-drive systems. As a supplemental system to the xDrive, the DSC (Dynamic Stability Control) also tries to prevent the loss of traction in situations without enough grip, by letting up to 50% of the power reach only one wheel, even before the driver is aware that he's in trouble. Even though it's far from a hardcore rock-crawling off-roader, the X3 facelift also benefits from a Hill Descent Control system borrowed from Land Rover, which can be programmed to sustain a descent speed between 5 and 25 km/h (3 and 25 mph) via the cruise control system.

For a car based on a platform which was designed last century (the E46 3 Series appeared in 1998), the list of gadgets found on the facelift X3 is pretty modern, albeit not at the level of a luxo-barge. Still, the array of useful toys that were to be found on our X3 3.0sd test car was rather sufficient. The front and rear parking sensors are very helpful in the city, considering the rear visibility isn't quite top notch. The heated seats and steering wheel are not a snobby option at all when you live in an area with tempered climate and dreadful winters, while the on-board computer is full of helpful information about the different states of the car.

Whether you want to calculate your average fuel consumption (except for the real time one) or the amount of kilometers until the required maintenance check, the high mounted tilting display can give you the desired information in a pretty fashionable way, since whenever you're not using it it can disappear out of sight at the touch of a button. Also, in case you're not going to be only one driving the X3, the car's mirrors, seats and steering wheel (all of them electrically adjustable) can have up to three memorized positions so you don't have to readjust them every time you jump into the car after your petite wife has driven it.

Technically, when speaking about the safe factor of an SUV, stuff like the increased weight and height versus a regular family sedan are spoken about in a very positive note. The X3 3.0sd is also pretty heavy (1850 kg or 4078 lbs), even though it is based on a medium-sized sedan, which should come in handy when crashing into your average Volkswagen Golf. Apart from this, the facelift X3 has six airbags fitted as standard (two dual-stage ones in the front, two front side and two front and rear head airbags), while our test car also had the optional rear side ones.

As for the active safety systems, BMW has equipped the X3 3.0sd with DSC (Dynamic Stability Control), which includes the HDC ( Hill Descent Control) and the TSC (Trailer Stability Control), rain sensors and lights sensors for the headlights (with tilting features for the curves). Also, the tire puncture warning system can be very useful in case you're randomly attacked by terrorists with nails on the road to work. The X3 was awarded four stars by the EuroNCAP institute for safety, while the American IIHS gave it a “Good” score on everything except for the safety cage, which only received an acceptable rating. On the whole, the X3 is among the safest cars in its class.

With no exaggeration, probably the best feature to be liked (if not even loved) about the BMW X3 3.0sd resides under the hood. The sequentially turbocharged three-liter diesel develops 286 hp (that's about 95 hp per liter!) and 580 Nm (427.8 lb-ft) of torque available from just 1750 rpm. If that wasn't enough to get you startled about this car, also take into account that its engine suffers from one of the least noticeable lag in the world of turbodiesels. Sure, everytime you press the “pedal to the metal” and you're below a certain rpm level (let's say, 1300-1400 rpm), there's bound to be some late responsiveness, but nothing to give you headaches like in most other turbodiesels.

Apart from the obvious high price tag, the worst part about a BMW X3 3.0sd (or any X3 for that matter) has GOT to be its exterior design. Sure, BMW fans might feel that we're just jerking their chains, but we don't think there's a sane person in this world who would say that the X3 is a handsome automobile. It has somewhat of a practicality ring to it (remember, we're only talking design-wise here), but all the details are mixed up and just plain unattractive. The only elements you can add to make it more bearable are some nice wheels and probably a good color-coded paint job.

The ugly thing about driving a performance diesel (yes, we're well aware how these two words sound together) is that you're expecting something that isn't quite there. You're expecting it to be slow (hey, it's an oil burner, right?) but the X3 3.0sd is exactly the opposite, and you're also waiting for some good mileage (again, it's a freaking diesel, right?), which the 3.0sd doesn't deliver. It's not going to make a lot of room in your wallet compared to a gasoline model with similar specifications, but it still drinks more than you would expect from a three-liter diesel.