Test drive BMW X3 E83 2004 - 2007 SUV

X in the third degree

BMW X5 is a cult car of the SUV class. Having debuted at the beginning of 2000, in just a few months he blew up the market for all -wheel drive cars for outdoor activities. A stunning design that caused competitors, running qualities and BMW branded dish - excellent handling made this car one of the most popular representatives of their sector. Now, four years later, BMW is trying to expand its influence in the SUV sector - a new crossover model enters the market. It is called BMW X3.
 
As you might guess, BMW all -wheel drive crossovers are positioned in parallel with a passenger range. Hence such a designation - x5 (hint of the five) and x3, in which the similarity with a passenger three is clearly traced. But just like X-Fifth, which in size is noticeably larger than the usual five, the BMW X3 in size significantly exceeds the station wagon of the third series. In length - almost nine centimeters, in height - almost fifteen. About the same difference and compared to x5: the senior crossover is slightly larger, slightly wider, a little longer ...
 
And the X-three X5 looks like x5, but with the elements of styling with an ordinary tresh-universal. Look at the rear lights, at the angle of inclination of the fifth door, at the rapid silhouette - the BMW X3 is more like a raised station wagon than an SUV. True, black bumers are hinting unobtrusively - they say that we are not a light off Road not terrible. Bamper, by the way, remain unpainted in all versions. You can fix the situation in only one way - if you order an aerodynamic bag, which includes a small front and rear spoilers. They are necessarily stained in the color of the body.
 
It is a pity that the BMW did not have the fuse to make x3 without a middle side rack, as on the conceptual BMW Xactivity, presented in 2003. With the help of this concept car, the company rolled the design of the new crossover, and on it, in addition to an unusual body without side racks, there was also a very unusual interior. But, as one could assume, the serial model reached the conveyor without any excesses. The body is a five -door station wagon. The interior is generally quite in the traditions of BMW. More precisely, in the new BMW traditions ...
 
Of the old, the spirit of the real BMW remained here - as before, the price of a car is felt even in small things. In the creak of expensive Alcantara, in the soft plastic of the panel, in real wooden pads on the console - there is decisively nothing to complain about. Although no, there is: the ringing sound of a slamming door unpleasantly cuts hearing, causing associations with Fiat Punto. But as soon as the door closes, BMW again gains its unique aura.
 
Ergonomics, as always, is on top. And the brand fans will be happy to find that the driver is still the main one in this car. Let the central console not be so clearly deployed towards the driver - let! But the leg immediately finds himself on the tight floor pedal of the accelerator, and the hands wrap the steering wheel, feeling the ebels in the places of the natural grip. At this moment, I am already unrealistic to think about the new BMW as the next experimental car, of which a huge number of tests have been on the tests - you think about this car as the next creation of your favorite automaker. I like everything in it: these elegant diagonal door handles, and the tidy a la BMW Z4, and the thick knob of the automatic transmission.
 
And what is this strange design at the top of the panel? Press the button, and a large rectangular screen leaves from the bowels of the panel. A lot of information is displayed on it, ranging from the track number on CD to the distribution of climate installation flows. By the way, in X3 there is no habitual joystick of the Ai-Drive system! And although the service functions of the younger X are no less than that of the rest of the models, the designers chose to do without a sensational computer. And the buttons, by the way, were gone more because of this: only the audio system control keys and climate control are located on the central console.
 
The basis for the BMW X3 was the platform of all -wheel drive threek. Only it was lengthened by 70 mm, which made the interior more spacious. In terms of dimensions, by the way, x3 is only a little less than X3. However, a little more than the station wagon of the third series. The same can be said about the price: it is slightly lower than that of the X-Fifth, and slightly higher than that of the all-wheel drive treshka. For example, a three -liter version we tested with a five -speed automatic, Alcantara and a panoramic hatch (custom -made equipment) costs about 35 thousand euros. The same machine, but without additional equipment, according to the price list of the Belarusian dealer, costs from 32.910 euros. The BMW X5 with the same engine is estimated at 37.402 euros, and the all-wheel drive station wagon with the third series with a 231-horsepower engine is estimated at 32.120 euros. That is, it turns out that you have to choose between a car and a crossover - the price is almost the same.
 
