Review: 2007 BMW X3 3.0si

[Andrew 30]

The BMW X3 is exactly what you’d hope from a small, yet very sporty, SUV. While definitely playing kid brother to the larger X5, and possibly missing out on some of those big-brother good looks, it’s still an incredibly strong offering all around. From the moment you walk up the vehicle, slide in, and start it up, you’re presented with several luxuries that just aren’t found in other vehicles in the small SUV class. And once you take it through some corners, or sprint past a fellow-commuter on the freeway with a flick of the throttle, you’re convinced you’ve made a wise investment getting the X3.

Recently having driven a Ford Explorer (priced at $39k versus the X3’s $44k), this car offered improvements in almost every area of driving, except a third-row of seating. Cornering in this car was about as good as any SUV I’ve ever driven, and the feel of the leather wrapped steering wheel to the elegant control panel, consistently reminded me that I was driving what many in the world consider the most amazingly engineered cars in the world. It isn’t a tough sell.

You’ll hear me say it over and over that I’m biased towards BMW’s, as they generally provide the most amazing driving experiences above any other car I’ve driven, but part of my bias is formed and solidified by each BMW I drive continually proving itself. The X3 continued to do just that.

When on the highway, this car was very agile and quick, yet offered plenty of throttle control to keep the car from lurching when trying to ease out of intersections. It had fantastic visibility, and was light and energetic when switching lanes. When passing, the car quickly accelerated and overcame even the most worthy adversaries. Yet while at the pump, I was thankful for it’s generous fuel consumption (19-16 isn’t amazing, until you realize it’s for an SUV that felt every bit as speedy as cars getting closer to 15 mpg).

In the looks department, I still think the X5 is a much more handsome ride, and it offers more generous seating room for the back seat, however, the X3 easily handled 4 adults and was still stylish enough to raise several eyebrows and even garnered me a parking-lot conversation with a young woman inquiring about my “nice car.”

In the end, I could easily recommend this to anyone looking in this price point. While you may get a bit bigger car with an Explorer, or other American SUV, I can’t say enough about the utilitarian purpose yet luxurious package the X3 presented. 4.5 stars.