View Single Post
      11-19-2010, 11:50 AM   #1
T89
Lieutenant Colonel
T89's Avatar
Switzerland
39
Rep
1,531
Posts

Drives: Z4 35i & Mini Cooper S
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Geneva & Joburg

iTrader: (0)

Lightbulb Test drove F25 X3 - xDrive20d and xDrive35i

Just got back from my local dealership. They just received three 20d's and two 35i's earlier this week. Took both 20d and 35i out for about half an hour or so.

X3 looks much better in real life than in photos. I love the rear end. Looks purposeful. However, not so sure about the front end. I guess it'll grow on me. Also looks bigger than it does in photos. Exactly like an e53 x5. Was also surprised by interior space, especially at the back. More space than I was expecting. Quality is way up. Everything felt nice to touch and looked expensive. One of the highlights. First impressions were good.

Now on to the test drives.

X3 xDrive20d

Took a 20d first. Sapphire black. Automatic tranny. No idrive. No bi-xenons. Pretty basic. Had x-line design package. Adds a few matt silver trim on the front bumper, sideskirts, rear bumper and around the windows. Looks good with sapphire black. The contrast between black and silver makes it look classy. But if you were going for a more sporty look, then it would be better without.

The engine was great around town. A lot of low end power. Noisy though and really feels rough when you get up from a stop. But other than that it is fine around town. On highway, you can really tell it's a diesel. Runs out of puff quickly. Was cruising at 120km/h, accelerated to overtake, but took a quite a while to get up to 150km/h. Maybe I should've tried downshifting manually first. I suspect the upcoming 30d would solve this problem. However, I think this engine will be quite popular in Europe. Adequate power for the average person. Great fuel economy and carbon emissions. Calculated range was 800km on full tank!

Handling was also good. This 20d didn't have the performance control with the sport, sport+ button and neither did it have servotronic. Steering without servotronic felt light. Around town was good, but on the highway it was too light for my liking. Suspension was stiff but not uncomfortable. You could still feel all the bumps passing through but still comfortable.

X3 xDrive35i

Ok now I had a base line to compare against the 35i.

35i I tested was space grey without the x-line package. Looked good without it on this color. Space grey looks amazing on the x3. Looks classy and sporty at the same time (but then again I'm biased since my z4 is space grey ). Beige interior (forgot what it's called) with 'wave' wood interior trim. This trim is really nice. Really interesting to look at. It had full options. idrive, sport tranny, performance control, servotronic, bi xenons with LED angel eyes (sooo cool), top view camera, sport seats and whatever you could think of.

Wow! 35i with performance control and sport tranny just blew me away. What an engine! New n55 is just so smooth. Just endless power right through the rev range. After a few minutes I decided to skip the highway and take it up to some twisties in the mountain instead. Sport button engaged, the suspension tightens up and the steering instantly feels heavier. Tranny into manual and off I went. I couldn't stop smiling. The car feels so good around these corners. I was able to push it harder than in my z4. Also felt more confident in the x3 than in my z4 around these twisties. That's saying a lot. Because I love my z4.

As I made my way back down the mountain towards the dealership. I put the car back into automatic, normal mode and just cruised. It changes completely. Very docile. Very comfortable. This car combined with the n55 is just so good. Way better than expected. Just blown away.

I think I've found my 2nd car. X3 xDrive35i with performance control and sport transmission.

Now imagine what an X3 M or iS could be like. I can't wait. I hope Bmw is listening.

(Sorry no photos as it was dark as I got back from the test drives)


T

Last edited by T89; 11-19-2010 at 12:02 PM..
Appreciate 0