Friday, July 08, 2005

X3 loaner

I took my 3 in for a regularly scheduled maintenance visit on Thursday. The dealer was really booked and asked if I could leave the car overnight, so I agreed under the condition that I get a loaner car until they finished. They obliged and gave me with an '04 X3 with the 2.5L engine, steptronic transmission, the Premium package, and 5,100 miles on it. Since I'm a car nut, here's a short review on the car:

Initial impressions:
When I first saw the X3 in an ad, I wasn't impressed. Any car that has that much plastic molding on it can't really be all that stylish. But like many of the newer BMWs, it does look better in person. And there's a factory kit you can put on it to replace the plastic molding with body colored molding, which makes a huge difference. The interior is ergonomically functional, but lacked the panache of other BMWs. However, I really liked the oversized moon-roof, which opened all the way back towards the rear seats.

The ride:
I was impressed with the ride. I drove one of these way back in high school, and it definitely drove like an SUV; lots of body lean and sway. The X3 handled like a car, despite the extra weight and higher ground clearance. The suspension glided smoothly over all road imperfections, and I even tested the Hill Descent Control option, which worked as intended.

Overall impressions:
This is a fun little SAV (Sports-Activity vehicle, as BMW calls it) with partial off-roading capabilities and most of the creature comforts you would need and expect in the X3's price range ($30,000-36,000). I would probably spring for the 3.0 liter engine with this car, as the 2.5 liter seems better mated with lighter BMWs such as the 3 series. After all is said and done, this would be a nice second car to have for weekend excursions up to Lake Tahoe.

No comments: