The 2.0d tested here is the first diesel X3, and is expected to be the best seller as well as the cheapest, starting at £27,325. It should help widen the gulf between X3 and X5, and bring it closer to its natural rivals – Land Rover’s Freelander 2.0 Td4 S (£20,200) and the new Honda CR-V 2.2 i-CTDi (£22,800), although the X3 is still £5000 more expensive.
This is a new car, but the engine isn’t – it’s sourced from the current 320d. It uses a variable geometry turbocharger and common-rail injection, and develops 150bhp at 4000rpm and 243lb ft of torque at 2000rpm. But where most new diesel cars launched this year will meet Euro4 emissions regulations, this X3 is only Euro3 compliant. That means a tax penalty for company car drivers and a depreciation hit later this year, when BMW introduces a new 163bhp Euro4 compliant engine in this car. It seems unhelpful for buyers.
The all-new engine will also provide an opportunity to fit automatic transmission because, due to emissions output, this X3 2.0d can only be had with a six-speed manual.
Central to the X5’s appeal is its sporting nature, and the X3 follows suit. A look at the spec sheet reveals the reason for the X3’s impressive on-road behaviour – the suspension layout is more corner-carver than scenery-climber. There is no ladder-frame chassis or air springs here, only a set of MacPherson struts suspending the front wheels and trailing arms tying down the rear, with anti-roll bars at both ends. It’s directed more at performance on-road than off it, and the xDrive four-wheel-drive system, consisting of a centrally mounted multiplate clutch which works with the DSC stability system, enhances its performance in both environments.