BUYER’S GUIDE: BMW X 3

Running costs

38-45mpg (xDrive30d)

£101 fill-up

Performance

0-62mph/top speed

5.7 seconds/155mph

MANY buyers of third-generation BMW X3s will have passed their driving test and started buying cars at a time when BMW used the slogan “The ultimate driving machine”. Back then it was all saloons and coupés, with the occasional estate (or “Touring”) thrown in. But more recently BMW has become synonymous with SUVs.

Thankfully, BMW’s 4x4s are better to drive than most, and they still offer many of the qualities that made those older models so appealing, such as impressive practicality, peerless ergonomics and superb build quality. Most importantly, the X3 has hit the spot for many buyers, with around two million examples sold since the launch of the first model in 2003, so it’s clearly no dud.