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.

See also:

General information
Instructions for voice activation system. To have the available spoken instructions read out loud: ›Voice commands‹ ...

Storing music
General information Music tracks from CDs/DVDs and USB devices can be stored in the music collection on a hard disc in the vehicle and played from there. Audio CD: tracks are converted into a ...

Malfunction
Malfunction A Check Control message , is displayed in the instrument cluster. The areas in front of and behind the vehicle appear in shaded form on the Control Display. PDC has failed. Hav ...