What constitutes an SUV in this day and age? Seating for seven? An ability to rappel up the nearest hill? Driving position to eyeball bus drivers? Massive bullying potential?
Going by the above the X3 doesn't come anywhere close to fitting the SUV bill - for starters there is only seating for five and in the absence of a low ratio 'box any off-roading ability comes courtesy clever electronics. Which is why BMW calls the X3 (and big brother, X5) Sports Activity Vehicles or SAV in short. With only a cursory nod to serious off-roading ability (and let's face it, nobody's going to off-road a Rs 40-lakh Beemer), BMW created a serious sports saloon clothed in suitably butch and chunky SUV styling to appeal to the massively growing mass of SUV buyers. And with the X5 it rewrote whatever rules existed in the luxury SUV market going straight to the top of its class when launched at the turn of the century.
The X3 is a different case altogether. Meant to be a junior X5 when launched in 2004, the X3 was almost as big and spacious as the X5, nearly cost as much and looked strikingly odd. Of course a year later the X5 moved up a step growing longer and wider and leaving the middle ground to the X3. But she still looked odd and so a face-lift was rushed in barely two and a half years later.
It's the considerably better looking X3 that we get in India, assembled at BMW's Chennai plant, and currently offered with a 2.5-litre petrol straight six. The diesel that will surely garner bulk of sales will follow early next year.
STYLE & BUILD
Guaranteed to split opinion
If nothing, Chris Bangle has guaranteed that no BMW will go by unnoticed today. But while cars like the 3- and the 5-series generally draw oohs and aahs the X3 will polarise opinion, drawing admiration and derision in equal measure.
Let's start with the good bits. All the macho and aggressive themes that appeal so much to SUV buyers are all there - imposing girth, flared wheel arches, big wheels and tyres, black plastic trim that alludes to go anywhere-ability and of course the prestige associated with the kidney grille. BMW's trademark interplay of convex and concave surfaces is toned down but still gives the X3 a youthful appearance while the short overhangs visually hint at serious dynamic potential. Unlike on serious SUVs there's no aluminium skid plate below the front bumper though having the lower air dam painted in body colours (especially in the contrasting white of our test car) is a sweet styling touch.
BMWs these days are festooned with smart lighting and though our test X3 didn't get those gorgeous 'corona rings' xenon lamps, the tail lamps have sexy LED strips. BMW refers to the lighting on the X3 as 'six-eye face' - dual circular headlights mated to closely mounted fog lamps. And as in all BMWs you have the Hofmeister kink in the D-pillar.
Of course this won't be a BMW without some peculiar bits - step forward those difficult to digest and equally difficult to describe headlamps. And the tailgate seems not to have been designed in relation to the car. In motion the X3 has that raw aggression and sportiness so typical of BMW’s today though ultimately there are too many awkward angles to make her a car to lust after.
Inside there's a real feeling of spaciousness and rear seat passengers have ample head and knee room. There's also sufficient shoulder room for a third passenger. The driving position is sporty; you sit higher up than in most cars though not as lofty as in most SUVs (which might hamper bullying potential). The 480-litre boot expands to a cavernous 1560 litres with the rear seats folded.
The dash is laid out in typical BMW fashion though omitting the iDrive controller and central information screen does leave one feeling short-changed. There are also a few nasty bits of plastic like the hood of the storage bin on top of the central console though overall quality levels are very good.
Safety features include dual front airbags, front and rear seat side impact airbags, front and rear seat curtain airbags, front seat torso airbags, rollover sensors, seatbelt pre-tensioners, interlocking door anchoring system for side impacts and crash-activated headrests which help reduce cervical spine injuries caused by rear-end collisions.
CHASSIS & SUSPENSION
Ride suffers at the altar of handling
The X3 has never designed for a bit of mud plugging and to give it top drawer on-tarmac abilities she features a monocoque chassis (not a ladder frame), based in the previous generation 3-series, with all-wheel independent suspension. MacPherson struts, derived from the old X5 suspend the front wheels while double wishbones, adapted from the four-wheel-drive 3-series tie down the rear. The set-up is tuned for corner carving1md together with the xDrive four-wheel-drive system that has a centrally mounted multi-plate clutch distributing torque between front and rear wheels, she exhibits Sports car like levels of grip and control.
For a nearly two-ton SUV (sorry SAV) the X3 exhibits a mind-bending level of agility and body control. She goes round corners with near-3-series levels of immediacy and grip, the DSC stability control sensors working together with the xDrive to ensure optimum traction, both on road and off. The steering is amazingly accurate and confidence inspiring making the X3 a seriously fun and involving car to pilot. Even body roll is minimal (which s utterly brilliant for an SUV) and quite how BMW manages to make an SUV handle this way is beyond comprehension.
ENGINE & TRANSMISSION
Sweet revving in-line six bogged down by near two-ton kerb weight
The 2.5-litre starlight-six petrol is a familiar unit, also doing duty (and drawing rave reviews) in the 325i. Featuring a composite magnesium/aluminium crankcase and variable valve control the engine weigh just 165 kilos and develops max power of 219PS (up from the 325’s 212PS) at 6,500rpm. Peak torque of 246 Nm is developed at 4000rpm.
The engine is fabulously refined and revs beautifully up to its 6500rpm redline – precisely why BMW’s straight-sixes are so legendary. Wring its neck and acceleration is rapid. However the extra weight of the X3 (as compared to the 325i) blunts performance and the engine needs lots of revs to maintain brisk progress. The 100kmph comes p in 10.5 seconds, the quarter mile takes 17.28sec and her max speed is 201kmph.
The X3 is mated to 6-speed automatic gearbox that’s extremely responsive and, in sport mode, holds on to a gear for longer for a lower gear. Which is a good thing since overtaking on the highway invariably requires downshifting by two gears to build up speed.
Braking is handled by 325mm ventilated discs up front and 320mm discs at the rear which provide excellent retardation, hauling her to rest from 100kmph in 50.42 meters. The DSC (which can be completely deactivated to allow for drifting action ) includes brake fade compensation that increases brake pressure to counteract the negative effects of brake fade brake drying that presses the pads slightly against the discs to wipe off water film and s activated when start off assistant that prevents roll back while starting off. There’s no low ratio transfer box for serious off-roading but by braking individual wheels hill descent control allows it to slowly and safely descend steep hills. Finally there’s automatic stability control, trailer stability control and cornering brakes are applied in a corner.
The 1896kg kerb weight and also the inefficient aerodynamics of an SUV body style plays a bi role on the fuel front, the X3 returning 9.3kmpl on the highway and 7.05kmpl in the city. With an 80-liter fuel tank that translates into a range of 600km on a thankful of petrol.
SUMMING IT UP
For an SUV the X3 is enormously impressive; xDrive gives it incredible, almost surreal, handling and agility that’s almost car like in a sufficiently imposing SUV package. The downside is a very fidgety ride that, at least for Indian conditions, just won’t do. And she’s expensive too; Rs 41.9 lakh exshowroom and another Rs 1.35 lakh for the panoramic sunroof. And while the engine might be beautifully refined and involving her weight blunts performance and increase her appetite for petrol.
For those looking for the practically of a n SUV with the driving dynamics and character of a sports saloon, the X3 is an enticing prospect though waiting a few months for the excellent 6-cylinder diesel engine might be worth your while.