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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Ignition off
Automatic transmission: press the Start/Stop button again, and do not press on the brake pedal at the same time. Manual-shift transmission: press the Start/Stop button again, and do not press o ...

On the front passenger seat
After installing a child restraint fixing system in the front passenger seat, make sure that the front, knee and side airbags on the front passenger side are deactivated. Deactivate the front p ...

Ski bag
Capacity The ski bag can be used to transport up to four pairs of skis with a length of up to 6 ft/2.10 m or, depending on the binding, up to two snowboards with a length of up to 5 ft/1.60 m. ...