To date, the BMW X3 is proposed in two versions-with a 3-liter 231-horsepower gasoline engine and with a new 204-horsepower turbodiesel of the same working volume. A little later, a more affordable modification with a 2.5 -liter gasoline engine (192 hp) will appear. For all three options, a 6-speed manual gearbox will be offered in the database, and the STEPTRONIC automatic five-dyapasone transmission that has a manual mode is possible under the order.
 
A completely new transmission will debut on X3, which will also appear in other BMW all -wheel drive models in the near future. In particular, on the updated BMW X5. This transmission is called X-Drive.
 
The main difference between X -Drive and the BMW all -wheel drive transmissions used on other models is the absence of an interdosseous differential. Earlier, Bavarians used this node to distribute the torque between the front and rear axle, but such a transmission, which is more characteristic of cars, turned out to be very complex and expensive for SUV. The torque was transmitted to the center differential, and the further distribution of power was carried out by electronics - it braked the masking wheels, redirecting the power to others. Theoretically, such a transmission could provide the movement of the car until at least one wheel had normal contact with the road surface. But in fact, it turned out that she actively worked only on the asphalt, and on the off -road the car buried itself. Moreover, in order to stall, it was enough to call in deep snow.
 
Everything is easier with the X-Drive. And at the same time more effective. The transmission works is simple: the torque is transmitted to the rear axle, and the front wheels are automatically connected using multi -disc clutch. And he controls all this economy, of course, electronics. It can partially or completely brake the coupling and, thus, redistribute the torque between the axes. And the redistribution range is very wide: from 100 percent power transmission to the rear axle to a hard distribution of 50/50. In the latter mode, the interdose coupling is almost completely blocked - it turns out to be an almost complete imitation of the location of the center differential (like real SUVs)!
 
Moreover, for different conditions of movement, many control programs are provided - for asphalt, for off -road. Depending on what speed, at what trajectory and in what mode x3 travels, electronics controls X-Drive differently. A pair with a full -wheel drive transmission works a smart DSC system, which exercises full control over the car. Its is in charge of both ABS and the anti -boom system. For example, at the start, the car is all -wheel drive - even until the moment the driver turned on the program, the central coupling is partially blocked, and the torque is distributed to the front and the rear axle. Thus, even a very active start on slippery coating will not cause trunking the wheels - after all, four wheels are much more difficult to tear into sliding than two.
 
But even with a partially blocked BMW X3 clutch, it still remains a car with a dominant rear -wheel drive. At the start, when snow porridge is under the wheels, the car squats to the stern and even slightly skyscles with the rear wheels, restrained by the anti -circus system. This is right: at the start, the rear axle is loaded stronger, and therefore such a distribution of torque is more correct from the point of view of accelerated dynamics. But since the coupling is blocked even before the start, then the adhesion properties of all four wheels are used at the acceleration. That is, unlike other SUV models, BMW X3 is an all -wheel drive already when there is a need for this, and not after the sensors identify the slipping of one axis and begin to connect the second.
 
But if you thought that the advantages of the X-Drive ends, then you are mistaken. Because in addition to partial control over the traction and acceleration process, a smart transmission is very actively involved in improving controllability. In the same way, that is, the distribution of torque between the axes, the transmission helps to stabilize the car. For example, if in a steep turn the driver went too far at speed, and the car begins to slip the front axle outward, then the torque is transmitted only to the rear wheels - this way excess controllability is vaccinated for the car. If, on the contrary, the machine can break into the skid, then the coupling is blocked, and the fraction of the torque on the front axis increases - the car begins to straighten the trajectory.
 
The same DSC controls this process, and it takes into account almost all the factors affecting the stability of the car. The speed, angle of rotation of the steering wheel, on the transmission, longitudinal and transverse overloads - all this information is removed from the corresponding sensors and is analyzed by the DSC system. Through long tests, the corresponding X-Drive control model has been developed, which allows you to change the ratio of torque between the axes even before the entrance to the turn. Suppose the car enters a very steep turn in second gear, and the driver does not drop the gas - it means that there is a chance of demolition of the front axle. Electronics slightly dissolves the central coupling, and the rear axle receives priority - the machine willingly screw into the turn, but at the same time there is a danger of drift. And based on the information coming from the sensors, the DSC is controlled by the X -Drive - it decides at what point and at what percentage to increase the power supply to one of the axes.
 
