BMW X3 test drive since 2010 SUV

European breed

The sports-active BMW X3 debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September last year and almost immediately went into production. The first premiere for Russia took place in France, at an almost Russian ski resort, where wealthy potential buyers, but not car journalists were invited. In Moscow, the first cars appeared at the beginning of the year, and now they have been freely sold, there would be money. So we decided to see if the BMW X3 is worth what they ask for him.


Well, of course, Chris Bangle, revolutionary design, fresh technical solutions, the new XDRive system ... But I did not have the patience to walk around the car and reflect on its stylistic solutions. Any BMW car begins with the ignition key (by the way, contrary to fashion, this is a real key, and not a keychain with a scattered sting like Mercedesovsky). The in -line three -liter gasoline six did not start - she woke up, confirming her awakening with the bass exhaust system.


The response to the gas pedal is instant, without delay. Nice welcome. The declared eight seconds to hundreds are subjectively evident.


The 230-horsepower motor made up perfectly with a 5-speed automatic. The last one does not read thoughts. If you want to calmly get home - please, soft switching at quiet speeds, without jerks and hanging. Would you like to fight - for the sake of God, for this there is a sports regime.


Majanically strict connection with the motor. Kick-Down-switching one or two gear down, a push in the back and powerful acceleration. They let go of the gas, hesitated - the machine will not switch to a step higher, but will wait for a new attack. And only after smooth pressing of the pedal (or with a significant drop in revolutions) will be transferred to the following gear. Damn smart. And there is also a manual control regime, but why is it needed if you can control mentally ...


You can understand the drivers of bimmers who do not crawl out of the left row and never turn off xenon, you can only be driving Bimmer. Why does everyone drag so slowly? What did this one forget in the left row? Come on, come on faster! Running time accelerates by half, three times, the reaction is aggravated, everything is under control. You are the king, you are number one, you are on BMW! That is why BMW is a driver brand, and in the sense of a buzz too ...


They rolled, frolic. Now in essence. The power unit is worthy of all praise. With a worse suspension, it shakes significantly, although the design is like an ordinary threek, only reinforced. At first, I wanted to write off this on its increased rigidity, but the movement through bumps, in which the car decently sways and throws up, made it clear that the suspension is rather excessively elastic - configured for an even (obviously not Russian) highway with a good coating.


It is appropriate to recall here that the sports -active X3 leaves the assembly line in Europe (unlike the older brother X5, which is collected in the USA - the main market for him), the Austrian factory of Magna Steyr. (There are also collected Mercedes G-Class, an all-wheel drive Mercedes E-Class, Jeep Grand Cherokee and Chrysler Voyager for Europe, as well as the Saab 9-3 convertible, and BMW X3 is designed primarily for smooth European roads and European, quite sharp driving manner. Therefore, the suspension is such. Another anti -American move - the handbrake remained a handbrake, and did not turn into a pedal.


However, when shaking on an uneven road, the car confidently holds the trajectory. The steering wheel is not an example of a three -core \u003d with a clear zero, which is not erased at high speeds. On the contrary, x3 is cut off, forcing him to focus on the steering wheel, the slightest movement responds to them with a throw of the car to the side. A very sharp steering wheel - this would not have prevented this. By the way, it is not so short, from the stop to the stop - almost 3.5 turns.


Despite all -wheel drive, according to the BMW X3 behavior, a purebred rear -wheel drive. The X-Drive system with a side acceleration sensor gives priority to the rear wheels, which are used to 100% torque. Therefore, like all BMW, the steering wheel is free from its influence. And only when the speed is exceeded in the bend, when the skid occurs, the system smoothly diligns the front wheels (up to 50%), transferring it into the controlled demolition of both axes. By the way, the DSC system in such a situation is not very in a hurry to help, giving the driver the opportunity to solve the problem himself. And only after the start of the demolition correction, the DSC steering wheel is taken to work. In general, the car turned out to be transparent, it was not strangled by electronics and other collars. Everything for the driver.


In the cabin, it is better to take a place in the front row. Formally reacted to the rear passengers - only an armrest and an ashtray. And not to say that there is very spacious, but. But in front - everything that the soul wants. Seats with electric drives have adjustments with incredible ranges, almost 15 cm in height, and in length - in the extreme position, do not reach the pedals. Planting is passenger, almost like in a treshka. Yes, and in size, the salon X3 is close to the third series, on the basis of which, in fact, is built. In terms of interior design, he rather gravitates to the Z4 model, take at least devices.


The steering wheel is sports, three-spokes, with a good section, however, it may seem unnecessarily fat to someone. And high -speed - the adjustment range could be increased.


In terms of finishing X-third is inferior to X-Fifth. He is simpler, publicly, or something. Both climate control is inseparable, and the on-board computer is not great, and all sorts of smaller buttons. But the quality of execution, materials, fitting - as usual, is on top. Although the selection of materials - plastic for panels, leather - not everyone will like it, their texture may seem rude and even cheap. But this is a matter of taste. This is the style of the salons of the current BMW - starting with a three -wing three -body and ending with the last seven and five. By the way, the skin with such a large texture is very beautiful, not allowing the salon as a whole ...


Now you can get out, inspect the car outside. Well, he is better alive than in the photographs. Plastic X3 is characterized by a large number of sharp faces, here it is closer to the new five and Z4 than to X5. There are disputed places and solutions. For example, broken headlights or an unexpectedly rising line of windows. And yet, why is there such an abundance of unpainted black plastic in the luxury cross-liner, which is more suitable for cheap low-quality?


Why so carefully demonstrate that x3 is not x5, that it is cheaper? It's obvious. And in vain, the wheeled niches were outlined with black plastic - this increased them visually, and the seventeenth wheels are lost, they look frivolous. By the way, German tuning ateliers specializing in BMW refinement demonstrate the third with painted bums. True, no one is offering a body kit.


About the size. As befits the youngest, X3 is less than X5, but not much. The length is less than 100 mm, the wheelbase is only 25 mm, and the width and height are almost indistinguishable. At the same time, on the rear seats X3 is even a little spacious, and the volume of the luggage compartment is larger. Here you have the youngest ...


Trucks, if you do not take into account many options, three-Business, Luxury and Dynamic are proposed. As for the engines, an alternative to a gasoline 3.0i is still only one-a 3-liter 204-horsepower 3.0D turbodiesel (2.5-Lnasin engine is about to appear). With a x3 turbodiesel is no less dynamic than in a gasoline version. But fuel consumption is more than doubled. This year, the company found the quality of the Russian diesel fuel with satisfactory and removed the embargo for the supply of diesel engines to our market. True, in Russia the diesel engines is not yet particularly complained of. And in Europe they step on the heels of gasoline engines.


Boxes are only automatic five -speeds, although for other markets in the BMW punching there are six -speed mechanics.


Well, there was a turn to prices and competitors. The latter, by the way, is not observed. There are not so many crossovers close in class. Unless Outlander, but it is from a different price category, like Freelander or Touareg.


That BMW x3 3.0i that visited the test costs 55.900 euros, this is the starting price of the Business basic configuration. For more expensive (Luxury and Dynamic), 59.900 are asked. The basic turbodiesel version 3.0d will cost 56.900 euros. The amounts are rather big ... but this is a BMW, which has a treshka-universal for almost 60,000 euros. What can you do, for the name and breed it comes to pay ...
 
Sergey Yakubov
 

Source: Motor magazine [June 2004]