X3 Topic Hub

Road Test Review – 2018 BMW X3 xDrive30i – By Zeid Nasser

The 2018 BMW X3 rolling out of the Spartanburg, SC plant has received a total revamp inside and out. The new X3 is writing the next chapter in the X3 story with a more striking design, powerful yet efficient drive systems, and standout-driving qualities with unrestricted everyday usability. DESIGN X3 elevates the already boldly dynamic design language of its predecessor. The third generation of the X3 treads a familiar BMW path in combining rugged off-road looks with generous presence. The exterior dimensions are largely unchanged, however, the wheelbase has been extended by 2.2-inches and its long hood, extremely short front overhang …

Feb 25, 2019 Read more

2018 BMW X3 M40i – Road Test Review w/ Drive Videos – By Tom Burkart

We simply cannot let Model-Year 2018 end without a glorious write-up of the charming new X3M40i we tested out on video a few months back. Here is a crossover so much like its X5 big broether on the luxury and refinement charts. Yet one whose agility and light-feeling moves are joined by massive turbo power and a perma-grippy, rear-biased AWD system. It is a combination your scribe has never found before. A trucklet that rides like a dream and launches like a pro with big exhaust howls. It is all upside for this X3M40i for 2018. Check out the drive …

Aug 26, 2018 Read more

Situation Analysis: Can 2017 i Vision Dynamics Concept Save BMW?

Sometimes I just want to shake BMW like a British nanny. What are you thinking, bad BMW baby!!!!? The X7 Concept, Z4 Concept and 8 Series concepts are all fairly new design ideas for the IAA BMW stand in Frankfurt this year. A new M5 and X3 are the production cars with some fresh excitement around them. A new BMW i3S looks slightly less hideous from the front and will be quicker than the base model. None of these models is the silver bullet BMW needs to get back to brand health. And sales growth. The X7’s design is shockingly …

Sep 12, 2017 Read more

2016 Mercedes-Benz GLC300 – Air-Sprung Crossover In US Dealers Now! $45k Pricing, RWD or 4Matic + 9-Sp Auto

The new GLC just started arriving to Mercedes dealerships here in the USA — and seems like an outstanding all-new SUV for the brand. The GLK and its boxy look is exiting the lineup of a half-dozen ‘Benz jeeps’ this year, making room for everything from the baby GLA to this GLC, up through the GLE and GLE Coupe and the top GLS for 2017. The GLC, as its name implies, is aligned in shape and tech with the C-Class. This brings a massive set of benefits for performance drivers — particularly in its standard rear-drive setup. Just one engine and …

Jan 14, 2016 Read more

The Evolution of BMW xDrive – 325iX to 2016 BMW X5 xDrive40e – PHEV M Sport from $70k

THe BMW eDrive X5 is officially in the USA! This huge advance in AWD tech for BMW is being celebrating with a look back at the first 30 years of BMW four-paw models. We still remember the special body-color aero kit and special wheels from the US-market 325iX. Was just a tiny bit cooler than even the very-chic 325i sedan and coupe of the era. The honor that original look, we spec’ed out a 2016 BMW X5 xDrive40e in M Sport guise. The truck looks very, very nice on its available 20-inch alloys. Particularly so with the $1,100 adaptive LED …

Dec 02, 2015 Read more

Spec Renderings – 2017 Mercedes-Benz GLC400 Is Upcoming Q5-Fighter

The new GLC Coupe Concept from Shanghai shows how the Mercedes SUV range is evolving rapidly. The new naming strategy and product plans from the GLE and GLE Coupe show the way forward for Merc trucks — and that pattern is likely on this smaller GLC as well. As the China concept is the GLC Coupe, it is logical to think that the coupe is the X4-fighter, while a standard GLC-Class will tackle the X3 and Q5. To recap, the Mercedes SUV range is currently: GLA GLK (now actually called GLC…) GLE GLE Coupe GLS G-Class The ML-replacing GLE-Class is …

Apr 22, 2015 Read more

Road Test Review – 2015 Lincoln MKC Black Label 2.3L AWD

2015 Lincoln MKC Review – HD Drive Video INTRO The 2015 Lincoln MKC is the brand’s biggest launch in more than five years: an all-new crossover to compete head to head with the Audi Q5, BMW x3 and Lexus NX. A huge overhaul versus any shared components underneath that might be shared with Ford, the MKC delivers an all-new design inside and out, technology that is available with no Blue Oval vehicle, and a potent 2.3-liter turbo engine that also finds its first home in this stylish crossover. Lincoln has thrown out all the old brand stigmas …

