Is it just me, or has the market gotten sick of crossover SUVs yet? They're too small to be SUVs and too big to be cars, so how do you build them? You can't go with a truck chassis, but using a car chassis makes them underpowered, overweight and patently incapable of functioning as any sort of viable option in between. The BMW X3 does a better job than most, so if you're bent on a CUV, though I can't imagine why you would be, this is about as good of a choice as any.
It would be easy to say that the car lacks imagination when it comes to the naming scheme, but that's true of any alphanumerically monikered car, and worse so when it comes to the cars that bear terrible names. BMW has always used logical naming though, so I'll give them credit for that, even though the optional 4.4 V8 engine isn't called a X4.4. Still, hardly the point, and certainly not one I'm being paid to consider.
The BMW X3 is a luxury CUV, so the amenities inside are about as good as you might want, right down to flip-up navigation, rear-seat climate controls and a screen to cover the odd acre of sunroof when the beating heat comes from directly overhead. There's enough headroom, legroom and assorted comforts ranging from posh leather to a skylight that spans 80% of the bald-spot burning overhead. Both big sunroofs tilt into moon position, with the front one rolling all the way back.
BMW prides itself as the self-proclaimed "ultimate driving machine", and this model is only barely an exception. The base engine is the 3.0 liter inline-six, which is a legendary engine, and proves enough to defeat competitors like the Ford/Lincoln, Jeep or Dodge both in terms of pedal-to-the-metal zip and gas mileage, while still being equally equipped, more luxurious, with better curb appeal and with a better manufacturer's heritage of longevity.
Although I've grown to dislike crossovers myself, this is about the best I've seen, though at $32,000 ($45,000 as I tested it, $60,000 trimmed to the gills), I'd be happier with a top of the line 3-series, or low-base 5-series. Truth is, traditional cars give you better handling, a smoother ride, equal legroom, nearly-equal headroom, significantly better mileage and almost enough trunk space to make up for the difference. Still, this isn't a review of a car, it's a review of the X3, so let's get back to that.
Here are some of the many reasons I think it's a smart choice in the crossover SUV market:
- It's a better value than most of the competitors. Good economy, fair sticker price, exceptional after-the-sale service and excellent resale value.
- Smart features like backup warning are great, but not too impressive until you tack on the side-warning indicators that insure you'll never curb your custom rims again.
- It's got more airbags than you should ever want, and traction control and ABS are great, but seatbelt pre-tensioners exceed expectations. The smart, self-leveling headlights add extra ounces to safety in spades, even at this price point, and there are more benefits you won't even notice until you've had it a week or so.
- Clever bonuses are abundant, like front corner lights that come on at night when you turn sharply. It's amazing because, you slow down and crank the wheel to the side, you'll get a corner light to show you what you might not have seen in the dark, and then you can avoid hitting whatever it was you wouldn't have even seen.
The biggest thing I want to point out here is that I'm not saying the BMW is a bad car at all. The crossover SUV is a product the market has demanded, but just like a kid who demands candy at bedtime, sometimes the market doesn't know what they want. If you want a crossover, the BMW is a good-looking ride, it has all the BMW reliability and comfort you'd expect, and a price-point lower than you might expect, not to mention the fact that BMW gives you an unrivaled service package.
Big pluses to me were that it was sharp, tightly engineered, and every bit the BMW you'd want. Only problem was that I don't care for the whole genre in and of itself, which is no discredit to the model nor the make. The interior color scheme wasn't to my liking, but that's why they offer assorted choices inside and out. The cost is comparable to a Lincoln MKX, but with better service, engineering and probability of high resale value, but compare prices between cars and SUVs, as well as your reasons for deciding as much, before making the finally selecting the car that you'll commit to for the years to come.
