Brake brake brake. Downshift downshift. Turn in slowly, power on and, whoa, countersteer? Countersteer! Stay in it! Stay in it! Weee!
Exiting a tight corner in our new long-term 2012 BMW X3 xDrive35i, we can't help but suspect that BMW is still thinking "Ultimate Driving Machine" and not "Joy." The all-new-for-2011 crossover may have an improved ride and better interior materials, but on this twisty stretch of tarmac we're hanging with a Lotus Elise, and that powerless old chap doesn't know what to do with a grocery-getter sliding around in his rearview.
During our 12-month and 20,000-mile long-term test of this 2012 BMW X3 xDrive35i there will be plenty of time to test the utility, function, ride quality, fuel economy and family-friendliness; for this moment, though, we're happy to be in Sport+ in a CUV that allows the driver to make the decisions.
What We Got
There are two distinct flavors of the 2012 BMW X3: xDrive28i and xDrive35i. Both come with BMW's xDrive all-wheel-drive system, Servtronic power steering, Bluetooth, iDrive, iPod adapter and an eight-speed automatic transmission. The difference, then, comes down to displacement. The xDrive28i comes with the adequate but soon-to-be-phased-out naturally aspirated 3.0-liter inline-6. It makes 240 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque and we had no interest in this future collector's item.
Instead, we opted for the xDrive35i and its turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-6. This motor twists out 300 hp and 300 lb-ft of torque. Not only is this significantly more powerful than the non-turbo version, but it manages better fuel economy to boot, with EPA numbers of 19 city/26 highway mpg and a combined rating of 21 mpg.
Besides a power difference, there's obviously a price to pay as well. The xDrive35i starts at $42,700 — $5,600 more than the xDrive28i. From there we added the Sport Activity package for $1,750. It adds 19-inch alloy wheels, the nice supportive sport seats, anthracite headliner, a sport steering wheel with paddles and a sport automatic transmission. We balanced that with the $700 Cold Weather package that heats the steering wheel and front seats and gives a split-folding rear seat.
The Premium package was next. It weights up the sticker to the tune of $3,450 and includes a power tailgate, universal garage door opener, auto-dimming mirrors, lumbar support, storage package and ambience lighting. For $3,200 we got the Technology package, too, with its rearview camera, park distance control, navigation with real-time traffic, Bluetooth audio and BMW assist. A $550 paint color, satellite radio and BMW Apps make up the rest of the charges.
Including destination and delivery, our new 2012 BMW xDrive35i carries a sticker price of $53,845. There was no room to negotiate, however, as BMW loaned us the vehicle for the test.
Why We Got It
It took awhile for compact luxury SUVs to catch on. At first they were looked down upon as entry-level price busters that allowed less well-heeled buyers to get in a luxury brand without paying too much. But then big SUVs suddenly went out of style while small, more fuel-efficient utilities started to look like smart buys. The X3 was there to capitalize, along with the Audi Q5 and Mercedes GLK.
In 2011, the BMW X3 underwent a full redesign. It softened some of the previous X3's harder edges, like its overly stiff ride quality and less-than-impressive interior. The 2011 X3 managed to fix both of those problems while still straddling the line between a sporty drive and a comfortable ride.
In our first drive of the 2012 BMW X3 xDrive35i, we concluded that the new made-in-the-USA X3 was more grown up, more refined and, despite being bigger, still held a valuable spot between the X1 and the X5.
The 2012 X3 promises more space, more power, better fuel economy and a better ride. But will it hold up to our expectations? Follow along on our Long-Term Road test blog for the next 12 months as we put 20,000 miles on our new X3 xDrive35i.
Current Odometer: 1,585
Best Fuel Economy: 21.5
Worst Fuel Economy: 18.0
Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 20.4
The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.
Add A Comment »
mvitch says:
11:59 PM, 04/18/2012
Sounds like sour grapes from those negatively commenting on this beautiful, quick, superb handling, head turning machine. I love my 2012 X3 35i, Alpine White, loaded. Drove the competition, and this has more room, quicker, handles better, and to me looks better than the others. Trade in your Audi heap and get one.
quidycat says:
03:18 PM, 02/09/2012
and those terrible and expensive run-flat tires that don't run flat? tow trucks love bmw's for bringing business
quidycat says:
03:08 PM, 02/09/2012
Q5 is clearly a better SUV than x3. Q5 drives a lot smoother and comfortable. x3 tries to be a car and it is not. if you want a sports car then get a sports car. x3 also small and not enough room for shopping at costco. owned bmw before and never again. it IS over priced compare to the equivalent suv's. no doubt
lbjgh says:
03:26 PM, 02/05/2012
I'm in the market for a luxury CUV and I've test driven all of the cars in this segment. The X3 is by far the best driving car of the lot.
