Driving the New X3

I spent a week with the X3 in the Bay Area and my driving was a mix of city and suburban streets and California freeways.  My drive included the winding Shoreline Highway north of the Golden Gate Bridge, which just may have been the perfect road to experience the Freude am Fahren (Joy of Driving, BMW AG’s tagline) that the X3 so perfectly exhibits.

Two gasoline engines are currently available in the U.S., a 3.0-liter inline six in the X3 xDrive28i, producing 240 hp and 230 pound-feet of torque, and a 3.0-liter inline six with direct fuel injection, twin-scroll turbo technology, and Valvetronic, producing 300 hp and 300 pound-feet of torque.  The latter engine is what our X3 xDrive35i came equipped with and it was nothing if not fast.

Missing from the line-up in the U.S. are BMW’s diesel engines although rumors of an X3 xDrive35d are frequently heard.  Tested by our sister publication The Diesel Driver, the X3 xDrive20d is one of two diesel models sold in other markets (the other is the X3 xDrive30d)  and it features a 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo diesel engine that produces 184 hp and 280 pound-feet of torque. It can go from 0 to 100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 8.5 seconds and used only 5.6 l/100 km (50.4 mpg) in the combined EU fuel economy test cycle.

Both gasoline engines are mated to BMW’s latest generation eight-speed automatic transmission, which contributes to improved fuel economy and less noise. The transmission always seemed to know what gear to be in, no matter what the situation was and direct shifts from 8th to 2nd gear were easily accomplishable when I needed maximum power.

I found the new X3 to be far more sports sedan-like in its handling than SUV.  The X3 features BMW’s third-generation xDrive all-wheel drive system which BMW calls Integrated Chassis Management. This system works in parallel with Dynamic Stability Control and the xDrive system itself to provide quick reaction to changes in driving conditions.

The X3’s new suspension features a combination of a double-joint spring-strut suspension at the front and a multi-link rear suspension. Electronic Damping Control allows the shocks to be adjusted to multiple levels of firmness (normal, sport, and sport plus) and they adjust based on road conditions very quickly. Indeed, BMW cites the example of a front tire hitting a pothole and the system’s ability to adjust quickly enough so that the rear-wheel damping has been changed before the rear wheel hits the same pothole.

Infotainment

Our X3 xDrive35d was very well equipped.  BMW ConnectedDrive provides X3 drivers with standard and optional convenience, information, entertainment, and safety features ranging from BMW Assist to iPod Out. Other features include MyInfo, which allowed me (and my friends and colleagues) to send destinations, messages, and phone numbers directly to the X3 from the Google Maps Web site.

Bluetooth Mobile Office provides integration with smartphones, allowing calendar and tasks to be displayed and, more significantly, it will read e-mail, text messages, calendar entries, and notes out loud using built-in text-to-speech technology.  I had forgotten about this feature until I saw an envelope icon on the central information display and saw my e-mail and text messages waiting for me there.

Even with all of the improvements and the fact that this is a brand new car, the entry-level X3, officially the X3 xDrive28i, started at $2100 less than its predecessor – with far more standard equipment including iPod and USB interfaces, Bluetooth connectivity for telephone, and an alarm.  Factory delivery is available at the Performance Delivery Center in Spartanburg at no additional charge.

 
DRIVING THE BMW X3 IN THE BAY AREA

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