Elon Musk is known for his fascination with the letter ‘X’ – he renamed Twitter as X, his space exploration company is called SpaceX, and even his son’s name is X Æ A-Xii.
BMW has a similar fascination – its entire SUV range starts with ‘X’ – and the newest is the X3, which we took for an Xtravagant road trip around Delhi.
What is the X3?
BMW has four main SUV models – X1, X3, X5, and X7. The X3 is somewhere in the middle – it’s priced from Rs 75.8 lakh for the petrol variant (X3 xDrive20 M Sport) and Rs 77.8 lakh for diesel (X3 xDrive20d M Sport).
How does it look?
It looks substantial, and is the biggest SUV in its segment – 4,755-mm long, 1,920-mm wide, 1,660-mm high, and has a wheelbase of 2,865 mm. The large, illuminated BMW kidney grille makes it look rich, and the twin headlights give it an aggressive stance. The M Sport package is offered as standard (large air intakes, kidney grille in glossy black, M-branded alloy wheels, and M stickers at various places).
The cabin is unique – especially the extensive use of fabric. The driver’s seat in every BMW is close to perfect – in terms of legroom, ease of settling in, view of the outside, access to car’s controls – but in the X3 even the rear seats are extremely comfortable (in terms of kneeroom, and ease of ingress and egress). The rear seat, however, is comfortable for two passengers, not for three. The rear seat is quite a private place – protected from sunlight – thanks to automatic roller sunshades.
There are two screens on the dashboard – the 12.3-inch information display, and the 14.9-inch control display – and the head-up display is standard.
How does it drive?
We drove the petrol variant. Step into the cabin and the flat-bottomed M steering wheel will welcome you. Seats are similar to what you find in sports car (or in BMW M Series cars). Performance is similar to other SUVs in the segment – our test car did 0-100 km/h in about 8 seconds. But this bimmer seems to handle better than most competitors. On sharp turns, there is almost zero body roll – its low centre of gravity is similar to what you will find in a high-performance sedan. If you brake sharply, the X3 doesn’t lose its line, and all along the steering feedback is accurate.
Is it better than rivals?
Its closest competitor is Mercedes-Benz GLC, which is also available in petrol and diesel, and at more or less similar pricing (Rs 76.80-77.80 lakh). But the cabin of the GLC seems far plusher, and if you mostly take the rear seat, the Mercedes-Benz is the place to be.
Another competitor is Volvo XC60 (Rs 70.75 lakh) – it’s available only in petrol, and looks stately. Its rear seat is also quite comfortable.
Other similarly-sized SUVs are Land Rover Discovery Sport (Rs 67.90 lakh), Range Rover Evoque (Rs 69.50 lakh), Lexus NX (Rs 68.02-74.98 lakh), and Audi Q5 (Rs 66.99-73.79 lakh).
Of all these, the X3 possibly is the most engaging to drive – and a clear choice if you love driving – but if you need a car primarily for daily office commute, the NX and the Q5 seem to be the most sensible, and the GLC the most luxurious.
