Took out an X3 tonight.......

[gordon]

A month or so ago i got a spam email from BMW.ca ... "would you be interested in driving an X3...etc etc." Anyway... the email took you to a page to fill out some info... Got a call a week ago from our local dealer inviting me down.... Washed the car and went down tonight. After a bit of a grilling by a salesman (and zeroxing my license) he handed me the keys and told me to "enjoy". Drove it for about half an hour... What a weird sensation to be in such a "big" car with the bmw logo on the steering wheel. It was tight...had good power...great radio...tons of lights ... but damn it... was just too high... too big... too... SUVish (although he pointed out a dozen times that it is an "SAV" Sport Activity Vehicle) Didn't like it overall (besides being pretty ugly) but sure as hell liked the 2003 M5 that was sitting in the showroom marked "DEMO"......

[George M]

thanks for your review of the X3 Gordon from an E-34 owner's perspective. Some like the tall driving postion...not really in the spirit of performance driving however. The X3 isn't really embraced by the automotive press but probably for what it is, not a bad vehicle. As an alternative, for those outdoor types that like a lot of room to haul around camping stuff etc, the Touring is a nice alternative. A friend of mine has a 530iT and he is a big outdoorsman...puts his canoe on top etc. T's not only look cool but drives almost like a sedan and have a lot more utility...station wagons being the original SUV's :-) Also SUV continue to evolve closer to a hybrid...a bit less truck and a bit more car. Think we will see this trend promoted by further increasing fuel prices as well.
Suprised you didn't swindle the keys off the salesman to take that M5 out for a run...that's the BMW guys like us want to drive.
George

[TheGeak]

Interesting. I've read reports that its supposed to handle about as well as a new 3-series...any comments on that?

[bahnstormer]

never will it handle the same
the weight difference is too big

[TheGeak]

i know it will never handel the same, thats why i was curious about the 'reports'. It should be interesting though. In an X5 the CoG (Center of Gravity) is only 5 inches above that of an E39. The X3 being smaller should have an even lower CoG. I'd imagine with some aftermarket tuning it could become quite a nimble little steed though.

[jplacson]

From the local review here (BMW has let 'motoring press' people drive it unchaperoned!) they say that the CoG of the X3 is about 2 inches lower than the X5.

Now this may not seem like much, but for cornering at high speed, that makes all the difference. According to the initial drivers reviews, they could easily handle 60-70mph turns (now the G ratings weren't indicated, nor was it stated how sharp the turns were)

Granted that they were comparing the X3 to rivals from Toyota and Honda (the Rav4 and CRV respectively) ... they raved about the response from the new X-drive found on the X3. Now AFAIK, this is the same drivetrain found on the current 3-series units offered as an option...so I'm guessing these would outperform the X3 anyday.

The problem I see with the X5 and X3 is that, they aren't really good off-roaders... well, more capable than the Jap ones...but nothing to the Freelander, or the Range Rover. Now, I know that very few people who buy these units actually take them anywhere near dirt...let alone off-road. But I guess, if I was going off-road...I'd really just rather get a Rover. Then leave the streets to the sedans/coupes.

But I guess if you do occasionally go onto a trail, like mild dirt roads and all... the X-series is great. Although I'd still take a 330dX as an all-around vehicle that only sees occasional dirt.

[TheGeak]

thats really interesting. I personally wouldn't spend the money on a X series to go offroading in. I'd buy a Hummer (H1 of course!) and consider myself almost unstopable.

I never really thought of BMW as a SAV type of company, but i suppose if there's a niche for it, they might as well make some money. Maybe i'll go see if they'll let me take on for a spin :-D

[Tiger]

http://www.satch.us/AlCan/

[darthmaul]

after going to the X3 driving event (aka: autocross an x3 to hell for free!) i must say it handles a LOT better than most cars.

they claim the center of gravity's only a few inches higher than a normal 3 series (i think 8") which is very good compared to all those SUVs which are always flipping over.

it drives pretty much like the X5 and seems faster than it should! perhaps the fact that it was automatic, not mine, and on a track with a pro driver who insisted i floor it out of turns helped it feel fast.

but it's a pretty nicely handling vehicle i must say! i never felt off balance and there wasn't much body roll. if i had to drive say...a front-wheel drive car or any japanese sports sedan i might just go for the x3.

my 2 cents...