A 3-series based SUV

Overview Information

The X3 is BMW's compact SAV (Sports Activity Vehicle as BMW calls it) based on the 3-Series platform. The drivetrain utilizes the xDrive all-wheel drive system. Priced at around $39K, this SUV faces increasing competition from domestic and Japanese manufacturers. The X3 is intended to draw younger buyers, who cannot afford the X5, to the BMW brand.

Official Word:

At its introduction, the X3 offered something no one else could-a luxury-compact with the versatility and all-road capability of a sport-utility, combined with the quality, performance and handling of a BMW. Compared to the large domestic and Japanese sport-utility vehicles then dominating the market, the X3 offered a smaller, more nimble, yet in many ways equally versatile alternative. The X3 also introduced drivers to xDrive, BMW's "intelligent" all-wheel-drive system that offers near-instantaneous torque apportioning with changing...Read.