BMW X3 review

You can get the BMW X3 with two petrol and two diesel engines, plus a plug-in hybrid. All models come with four-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic gearbox as standard.

Pick a two-litre petrol model if you do lots of driving around town. It’s cheaper to buy and (at slow speeds) slightly quieter than the diesels. It’ll return a claimed 35.8mpg but in real-world conditions, you can expect it to manage around 30mpg.

If you do lots of motorway miles or regularly travel long distances you’ll want to consider one of the diesel models instead. The cheapest 20d version is easily fast enough to keep up with fast-moving motorway traffic and it’ll return around 45mpg in normal driving conditions.

Pick the 286hp 30d model if you want something smoother, faster and still reasonably cheap to run. It’ll sprint from 0-60mph in just 5.7 seconds (that’s more than two seconds faster than the 20d) but can still return approximately 40mpg in real-world driving.

If you want sports-car performance from your BMW X3, you’ll want the range-topping M40i. It packs a 360hp punch from its turbocharged six-cylinder petrol engine and can sprint from 0-60mph in just 4.8 seconds. It will set you back nearly £50,000, however.

Alternatively, if you plan to run your X3 as a company car or like the idea of pure-EV driving, then the plug-in hybrid X3 xDrive30e has the ability to drive 28 miles on electricity alone. It also as the lowest CO2 emissions of the range, making it a cheap company car proposition.

The eight-speed automatic gearbox you get as standard is smooth at slow speeds and responds quickly to the paddles behind the steering wheel if you put it in manual mode. It’s smoother at slow speeds than the Q5’s automatic gearbox, and it really helps take the stress out of long drives.

You get a good view out over the road ahead in the high-riding BMW X3, and its reasonably thin pillars between the front doors and windscreen don’t create any particularly awkward blindspots at junctions.

The BMW X3’s light steering and reasonably tight turning circle (for an SUV at least) mean it isn’t too daunting to drive around town. It’s reasonably easy to park too, especially since all models come with front and rear parking sensors, a reversing camera and a self-parking system that’ll steer you into parallel and bay spaces automatically.

You can pay extra for what BMW calls its Parking Assistant Plus. This comes with a 360-degree camera system that’ll display a superimposed top-down image of the car and its surroundings on the central infotainment screen. It works well and will help make sure you never scrape an alloy wheel on a tall kerb again.

Another soothing option is the adaptive suspension. It isn’t particularly expensive, helps iron out bumps around town and stops the BMW X3’s tall body from leaning in tight corners. Without it, you’ll feel large potholes through your seat slightly more than in the Mercedes GLC – especially at slow speeds and in cars fitted with the optional 20 and 21-inch alloy wheels – but it’s still far from uncomfortable.

These bigger wheels also produce quite a lot of tyre noise at speed, but the standard-fit acoustic windscreen helps keep wind noise to a minimum. You can even get the front side windows with the same coating to help make the BMW X3 as quiet as possible at motorway speeds.

The BMW X3 also comes with plenty of high-tech features as standard to help keep you safe. These include automatic emergency city braking that’ll apply the brakes for you if the car senses an obstacle ahead.

For a little extra peace of mind, you should consider one of the extra Driving Assistant packs. These add lane departure warning and a system that’ll warn you if there’s a car approaching from behind as you pull out of parking spaces. You can also get a feature that’ll change lanes on the motorway automatically when you indicate and adaptive cruise control which maintains a safe distance to cars ahead before returning to a preset speed once the road’s clear.