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:

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, e ...

Convertible: cargo loading
Enlarging the cargo area When the convertible top is closed you can enlarge the cargo area: To do so, fold the cargo area partition upward. Before opening the convertible top, pull the cargo area p ...

Messages
General information Whether or not text messages and e-mails from the mobile phone are displayed depends on whether transmission from the mobile phone to the vehicle is supported. Text messages ...