2011 BMW X3 Review by Mike Hanley

The BMW X3 may have been a pioneer among compact luxury crossovers, but a number of competitors — including the Audi Q5, Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class and Volvo XC60 — have entered the fray since its debut as a 2004 model. Now, with the second-generation X3, BMW has new metal to take them on.

The 2011 BMW X3 is still the small luxury crossover of choice for driving enthusiasts, but its substantially more forgiving suspension tuning should make the new version far more appealing.

I tested the base xDrive28i, which starts at $36,750; with options, our test car's sticker price was $43,875. For a side-by-side comparison with the competitors mentioned above, click here.

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Materials and colors: enhancing the elegance.
The choices of colors and materials further enhance the impression of personal luxury and the interior's interplay of lines and surfaces. For the dash's finely grained upper section, there are two ...

Filtering the message list
The message list can be filtered, when more than one type of message exists. 1. "Filter:" 2. Select the type of message. "All" All messages are displayed. "E-m ...

The concept
The system is functional at speeds beginning at approx. 20 mph/30 km/h. It maintains the speed that was set using the control elements on the steering wheel. The system brakes on downhill gradie ...