BMW X3 reviews

Just sold this car which my wife bought a year old and seven years ago. She loved the x3 for its driving position (high and good visibility ), safety and space ( she is a gardener by hobby ). I enjoyed its performance in sports mode ( where it could increasingly be found when she drove it ) and sun roof. It was very reliable and required no more than replacement brake pads and one set of tyres in 50,000 miles. Better built than my Merc if not quite as smooth. So impressed in fact that we replaced it with the latest M Sport version a week ago.

This is the second X3 I have had both being E83 and this one being the latest facelift with the uprated engine. It is extremely comfortable with M option so leather trim and heated seats. I particularly like the tow bar option which is lockable and is stowed neatly in the boot when not in use. On the road it drives superbly and I feel tyre choice is a big influence here I have a preference for Michelin Cross Climate so no complaints. Driving position is good and steering is light and positive. The suspension is on the firm side which is more apparent in the unladen condition. Power is good and the sports auto box functions extremely well. I will be keeping this one a while I think.

Have not had the car for long but am very pleased with it. Love the driving position, it is like a 4 x 4 rather than a hatchback. Bit juicy and had a shock when I taxed it (£500) but overall very happy.

Does "what it says in the tin" except for the fuel consumption which is exaggerated by the manufacturer.

A good sensible car. Pity only diesel engines availble.

Superb car running costs higher than expected

One of the two best cars I have ever owned in over fifty years of motoring in three different continents! So easy to drive and quite flexible for its size. Only drawback is length which makes it tricky to parallel park on occasion. Good in bad weather conditions.

Things were going fine until the other day when the gearbox selected neutral on its own and cut out whilst in motion, upon restarting the engine was misfiring, I switched off again and restarted the engine which revved up to 5500rpm it gave me such a fright I switched off again. the engine was very hot and smelly. Once restarted it ran normally until the next day when the engine management amber warning light came on. I phoned the local dealer and explained what had happened and all they said was because the vehicle was due its 40000 miles service the following week and it had not lost power leave it until then. The vehicle is now in the Dealer and they have found the inlet manifold has a hole in it and there is a fault with the EGR valve. The vehicle is VOR because BMW cannot supply the parts in the UK and I have been waiting 5 days for the parts to arrive. In fairness BMW have given me a replacement vehicle in the mean time.

Loved this car. Such a pleasant experience to drive. Effortless and comfortable. Goes well when you need to pull away quickly. And I love the gadgets too.

an excellent all round vehicle, equally at home in contested cities and motorways. stop/start makes it a good city car. good easy access load area. only downside is the vehicle is slightly heavy on tyres, done 20000 on set and last service warned will need replacing fairly soon but it is a heavy vehicle that can be driven enthusiastically!.

hi the car was £5100 and was reduced to £4480.i came down to north wembley from dundee to pick it up.the car mileage is 164000,i am very happy with the car,it drove back to dundee with no problems.there is a few things to put right with the car.the major thing to fix is the panoramic sunroof will have to be repaired,does not work.and all wiper blades will have to be changed.the sun roof was pointed out to me when i bought the car.i supose that is why the car was reduced in price.it has very many extras on the car top of the range model.they gave me 3 month warranty with the car engine and gearbox.

I have returned to 4x4 driving after owning a Range Rover Classic 20 years ago. I have found the X3 to be very pleasurable to drive as it feels closer to a saloon car experience (albeit a bulky one) rather than the 4x4 pitch and roll I remember. There's easily sufficient space for my family of 3, and 2 dogs, although the dogs miss the lower window levels of our last estate! The performance from the turbo-diesel is very good and economy is adequate from this earlier 150bhp engine. I have found that the car suffers from stone chips more than any car I've previously owned and I wondered if this colour - Highland Green - was 'soft'. The vehicle has been fitted with roof rails and stainless side-steps. The rails have taken a rack and roofbox easily when needed and the side steps is an extremely good way to protect the car from door dents and chips in car parks as it is the first point of contact for any clumsily opened door. I like this car a lot - I bought it as I was intending to move towards a long term ownership of a BMW model and I wanted to test the water. This suited me price-wise and in meeting my immediate motoring needs. I will seriously look at replacing it with another (more recent and more efficient/green) X3 rather than the 3 or 5 series I had in mind.

Long lasting durable cross country vehicle, poor fuel consumption but excellent performance and comfort. Plenty of baggage space. After 90,000 miles replaced front brake assemby, drive shafts, differential bearings and air breather assembly, much improved quietness of ride and performance.

Only issue is it is too high from the ground for access for my wife - short legs. Ideally it should be fitted with a step to ease access

Very good car , no issues with it apart form high road fund tax .

My first 4x4 after debating between a Ford Kuga and BMW X3. The X3 is very comfortable and easy to drive and holds the road very well. (I found the Kuga's steering a bit too light). Great size, plenty of room inside and in the boot - with or without the back seats down. Having owned 3 previous BMW's I have always found them to be totally reliable, and so far this has not let me down, although I have only had it for a couple of months. I guess it has the same engine as a 320D 3 series as it performs the same - a little bit lacking when pulling away from a standing start, but I guess that is down to it being an automatic. Picks up very well when overtaking though. I think the X3 uses more diesel than my 3 series did, although it is supposed to average 50.4 MPG; as I seem to be filling it up more frequently. Noticed the vehicle swaying a bit when being driven in high wind, which made me slow down a bit. Don't know if this is the same for all SUV's. Decided to get a 4x4 because I hate driving in snow. Yet to find out if it helps or not and I really hope I don't have to lol.

This car is capable and comfortable, and while the boot is shorter than my previous estate the volume is still there. It comfortably carries a family of 3 and 2 dogs and the only quibble is that the older 150bhp engine could provide a bit more economy. I'll seriously think about replacing it with the post 2010 model which guarantees better fuel consumption, especially when the automatic version is chosen.

Significant improvement on previous version. Much improved fuel consumption (55mpg at 60mph) with better ride, particularly in rear.

Although the new model is heavily revised I would not want some of the new features i.e.auto start/stop at lights or electric handbrake. I will hold on to this one for as long as possible!

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