All these features of the new all -wheel drive transmission very seriously affect the control of the car. Despite the high center of gravity, x3 can be easily, even at ease, it enters the turn. Without rolls, without swinging the body, without delay in reactions - in general, almost like a passenger treshka. This is partly due to the sensitivity and severity of the steering, and partly due to low -profile tires. It is they who make the reactions of the car more clear.
 
But 18-inch wheels affect not only handling, but also on the smoothness of the course. A low tire profile, coupled in the stiffness of custom -made sports suspension, makes x3 an off -road analogue BMW M3: the car is frankly tough. All small joints, each crack in the asphalt and even pieces of ice cause trembling on the body. The reference behavior of a passenger threek is far away, since the suspension is noticeably tougher.
 
But I have to recall that all these impressions are valid only for this version, with a custom-made sports suspension and 18-inch low-profile tires. There is a very high probability that the standard X3, which is already in the base is equipped with wheels R17 (215/60 or 235/55), will behave completely differently. But we have only one car for colleagues from other Belarusian publications, as well as colleagues from other Belarusian publications - there are simply no others in Belarus!
 
By the way, did you notice that a rather low-profile rubber is offered for the BMW X3? Thus, the manufacturer hints that the car is intended for roads, and not for off -road. But this does not mean at all that the slightest deviation from the highway is fraught with the owner of the third consequences. Vice versa! During the test, we were convinced that thanks to the X-Drive, the car is confident in crossed areas.
 
The all -wheel drive system on the highway works a little differently than on the asphalt. The coupling, fully or partially, is now almost constantly blocked, because on slippery coating the wheels are more often broken into a slip. And in order for the masking wheel to not waste the torque transmitted to it, the X-drive, using the standard brake system, slightly slows it down, forcing another wheel to rotate. Partial braking of the wheels in combination with locking the coupling makes BMW X3 a good rogue. A competent and clear redistribution of torque between the axes, and then between the wheels, allows you to feel confident on any coating.
 
We experienced x3 on a snowy field - mud baths, due to weather conditions, we did not find the dough on the day. Therefore, the cross -country ability of this SUV was evaluated as follows - they allowed the car along the snow virgin lands. Incidentally, snow, by the way, was almost knee -deep, which made the test very complicated, since the car could bend snow under itself and sit on the belly without touching the ground with wheels. But no, the BMW X3 completely confidently overcame the first few meters at first, then famously turned right in the snowdrift and boldly headed along the snow virgin land. At the same time, the intense operation of the all -wheel drive transmission was completely not felt at all - the X -drive does not crack, like the vw Touareg, and does not buzz, like a handout on some SUVs. The engine confidently pulls 3,000 rpm, and there was no regret to regret the absence of a lowering series - at least the engine power is enough in the snow.
 
The trip along the snowy field did not last long - literally after seven meters, only having gained move, the car abruptly sank down, sagging on the front left wheel. It turned out that a deep hole was hidden under the snow - it’s good that we did not have time to accelerate in the car properly. But the characteristic sound that was heard during landing was alerted - our trip would not turn into material losses. Lucky: the car really rested on the ground with a bumper, but since it is not painted and made of rough plastic, he did not receive any damage. Yes, lucky - if it were painted in the color of the body, the paintwork would probably suffer. In general, off -road pokatushki had to be postponed until better times, so we went away from sin along their Road in reverse. But I would like to note that if it were not for the pit, then we went far from the third -third, the car was very easy to walk in the snow. So for Off Road we would have set the BMW X3 four in absentia.
 
There is no need to worry about the market fate of the BMW X3: crossovers are now in fashion, and BMW itself is sold very well. And the option is two in one, when the BMW brand crossover is proposed - this is generally a very profitable offer. And you can predict in advance that after a couple of years, X3 will be considered the same cult model as the senior Bavarian SUV.
 
True, it should be noted that the situation in the market has changed a bit, so the BMW X3, even taking into account all its positive qualities, will be much more difficult. The emergence of a new generation of Mercedes-Benz M-class, which will lose the frame and will become more passenger. The new Lexus RX was just represented, and even VW Touareg, the debutant of the class, hits everyone with price, and running qualities, and cross-country ability. So the BMW X3 market will have to be very difficult ...
 
Pavel Kozlovsky
 

Source: "Avtogazeta"