Apr 13, 2015 Read more

Best of Awards – 2015 BMW X4 xDrive35i M Sport in HD Drive Video + 50 Gorgeous Photos

The BMW X4 and X4 crossover coupes are easy to write off as silly fashion cars. But in the flesh, they are undeniably sexy and far cooler than a normal SUV. The X435i is simply the best SUV we have ever driven. It is a car that would fit hip commuters and track junkies alike — with room in the trunk for pups and in the back seat for pals. Love it. And in a dark color, the X4 is even sexier than this too-popular red. In fact, the X4 is so good — we recommend everyone at Cadillac spend …

Oct 24, 2014 Read more

BMW X Model SUVs Celebrate 15-Year Anniversary Ahead of X7 Launch

What a kerfuffle the BMW X5 created! Between when the X5 was revealed in 1999 and began arriving in the US as a 2000 model-year, people were seriously up-in-arms. They were angry and skeptical and vocal critics. Why would any BMW SUV ever seem logical, they said. How could an SUV maintain the BMW driving style epitomized by the well-liked 3, 5 and 7 series luxury cars? But all that came to a sharp stop the moment you sat in the X5’s driver seat — or any of its five seats, frankly. Led by the 4.4-liter V8 engine and its …

Oct 18, 2014 Read more

Update2 Debut Photos – 2015 BMW X4 Arriving Now to USA BMW Dealers – Pricing From $46,000

Updated 7.28.14 with 74 real-life dynamic photos of the 2015 BMW X4 M Sport. The production BMW X4 was a nice surprise when touring the BMW Spartanburg factory in late March. The car is very attractive in real life – especially in this M Sport trim level! Much better than expected and a solid proposition for all AWD performance sedan shoppers. More thorough articles coming soon, plus all the full details from BMW below. The New BMW X4 Sports Activity Coupe A new dimension for the mid-sized premium Sports Activity Vehicle Woodcliff Lake, …

Jul 28, 2014 Read more

2015 BMW X3 xLine vs M Sport, Pricing + Specs with 100 New Real-Life Photos

Updated 7.28.14 with Pricing, Specs and 100 New Photos Hooray! The 2015 BMW X3 debuted last night in a sneak peak at the Chicago auto show – and all seems well for this glamorous new five-seat crossover. Why the elation? I hated was not a fan of the previous X3. Sometimes my own critiques are so scathing that the words echo and reverberate in my head after I type and publish them. What do I mean? Well, I called the previous X3’s LED and nose look a “zombie-like stare.” Accurate? Maybe, maybe not. Memorable? Perhaps too much so. The X3 …

Jul 28, 2014 Read more

2015 Lincoln MKC Arriving in Showrooms Now – 2.0L EcoBoost from $34k, 2.3L WIth 285HP from $40k

The new MKC is huge news for Lincoln – at a time when this is the exact product the company needs. Lincoln needs the MKC to really enjoy some of the sales gains being logged by Audi and even Cadillac. Speaking of Cadillac, the MKC hits a big hole in this cross-town rival’s product portfolio. A mid-size premium crossover is an exploding segment, and the MKC is right atop the Audi Q5 and BMW X3 on size and price. The pricing is a bit more ambitious than expected – with the $34,000 base price for the 2.0-liter EcoBoost climbing up …

Jul 01, 2014 Read more

Update1 Debut Event – 2015 BMW X4 is Here and Stunning! Pricing from $46,000 — SPRING 2014 Arrival Confirmed

The production BMW X4 was a nice surprise when touring the BMW Spartanburg factory in late March. The car is very attractive in real life – especially in this M Sport trim level! Please forgive the lack of analysis, we are swamped at the moment! Short assessment: Outstanding. Much better than expected and a solid proposition for all AWD performance sedan shoppers. More thorough articles coming soon, plus all the full details from BMW below. The New BMW X4 Sports Activity Coupe A new dimension for the mid-sized premium Sports Activity Vehicle Woodcliff Lake, NJ – March 5, 2014 …

