No fairytale here
Whenever the subject of the X models from BMW comes up I can't help but think of the Southey tale about a young girl who breaks and enters into the home of a grizzly bear family, ransacking the place and then declaring the stuff she liked " Just right". That describes the X3 from BMW very well. It fits perfectly between the X1 and X5, not too big, not too small, just the right size and power.
The latest incarnation of the X3 is manufactured right here in South Africa for the global market. We spent a week with the new X3 and were pleasantly surprised by what we found.
Styling
BMW has not drastically changed the design of the latest X3. You still get the chiselled good looks and silhouette but BMW has spiced up the front and rear lighting and enlarged the kidney grille for better airflow and a more aggressive look.
I found the interior of our test mule to be rather bland with a black on black leather theme making use of faux Walnut inserts on the dash, centre console and door cards. The brushed aluminium inserts and mood lighting do their best to brighten a rather dark interior.
The Drive
There is plenty of power from the 2-litre turbocharged petrol engine in the 30i, There is however a considerable amount of lag between putting your foot down and the engine getting the message. Once that happens though all bets are off as the X3 rockets away, reaching highway speeds rather quickly.
The suspension is well-composed and the X3 seems to waft along, you can sense the weight that emanates from the car yet it feels weightless at the same time.
It carries that weighty feeling into corners rather well, never feeling as if it will get out of control despite its size. The xDrive system takes care of the overall balance and power-sharing through the drive train, whether on or off-road and that inspires a great deal of confidence in the driver.
Performance
As mentioned before the X3 M30i is powered by a 2-litre turbocharged petrol engine that delivers 185kW and 350Nm. Power is delivered to the xDrive system via an 8-speed Steptronic automatic transmission. This will see the X3 accelerating up to a limited top speed of 240km/h (untested) and a 0-100 of 6.4 seconds. (claimed).
Space and Comfort
This latest X3 is longer and wider than the previous model giving driver and passengers a little bit more space to put arms and legs. The cavernous boot swallows 550l with the rear seats up and a massive 1600l with them down.
The spec on our test mule was a bit odd. We had a driver assistance package that contained distance cruise control and lane keeping assist and blind spot indicators, the optional M Sports pack, incorporating bigger brakes and sports suspension and 20-inch wheels, yet it lacked simpler items such as the Gesture Control system, wireless charging for the Smartkey and electric seats.
It would seem that this one was made up to be a drivers car and not a city mall cruiser.
Fuel Consumption
Switching between the different driver modes can seriously affect your petrol consumption figures. Tootling around town in EcoPro, you can expect figures of around 7.6 to 8.5l per 100km while flipping over to Sports mode will see your figures plummet into the teens. (18,5l per 100km) The standard setting Normal mode with City Start/Stop will see your figures settle down between 9.2 and 10.6 on the combined cycle.
Price
The BMW X3 xDrive 30i base price begins at R 779 681 with the specced M Sports package fitted costing R 835 531.
Naturally, your BMW will come with the 2 Year / Unlimited Km warranty and 5 Year / 100 000km maintenance plan.
The Verdict
As the blonde haired home intruder once declared, "This one is just right!". The BMW X3 is just about as good as it gets when you need to balance your drive. It doesn't do any one thing perfectly but it can do many things very well. It may not be the most capable off-road vehicle but it can handle the odd rough trail. It isn't super fast but it will get you where you are going reasonably quick and it isn't lavish but has a good balance between luxury and practicality. The fact that its locally produced doesn't hurt either and you can now say that you have bought a proudly South African manufactured car.
