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:

Pairing and connecting
Pairing the mobile phone To avoid becoming distracted and posing an unnecessary hazard both to your own vehicle's occupants and to other road users, only pair the mobile phone while the vehicl ...

Speed limit
Display of a speed limit which, when reached, should cause a warning to be issued. The warning is repeated if the vehicle speed drops below the set speed limit once by at least 3 mph/5 km/h. Di ...

General driving notes
Close the trunk lid Only drive with the trunk closed. Failure to do so may endanger passengers or other road users or may damage the vehicle in the event of an accident or a braking and evasive ma ...