Road Show has posted a first drive review of the X3 xDrive30e.
2020 BMW X3 xDrive30e first drive review: A plug-in SUV with no shortage of sport
The first plug-in X3 scrimps on neither efficiency nor sportiness.
Some review highlights:
It's not often that a test-drive of a plug-in hybrid takes place on a handling course on an disused runway. But when that hybrid has a BMW badge on the nose, like the X3 xDrive30e, you know the engineers have put as much effort into sportiness and fun as thriftiness and efficiency. It's for that reason that the first plug-in hybrid X3 makes such a good first impression on a brief test drive near Munich, Germany.
The X3 shares its hybrid powertrain with the 330e sedan, which means the core components consist of a 2.0-liter turbo-four engine, an electric motor integrated into the eight-speed automatic transmission and a 12.0-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack under the rear seat. Total system output is 252 horsepower, with the 0-62-miles-per-hour run pegged at 6.5 seconds and top speed set at a healthy 130 mph. The electric motor is rated for 80 kilowatts, equivalent to 107 hp, which is just a bit behind the 330e's motor rating of 83kw.
While far from the ideal location for testing a plug-in hybrid, the X3 xDrive30e shines on a runway handling course at the BMW Experience Center in Maisach, Germany. With the Sport drive-mode button depressed, power is effortless and easy, hauling the crossover out of corners and down straights. Like any X3, it's a handler, too, with crisp turn-in and well-controlled body motions as I slip through a coned-off slalom.
Read the full review at:
https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/2...-drive-review/