May 12, 2014 Read more

Future Car Renderings – 2016 BMW i4 Imagined as Much-Lower, Much-Cooler Machine

Today is the third or fourth time we have tried to get on-board with the BMW i3 via the online builder and the mechanical specifications. The i3 is a fantastically-interesting, futuristic, and brilliant solution to low-emissions motoring: priced from $41,000 as the pure EV model, the premium for the Range-Extender gasoline option up front is just a few thousand extra – well worth it in my opinion. But the style!? Where is the style of the future? In the past? We hope not. But my word – this i3 makes the Prius look sexy and slinky. It is best compared …

May 04, 2014 Read more

5.2s to 60mph, 148MPG Plug-in Hybrid AWD! Audi TT Offroad Concept – A Sure Thing As Future Q2 (or Q4?)

The big three German luxury brands are infamous in charting each-others new models rigorously. When the Mercedes-Benz R-Class emerged to shocked faces across the globe, BMW was not far behind with the 5 series GT in a slight tweak on the theme. Once one of the big players has established a market, it is widely seen as almost a sure-fire new segment that all must either join or be left out of completely. The rationale is often more than a little flawed – as the R-Class seven-seater and five-seater minivan/wagon trend failed to spark much interest. But one clear segment …

Apr 21, 2014 Read more

BMW X3 and X4 Spartanburg Factory Tour in 111 Photos!

BMW Spartanburg Factory Tour During this factory tour of the X3 and X4 assembly line, I could not help but to keep looking around for the rest of the facility. The loud parts., The hot parts. Places where workers are wearing the typical combo of HazMat + X-Ray lead vests for safety. But in fact, these areas were nowhere to be found. This is partly due to the extremely cutting-edge processes employed in Spartanburg, but also because some key components are handled off-site: including engines from Germany and stampings from Magna Steyr’s facility just down the road. This model factory’s …

Mar 29, 2014 Read more

Update2 ~2015 BMW X7 Officially Joins X3, X4, X5 and X6 at Spartanburg

UPDATE2: 5.28.14 with Digital Rendering Spartanburg is a crowning achievement of the BMW Group today, 20 years since the first US-built BMW rolled from this once-small South Carolina factory in 1994. Today: the Ultimate Driving Machine is far more than a just a machine. BMW has become a sentient being, born and raised on trustworthy US soil. BMW today is a compelling human endeavor as well as one whose faith in the United States makes it the ‘Ultimate Driving’ employer, taxpayer and corporate citizen. But to most SC residents? A global titan of a company we are giddy with …

Mar 28, 2014 Read more

Swanky 2015 BMW X3 Debuts In Chicago Ahead of May 2014 Showroom Arrival from $39,325

Hooray! The 2015 BMW X3 debuted last night in a sneak peak at the Chicago auto show – and all seems well for this glamorous new five-seat crossover. Why the elation? I hated was not a fan of the previous X3. Sometimes my own critiques are so scathing that the words echo and reverberate in my head after I type and publish them. What do I mean? Well, I called the previous X3’s LED and nose look a “zombie-like stare.” Accurate? Maybe, maybe not. Memorable? Perhaps too much so. The X3 has indeed been a rougher launch than expected for …

Feb 06, 2014 Read more

Volvo XC60 Buyer's Guide Info, Galleries and Videos

It is just a Volvo kind of morning here in Chicago. Snow has been falling for two days, and the temps are extremely frigid. My Subaru had major struggles getting up and out of the steep driveway, thanks to my amazing decision not to shovel. My poor Subaru Legacy GT. What a hard, battered life it leads. Most of the damage sustained by the car has been off the pavement. Something about huge, huge turbo power and AWD has led me — time and time again — to take the low-slung LGT off-roading. Much as I love the Q-car appeal …

Dec 11, 2013 Read more

New BMW X4 Teaser Shows LEDetails of 2015 Macan-fighter

The Concept X4 just had a glitzy dinner, and is en route to a velvet-roped club entrance… BMW recently released a night-time city teaser of the Concept X4, which is a high-gloss way of imagining what this blue-raspberry performance car will look like ‘out on the town.’ The concept seems dripping with light and far more purity and flow to the surfaces than the X3, and also, far more roof chop than the bigger X6. 2013 BMW X4 Concept – Animated GIF 2013 BMW X4 Concept – Nighttime Teaser Screenshots 2013 BMW X4 Concept Gallery

Dec 03, 2013 Read more