By John G.

Up:

• Solid, Germanic look and feel. You’re definitely driving a BMW
• Sticks to the road like…something very sticky
• Strong engine
• Well-appointed interior

Down:

• Harsh ride
• Laggy automatic transmission
• Nav system clunky, outdated
• Expensive

Sideways

• Feels like a much larger vehicle than it is

Driving Impressions

There’s something about German engineering. Theoretically, the X3 is one of those tiny, car-based cargo boxes disparagingly termed “cute-utes” by people who drive 3-ton trucks with solid front axles and know what a locking differential is. But to its driver, the X3 feels like a big, substantial sports sedan whose driver’s seat just happens to be two feet higher, which is impressive for something that you can both carry a dishwasher and parallel park in a city. The only time you notice its small size is after you get out.

The X3’s performance comes at a price, though, figuratively and literally: the suspension blows straight through “firm” on its way to “harsh”, the laggy automatic transmission really makes you wish you got the manual instead, and you’ll pay over $50K for it.

Build

You can theoretically get a base X3 xDrive30i SAV (BMW’s full model designation) for $39,400, but are you really going to buy a BMW with a “leatherette” interior? Without heated seats, or the good stereo system? Please. Add the navigation system, the sport package with 19″ wheels, and a few more random luxuries, and you’ll top out at around $52,000, just like we did.

BMW cuts no corners on or in the X3. Doors slam nicely, I could find no fault with the interior or exterior finish, and everything I tested worked and felt as it should on a $50K car. The substantial and sumptuous leather-wrapped steering wheel deserves special mention, particularly for those of us with large hands.

Interior Comfort and Ergonomics

Imagine all your German stereotypes as applied to ergonomics: stolid, conservative, yet meticulously functional. Orange-lit white on black gauges, while neither sexy nor futuristic, are very easy to see by day or night — and unlike many luxury cars, the climate control does not require a Masters in systems engineering to operate. All the driving necessities fall nicely to hand, and the tall cabin and highly adjustable seat allow anyone short of Yao Ming to drive without drama.

Like most HID headlamps, the X3’s are flamethrowers. The sunroof is huge, the little pop-up deflector dramatically reduces wind noise…and the X3 comes with what might just be the loudest factory sound system I’ve ever heard. (It’s crisp and clean, too, though the golden-eared types will notice a hint of boominess in the bass that can’t be dialed out.)

The seats, however, are extremely firm. High-performance sports car firm. Special posture-correcting chair firm. If you are a lightweight you may not even wrinkle the leather.

Also, the navigation system poses several problems. First, BMW put the controls on the passenger side. Second, there is only a single knob, meaning you can’t scroll the map around to see anywhere besides where you already are. And, most irritatingly, since it doesn’t automatically dim or change color at night, I had to turn it off in order to see the road! These are bizarre omissions for a car whose driving ergonomics are otherwise so solid.

Performance

The X3 sports a great motor (the 3.0L inline-six) with plenty of power and decent gas mileage…sadly hamstrung by the slowest automatic transmission since my 1979 Cutlass Cruiser.

Seriously: I accelerated faster by leaving it in Regular mode, because punching the gas in Sport mode caused a downshift so protracted that I sprouted whiskers waiting for it to finish kicking down to second gear. But when I left it in regular mode, it wouldn’t downshift at all no matter how much gas I gave it. The stick shift is a much better option. Trust me on this.

Of course, once the transmission gnomes finish smelting the raw iron ore, mixing and pouring the steel, forging a new transmission gear, polishing the splines, and installing it on the shaft, that motor kicks in — and you’ll have a great time jamming it all the way up to redline.

Handling

BMW’s mission is to provide sports car performance with an SUV’s carrying capacity, and they’ve succeeded. After an instant of deliberation, the X3 settles into the corner and whips around like it’s on a tether.

One thing you must ask yourself, though: do you really want sports-car performance? The X3’s suspension is so taut, and the seats so firm, that you not only notice when you run over a quarter in the road — you can tell which face is up. Every imperfection of the pavement is directly and instantly communicated to your butt.

It’s a very involving driving experience, but you may not always want to be quite so involved, especially if you live someplace with bad roads. I can’t help but think the shocks are slightly overdamped.

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