2011 BMW X3 Review by Mike Hanley

The BMW X3 may have been a pioneer among compact luxury crossovers, but a number of competitors — including the Audi Q5, Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class and Volvo XC60 — have entered the fray since its debut as a 2004 model. Now, with the second-generation X3, BMW has new metal to take them on.

The 2011 BMW X3 is still the small luxury crossover of choice for driving enthusiasts, but its substantially more forgiving suspension tuning should make the new version far more appealing.

I tested the base xDrive28i, which starts at $36,750; with options, our test car's sticker price was $43,875. For a side-by-side comparison with the competitors mentioned above, click here.

See also:

Automatic headlamp control
Switch position : the low beams are switched on and off automatically, e.g., in tunnels, in twilight or if there is precipitation. The indicator lamp in the instrument cluster lights up. A bl ...

Switching the microphone to mute
When a call is active, the microphone can be muted. 1. "Telephone". 2. "Active calls". 3. "Microphone mute" A microphone that has been switched to mute is automa ...

The concept
The integrated universal remote control can operate up to 3 functions of remote-controlled systems such as garage door drives or lighting systems. The integrated universal remote control replac ...