First, we would like to thank everyone that has liked our page, we’ve reached over 500 likes on our pages and our posts have been liked 7500 times and are being visited by more than 50000 people monthly.
Thank you, we appreciate your support!
We present to you the BMW X3 xdrive30i assembled in the United States of America 🇺🇸 at the Greer plant, with an MSRP CAD $59752 including taxes.
Fun Factor: 7 Can it Family: 8 Fuel-Friendly: 7 HWY-warrior: 8 Karaoke Friendly: 7 Baby friendly: 8 City Cruising: 6
Is the 2018 X3 still one of the most enjoyable SUV on the road? We still think the X3 is one of the most fun SUV to drive on the road, it’s not as fun as the previous X3 models that felt a lot more RWD bias, however, BMW rarely disappoints, instead they’ve polished the whole driving experience, they’ve achieved what every manufacturer should make, a driving dynamics that mimics a car, we can’t press how much we’ve loved each corner or highway ramp in the X3, currently in the new generation BMW offers 2 models the one we currently have with 248hp and 258 lb-ft of torque that should bring you to 100km/h in 6.3 seconds, in our tests with winter tires we’ve achieved 6.5 seconds, while the other one we drove this summer on the Mirabel racing track was the X3 M40i with 355hp and 369 lb-ft of torque with a claimed 4.8 seconds to 100km/h. Beside the semi-autonomous driving and keeping your driver license we think the X3 xdrive30i is the variant to get as it more balanced for everyday activities versus the M40i.
As for family accommodation the X3 seats comfortably 5 adults, the variant we had front heat seats and rear heat seats enjoyed by the kids especially with the colder weather we’ve had recently. As for the driver, they can enjoy a heated steering wheel, and the functionality is on the steering wheel and not hidden away in a menu or underneath the steering wheel. We found the general ergonomics very pleasant and found that only the brand new XC60 has more comfortable seats in this segment.
Our gas consumption with the X3 on the HWY was 7.8L per 100km and while in the city we’ve been averaging around 9.2L per 100km and our average was 8.8L per 100km, keep in mind that the minimum octane rating for the X3 is 89 and recommended is 91. While we would have hoped for better results, they are acceptable. We would love to see a hybrid version of the X3 or at least a mild hybrid with a 48-volt battery pack.
The sound system is of decent quality, and we found it to be okay for everyday use, we would, however, select the Harman Kardon as an option. As for the infotainment, we found it easy to use and can easily be customized with different screens that show you map and your song playing and a graph showing you how much range you still have. We found it easy to use and the integration of Apple car play made it pleasantly easy to access everything on my phone. On the downside, the X3 will not currently come with android auto.
The installation of car seats is made simple thanks to easily available ISOFIX ports with little claps and can be accessed without any hassle, we’ve installed 3 cars seats in the back, it can be done. However, it will be challenging to make sure the middle baby is well strapped in. Anyone smaller the 5ft5 might not be able to install car seats next to the door due to the height of the car. Hence, the best option will be to sit down next to the car seat to attach your child without any effort into their car seat.
As for the city we found the X3 very simple to park, the 360-degree camera is of good quality and shows a has a representation of the surrounding even in adverse weather conditions. The lane keep assistant will help you stay within your lane when traveling on smaller roads, the only downside we found is that the system isn’t as good as on other BMW products that have semiautonomous driving. Actually, the Volvo XC60 does a better job in that field.
Before we wrap up we want to compare the X3 to the closest competition and the first one that comes to our mind is the GLC 300, that felt a lot less sporty than the X3 xdrive30i and felt heavier and almost looked cheap compared to the X3 dollar for dollar. As for the Q5, we find the interior build quality better then the one of the X3, however, the base engine and the driving dynamics of the Q5 can bring someone to yawning. Then we have the XC60 in the T5 , T6 and T6 twin-engine we’ve been able to drive in Europe, the T5 base variant looks like a cheap Chinese knock-off in base trims from outside. However, when stepping up to the T6 it’s a different story the lines are refined, the interior is well styled and we love that sound system in all those new Volvos.
What we’ve liked: The driving dynamics, the design, interior space, and comfort.
What we haven’t like: Pricey option or packages that can sometimes get as expensive then stepping up to the M40i model. No hybrid model or plug-in models
Comments