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:

Climate control functions in detail
Note is continuously shown on the display of the automatic climate control. Manual air distribution Press the button repeatedly to select a program: ▷ Upper body region. ▷ U ...

Tire tread
Summer tires Do not drive with a tire tread depth of less than 0.12 in/3 mm. There is an increased danger of hydroplaning if the tread depth is less than 0.12 in/3 mm. Winter tires Do not driv ...

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 ...