X3 in the Market

At $38,000, the X3 starts substantially higher than its nearest competitor, the Acura RDX. Save for its problematic transmission behavior, the BMW offers a more buttoned-down driving experience than the Acura. For some, that's worth every penny.

As BMW surely knows, the X3 can't sit on its pedestal forever. Land Rover's entry-level LR2 is on the way, and so are the Audi Q5 and Volvo XC60. If the X3 is to remain a desirable car, BMW will have to fix a few things so buyers need not weigh the good against the bad — because there will be plenty of very good alternatives soon.

    See also:

    Sport program DS and manual mode M/S
    Activating sport program DS Activating sport program DS Push the selector lever to the left out of transmission position D. DS is displayed in the instrument cluster. The sport program of th ...

    CD/multimedia
    CD/DVD When the same audio source (front CD/DVD player, rear CD/DVD player, DVD changer) is selected in the front and rear, the same material is played. Operation is the same as for the front ...

    Switching off automatically
    The system switches off and the LED goes out: ▷ After approx. 165 ft/50 m when driving forward. ▷ After approx. 22 mph/35 km/h when driving forward. Switch on the system again if nece ...