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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Tire identification marks
Tire size 255/50 R 19 103 Y 255: nominal width in mm 50: aspect ratio in % R: radial tire code 19: rim diameter in inches 103: load rating, not for ZR tires Y: speed rating, before the R on ZR ...

Vehicle Overview
Redesigned for 2011, the sixth-generation 5 Series offers a longer wheelbase, better fuel efficiency and more conventional styling than its predecessor. Available in 528i, 535i and 550i trims, the ...

Setting the voice dialog
You can set whether the system should use the standard dialog or a shorter version. In the shorter variant of the voice dialog, the announcements from the system are issued in an abbreviated fo ...