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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System limits
Speed range Best results are achieved when using the system on well-developed roads and highways. The desired speed can be selected between 20 mph/30 km/h and 110 mph/180 km/h. The system can a ...

Going & Stopping
The twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-six-cylinder that powers the X6 xDrive35i is the same engine that impressed us in the 335i and 135i, and it shows itself to be a capable SUV engine, too. Even tho ...

Adjusting the volume
Turn the volume button while giving an instruction until the desired volume is set. ▷ The volume remains constant even if the volume of other audio sources is changed. ▷ The volume i ...