BMW X3

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BMW X3

Manufacturer	Magna Steyr
Production	2003–present
Assembly	Graz, Austria
Class	Compact entry-level luxury crossover SUV
Body style	4-door SUV
Layout	FR layout/All wheel drive
Platform	BMW E83
Engine	3.0L 260 hp I6
Transmission	6-speed automatic and manual
Wheelbase	110.1 in
Length	179.9 in
Width	73.0 in
Height	66.0 in
Fuel capacity	17.7 US gal
Related	BMW 3-Series
Similar	Acura RDX Land Rover LR2/Freelander Lexus RX Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class Audi Q5 Volvo XC60

The BMW X3 is a compact entry-level luxury crossover SUV (though BMW advertises it as an SAV,. or Sport Activity Vehicle) produced by the German automaker BMW. It is based on the BMW 3-Series automobile platform. The X3 3.0i won the Canadian Car of the Year Best New Sport Utility Vehicle award for 2005.

1 History and development
2 xDrive
3 Reaction
4 2005 model year changes
5 2006 model year changes
6 2007 model year changes
7 External links

[edit] History and development

Along the heels of a very successful and ongoing production run of the BMW X5, BMW decided in the early millennium that it wanted to compete with the likes of the Freelander, Lexus RX and other small luxury SUVs just as the X5 had previously done so well in its respective classes. Thus the X3 (internally known as E83), was born.

What thus emerged was a concept unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show in 2003. Dubbed the xActivity, BMW previewed to the public for the first time what a smaller SAV based on a 3 series platform would look like. The concept had no windows, for the most part no roof, and a sleek futuristic interior. Only the basic shape of the car would emerge as the BMW X3.

Just as BMW used many parts from the E39 5 Series parts bin in the making of the X5, the same occurred in the X3's development, whereby BMW engineers reused 3 series parts. In-fact complete sets of parts came straight out of the E46 330xi, emerging unscathed in the X3 (e.g. rear suspension).

Austrian automotive contractor Magna Steyr of Graz, Austria performed additional development work and has been contracted to manufacture all first-generation X3s.

[edit] xDrive

Main article: BMW xDrive

When the BMW X3 premiered in late 2003, BMW announced that it would be using a new 4 wheel drive system to power it and its bigger brother - The (refreshed) X5. The two key things about xDrive are, first, it being one one of the first technologies used to intervene before the driver was ever aware that the car could be unstable, and second, it being transparent (i.e. unknown) to the driver.

[edit] Reaction

Right from the start, the BMW X3 had been criticized for its harsh ride (due to the run-flat tires, which have made all new BMWs (except those that aren't fitted with them, for example some M-models) have harsh rides), poor interior quality and off-road ability. BMW addressed the first 2 points in 2005, with a slightly softer ride and by matching plastics and carpeting in the 2005 X5s. It has also been criticized for not being built at a BMW factory. However, Magna Steyer, the factory in Austria has won numerous awards for quality and is the highest rated car assembly factory in Europe.

The automotive press however for the most part had mixed views of the X3 ranging all over the spectrum - unusual for BMW, but then again not so unusual for modern BMWs. Jeremy Clarkson even said that the X3 was for people who are clinically insane after his road test of it. He also criticized it for it's harsh ride, and showed the poor off-road ability in reality when he took one into a "not very tough" off-road trail. He got stuck multiple times, although he has admitted that he is not a very good off-road driver, but the trail didn't provide options for going from somewhere else, as it was basically a road with off-road trail obstacles in it.

[edit] 2005 model year changes

Bluetooth could actually be ordered straight from the factory (part of the Premium Package) and functioned without dealer intervention. (Although the BMW X3 was originally offered and promised with Bluetooth support in 2004, none of the cars that shipped from the factory actually had it installed. Few were able to get it to work with a little bit of tinkering from their dealer.)
Interior was vastly upgraded with changes to all plastics (making them match, unlike the 2004 model). Also instead of having grey carpeting which was present on all 2004 X3s, the 2005 X3 came with carpeting that matched the leather ordered (with the exception of the Terracotta interior, whose carpeting is black).
Slightly softer suspension.
Front wheel fenders are one piece, as opposed to the two piece found on 2004 models.
A 2.0d engine became available in some markets - joining the 2.5i and 3.0i engines (found stateside) as well as the 3.0d engine sold elsewhere in the world.
An 'Open-Door' indicator was added to rectify the complaint made by many on the 2004 models.

[edit] 2006 model year changes

The new BMW R6 engines available across the rest of the BMW lineup were, as with the 2006 X5 & 2006 Z4, curiously absent from the 2006 X3. It is rumored that the X3 will not get the R6 until the all-new BMW X5 is released in 2007 which will include the R6 engine amongst other newer engines. The X3 will receive, however, redesigned monochromatic front and rear fascias to replace the flat black bumpers. Also, the 2.5i variant will no longer be sold in the U.S., as buyers tended to go more for the 3.0i model.

U.S. bound 2006 X3's were all equipped with a special version of the 'M' technik bodykit as standard. The difference being in that the U.S. cars had unpainted door sills and wheel arches. U.S. spec Sport Package 2006 X3's got the full 'M' bodykit (with painted front, side and rear plastic) available in the rest of the world as a BMW accessory.

2.5i was removed for sale from the U.S. market.

[edit] 2007 model year changes

Interior of a 2007 X3

The new changes to the 2007 BMW X3 are now listed on the BMWUSA[1] home page. The 3.0si engine will put 260 horsepower and 225 torque, at a lower (2500) RPM. The front and rear facia are changed, more resembling the X5 SUV. New LED lights and interior upgrades are also on tap. The available Cold Weather Package will include heated seats in the front and the rear. Adaptive headlamps and a panoramic sunroof are available, as well as upgraded dashboard components and leather seating. It is on sale now in the US.