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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Crunching the Numbers
Prices for the X5 start at $47,500 for the xDrive30i; the diesel costs
$51,200 and the lineup peaks at the $56,200 xDrive48i. Standard features include
faux leather upholstery, power front seats, ...
Vehicle equipment
All standard, country-specific and optional
equipment that is offered in the model series is
described in this chapter. Therefore, equipment is also
described that is not available in a vehicle, ...
New 8-speed Automatic Transmission with Steptronic.
On both new gasoline models of the BMW X5, sending the newfound power to the
standard xDrive intelligent all-wheel drive system is BMW's new 8-speed
automatic transmission with Steptronic control. ...