BMW X3 driven - On the road

What is it? An all-new version of BMW’s mid-sized 4x4
Price From £30,490
On sale Now
MPG 50.4
CO2 149g/km

All centre forwards go through goal droughts; even the best TV shows have a few bad episodes, and no car manufacturer builds a class leader every time.

Take BMW. It has given us some sensational models over the years, including its first 4x4, the X5. However, its follow up, the X3, was a huge disappointment, with awkward styling, low-rent cabin plastics and a ride like a skateboard on a cattle grid.

Now, though, there’s an all-new version that’s designed to fix its predecessors failings and push the X3 upmarket. This should not only help it compete with talented new rivals such as the Audi Q5 and Volvo XC60, but also distance it from the smaller X1, which BMW added to its line-up a year ago.

On the road
To start with, the only model available is the xDrive20d, which uses a four-cylinder 2.0-litre diesel engine. Fortunately, with 280lb ft of torque this is gutsy enough to sweep a fully loaded X3 along at a decent rate.

The standard six-speed manual gearbox is far less impressive because its shift is rather stiff and springy. If your budget will stretch, it’s worth spending an extra £1495 to get BMW’s superb eight-speed auto ’box.

The £910 Dynamic Damper Control system fitted to our test car is another appealing option. It uses a host of sensors to monitor your speed, driving style and the condition of the road surface, and then adjusts the firmness of the suspension to suit the conditions.

As a bonus, the system lets you tweak the suspension manually, along with the responsiveness of the engine and steering. However, even in the sportiest setting, the ride is far from harsh.

The X3 is now much easier to live with, then, yet it still grips tenaciously and offers agile and composed handling. The steering is nicely weighted, too, although it doesn’t provide the same feel as the old car’s â€\x93 blame the switch to electric assistance for the sake of economy.

First impressions suggest that the engine isn’t quite as quiet as it is in some of BMW’s saloons, but it’s still smooth by 4x4 standards, and wind and road noise are kept to a minimum.