I have to admit the Evoque was my first choice until I drove the car back-to-back with the bimmer. I've never owned a BMW but now I understand what they mean by a 'drivers car.
Audi Q5 3.2 - beautiful interior/ bland exterior Buick of the imports
MB GLK - Terrible performance and ride... felt like it was driving on wooden wagon wheels, cramped interior
VolvoXC60 T6 - closes in performance to the 35i, amazing seats, no soul
RR Evoque - best looking, cramped interior, claustrophobic interior, so-so road manners
VW Toureg TDi - drove much smaller than it looks, great diesel power, nice interior
KIA - Sportage SX - black horse of the group, second only to bmw in ride and performance, great value
BMW X1- great drivetrain (soon to be in the 28i) but a little small for the whole family
In the end BMW nickel and dimes its customers with the options and BMW does a good job of bundling the popular options in different packages to drive up the purchase price.
There isn't a comparable small CUV on the market that provides 0-60 of 5.5sec.
nug says:
01:30 PM, 02/04/2012
Yes, BMW's are expensive. Are they worth it? That is up to each individual to decide.
All these complaints over the price are retarded.
1st, Very few people pay sticker and 2. Who cares? If a person wants to spend $50K on a car let them do it.
For the commenter who says its price comes too close to that of Cayenne. I say its going to be a stripped Cayenne with the weak V6 motor compared to the loaded and fast X3. And, it does not include BMW free maintenance. Porsches cost a ton to maintain. BMW's under warranty cost nothing other than gas and tires {Yeah, I know the Runflats are expensive}.
Further, Cayennes Touregs, and Q7s are unreliable. Read the forums.
I have a new X3 and dynamically its the best of the bunch {Audi Q5 , MBGLK, VolvoXC60, RR Evoque, VW Toureg}. The X3 35i is blazingly fast and it corners almost as well as the 3 series is based{the newF30} chassis. It gets decent mileage and you can haul a boatload.
All X3's are made in Spartanburg, SC and BMW has helped make Greer SC an economic success.
With BMW, sure, your paying for some hype but your paying for better design, and performance. No question, if you don't care about those things then as I said, don't buy it.
bestjinjo says:
12:35 PM, 02/04/2012
Not a fan of SUVs myself, but 8 pages of comments pretty much reinforced the stereotype that most Americans are still stuck with the 20th century obsolete view that an expensive car has to be "big" to justify its price (or perhaps offer ridiculous value such as in Corvette's case by being "90% as fast as a Ferrari for 1/5th the price). Luckily for the rest of the inhabitants of this planet, not everyone thinks the same, which is why we have so many options to satisfy many people's varying tastes/income levels. People complaining that it's a small SUV missed the part where the new X3 is almost as large as the previous generation X5 and that was a mid-range SUV. Also, it's shocking to think that some people are willing to pay a premium for "luxury feel" in an SUV over bland large SUVs with plastics (see Ford Explorer, Chevy Tahoe, etc.).
Anyway, good thing BMW is not listening to the complainers though because their global sales and profits are kicking ass and taking names. There are plenty of people who prefer Pizza Hut over Morton's. I am just happy we have a choice :)
As others have mentioned, in 2-3 years this car will drop in price significantly. So even if it's overpriced now, if to some prospective buyers the overall package is attractive, it will be a great used car.
crankypants501 says:
11:54 AM, 02/04/2012
Completely agree with jro7; there's a lot of haters out there.
I appreciate the test, just wish they'd included the Head-Up Display; that's the way I'm planning to order mine. And yes, I even like the interior color, but would've chosen Vermilion Red Metallic for the exterior.
ctpaul says:
11:11 AM, 02/04/2012
Hairdressers of the world will now be following this long term blog with fervor
danwilson1 says:
08:10 AM, 02/04/2012
Well said, jro7.
jro7 says:
10:24 PM, 02/03/2012
The hate is actually astounding to me. A similarly equipped Audi is Q5 is 50K, The Volvo R design, which is the closest thing to this car, is 50K The MB is over 50K, The Infiniti is 48K.
These are luxury cars. If you want a Chevy or a Honda or whatever, that's awesome, buy one. If you can afford it, these are nice cars. I have driven all of them. I upgraded from a Honda CRV. The CRV was an awesome car which I loved and kept for 10 years. I sold it for 35% of what I paid for it. But there is no way that it compares in any way to the X3.
If you can't afford them or don't think it's worth it for you don't buy one. But these cars are selling like hotcakes, so someone thinks it's worth it, and it's probably why Edmund's put one in it's long term fleet.
I just don't get the vitriol. It's a BMW, it's expensive, just like all the other cars in this class. Nice things cost money.