Test drive BMW X3 E83 2004 - 2007 SUV

Triple pleasure

BMW X3 is good on the highway, in the city and on the lane
According to the equipped mass, dimensions, the internal volume of the BMW X3 are akin to such SUVs as Hyundai Santa Fe, Mitsubishi Outlander, Nissan X-Trail. But the status of the brand and the price of X3 bring this car into a separate category. In fact, he has no competitors in our market. It is interesting how numerous the target group for which this dynamic car is intended will be.
The route of our test drive was laid to the village of Konstantinovo, Ryazan region. Against the backdrop of the picturesque nature of the homeland, Sergei Yesenin X3 did not look like an alien car. Its appearance is more consistent with the traditional Italian design of the Bavarians and is somewhat knocked out of the new aggressive American style of BMW (chief designer of the German concern Chris Bengl originally from the United States), which was most clearly manifested in the current generation of sevenrs and five.
If you just glancing along the slightly summed up front headlights, leaving the wrong triangles of the rear lights without attention, then X3 can be confused with X5. And in terms of dimensions, the youngest is practically not inferior to his older brother: he is only 10 cm shorter and 2 cm below.
Not close inside. True, there is some feeling of clamping due to the black ceiling of the cabin. Four people can accommodate in a car with full comfort. But the third passenger in the back seat will clearly be superfluous: he will interfere with a high casing of the cardan shaft tunnel.
The X3 interior cannot be called elegant. There are no complaints about the quality of the materials: BMW is BMW, but the design, deliberately designed in a ruble, quite severe style, noticeably levels the high cost of decoration. With the quality of elaboration of the interior X5, the salon X3 cannot be compared. But the central console is slightly turned towards the driver of real fans of the brand this fact will probably please. The panel is not overloaded with buttons. Information about the work of the radio and computer readings are displayed on a small screen located in the middle part of the central console. It is not very convenient to read the readings from it: I would like the display to be located slightly higher; However, the main information of the computer (average fuel consumption, mileage until the next refueling, etc.) is duplicated in a small window between the speedometer and the tachometer.
Low landing of the driver (with almost elongated legs), armchairs with pronounced side support, narrow windows, two large spirals of the speedometer and tachometer (the same are installed on the Z4 Roadster) and, of course, the chubby three -spoke steering wheel is adjusted to the active style of driving. Let's see how X3 feels on the asphalt, on high -speed lines and in stressful turns.
By valleys and hills
Together with the uterine (but not annoying) rumble of in -line six with a capacity of 230 forces, which is distributed after turning the key in the ignition lock, my desire to show others wakes up that they are not just a car, but a BMW!
The five-speed X3 automatic machine operates like a variator: the shocks are felt when switching only when you sharply press the gas pedal and the box shifts the gears one to two steps down. Perhaps the STEPTRONIC gearbox is one of the most advanced machines for cars today. In Sport mode, switching is even faster. Nevertheless, with very intense acceleration, when it is required to go two steps at once, even this perfect automatic machine marks noticeably. However, those who do not accept the machine can order a car and with mechanics in this case it will cost cheaper.
In the behavior of X3, there are no hint of jeep habits on high -speed lines and in corners. No swing and delaying reactions to the actions of the steering wheel. The car is very well felt by the driver. With the speed of speed, the sensitivity of the steering increases sharply. At speeds for 120 km/h, I even want to move a little from the car. The car does not allow the driver to relax. The car holds the road tenaciously, but works out in detail each wave of asphalt. At the same time, it cannot be said that the suspension x3 is tough is rather elastic. He reacts with lightning speed to the slightest turn of the steering wheel, driving at high speed requires constant concentration. A foreign stamp is absolutely not suitable for this car: no speed is felt.
Electronics is in charge of all -wheel drive to X3. It throws torque from the front axle to the rear (in a ratio of 50:50 to 0: 100), depending on which of the wheels have the best clutch with the road surface. Moreover, the transfer of the engine power occurs even until the moment the wheels break into the slip. Such a full -wheel drive scheme allows you to significantly move the line of demolition and drift. In addition, it increases patency on bad roads.
As shown by a short race on hills and ravines on the banks of the Oka, the BMW X3 fully meets its purpose for an outdoor vacation. Without any tension, he took 25 30-degree rises, cheerfully rode in deep puddles and overcame the mud baths with depth to the wheel disk. At the same time, one could not be afraid for overhangs and the lower part of the body was protected by the non -fearful scratch of plastic. The function of helping from the mountain turned out to be very convenient: the electronics independently brakes the wheels, maintaining the minimum speed, preventing the car from slipping and moving into the side of the road.
The concept of all -wheel drive on the X3 is called XDRive. It is directly related to the advanced DSC III dynamic stabilization system. Its sensors analyze speed, slowdown, deviations from the course, the position of the steering wheel and other movement factors and give the command to the electronic coupling of all -wheel drive and brake pads. In the pair, XDRive and DSC III perform a lot of functions: among other things, they control the speed of the descent from the mountain, provide braking without wheeled lock, redistribute brake forces when slowing down and even maintain the stability of the trailer.
Summing up, I want to say that X3 is a gourmet car. Prepared drivers and real BMW fans will find in it all the traditional qualities that are inherent in cars with an emblem in the form of a blue-blue propeller on the hood. And they will receive a lot of pleasure from communication with him. But to become as popular as the BMW X5, the youngest, at least in Russia, is unlikely to be possible. The style of rest that X3 offers is too unusual for our mentality.
Igor Komarov
 

Source: Wheel (company)