2006 BMW X3: A Compact Body And Leather Seating Equals My Dream

I love cars. I have always dreamed about driving a convertible along the ocean. I have always dreamed of sitting in black leather and having the most modern features at the tips of my fingers. I have always wondered what it’s like to live the ultimate American dream.

Okay, so I don’t have a convertible. But my brand new X3 does have a sunroof…

Why The X3?

I had a lot of considerations. The SUV industry is very competitive. The candidates that my wife and I chose included the X3’s sister -- the BMW X5, along with Cadillac’s Escalade, the new Mercedes M-Class, the Lexus RX Hybrid, the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Acura MDX. The Hummer line was totally out of the question because of the current fuel environment.

Our final decision came down to either the X3 or the X5. My aunt has a 7-series and absolutely loves it, so that was basically the deciding factor for us to stay with a BMW model. In the end, we chose the X3 because of the price. I also dislike the X5’s boxy rear, unlike the X3’s round backside.

When comparing the X3’s price to its competitors’, I think that it’s reasonably priced. We got ours for $37,000 which didn’t include the seatback TV’s which I had installed at a later time. However, the price included the valuable navigation system (which I’m officially addicted to). It also came with the sunroof which I’m also officially addicted to also. There’s nothing better than driving with the sunroof open on a sunny spring day.

Exterior & Interior

This car is a real beauty. The front is almost identical to the X5. It has the standard BMW headlights -- 2 round lights with a very powerful forward vision with the assistance of fog lights. I didn’t have the neon lights installed, but I don’t even know if that’s an option. Come to think of it, I have never seen an X3 with neon lights, so I guess BMW decided to keep this model a little bit more conservative.

The back of the SUV is very curvy. The somewhat small rear window allows for more backlighting area. The turning signal is red and accompanies the small patches of white light. The windows in the two seating rows are pretty big while the windows in the back are a little bit higher up. In any case, I think the exterior was very well designed.

As far as the interior goes, everything is just as nice. You can have either an off-ivory leather, a somewhat orange leather, or simply have black or silver leather installed. I opted for the black leather which matches great with the Blue Water (Metallic) exterior. The agent selling me the car told me that all colors cost the same except for Jet Black and Alpine White exteriors.

The comfort of the seats is simply amazing. They have plenty of padding but not to the point that the leather becomes very wrinkled. The seats do slant slightly upward, which is good because it prevents you from flying forward in the case that there is a spontaneous shift in speed. However, I do not like the approximate three inches of an elevated slant on the side of each seat. I find it hard to shift my mass to allow me to use this part of the seat -- I actually noticed this quality in every BMW I have been in.

As far as overall spaciousness goes, it’s fine. Though the ceiling does seem just a tad bit low, I do have plenty of legroom in the front without crushing the person sitting in the back. I also have a lot of arm room as there is a large median between me (the driver) and the person in the forward passenger seat.

Specs

The BMW X3 offers a decent amount of horsepower for an SUV at 225-hp. It has a 3.0-liter engine (inline - 6) and has a weight of just over two tons when empty. The roof can support up to 165 pounds before it caves in, so a bike rack with several bikes attached is absolutely no problem. The base is eight inches off the ground which is great for roads with sudden inclines or declines.

The best fuel to use is Unleaded Premium, which I don’t mind spending money on because it means that my car is going to be in better condition. On my 5-speed automatic transmission, I get 16 miles to the gallon in the city and 25 miles to the gallon on the highway. Those are great numbers for an SUV. The fuel capacity is 18 gallons which seems just about right for the X3’s size.

The Driving Experience

I love driving the X3. It is simply a fun car to drive and I feel very safe at the same time. Being higher than sedans makes me feel in power of what is going on around me when on the road, and the car’s quick response to each and every move that I make allows me to have more control.

As noted, the 225hp is decent. I really don’t expect anything more or anything less from this SUV. Because it isn’t a sport car and is more of a luxury car, I don’t see much need for anything more. It accelerates at a nice rate and can easily go from 0-60 in just under eight seconds. I have never hit the maximum of 130mph, but most cops in Nassau County don’t approve of such speeds…

As far as handling goes, I’m impressed. Because the car is very light when compared to its competitors, it’s easier to maneuver. In the last couple of months we moved from a small house on a straight street to a larger house on a very curvy street. The X3 handles those curves excellently. There is no noticeable force to one side of the seat when driving on the curves - even when driving at high speeds the force is non-existent.

Force is certainly exerted when accelerating quickly, however. For some reason, I experience a greater force when accelerating in my X3 than my aunt’s bulky 7-series. This could be because my car has a larger area to spread out the weight and therefore allows for an easier increase in force.

The ride is very smooth, and this observation certainly assists in my driving. The fluid-like motion reacts very little to any bumps or potholes in the road (not that there are many in my neck of the woods, but they aren’t non-existent). The body stays still despite rough areas and any such areas are not too noticeable in the passenger cabin.

I would like to note something about the brakes -- I am very hard on them for some reason. However, the X3 reacts very well to my command. Because the brakes are very sensitive, I only have to tap slightly to get a noticeable reaction. This is taking some time to get used to, but I’m happy that the brakes respond so easily because it’s stopping my bad habit.

Anything Else?

Though not essential to every driver, I love the navigation system. BMW certainly has done a very good job designing this. The navigation system is based on a CD that has the most up-to-date streets and highways. I can select my departure and my arrival destinations, and a screen tells me exactly where to go. If I want, I can enable a voice which accompanies the screen in telling me what to do. However, I have found the voice to be irritating and therefore don’t use the option much. I can purchase a new navigational CD annually (which includes any updated road information) for roughly $300.

The radio is great. It comes with the standard AM/FM tuner and a CD player, but it also tells me the time and the outside temperature. There are four speakers throughout the car which offer a good sound quality. The knobs used to adjust the radio or CD player are very modern and easy to use.

I also like the rain-sensor windshield wipers. Instead of manually turning on the wipers, they come on by themselves and adjust automatically according the intensity of the rain. There is also a back windshield wiper and a back defroster. I am also fond of the panel which gives me all standard information plus a tire pressure warning. The delay-off headlights guarantee that I never drain the battery accidentally, but this feature is pretty much standard on all cars nowadays.

My X3 came with a 4-year, 50,000 mile warranty. This is certainly a better warranty than what Jaguar offers on their X-types…a 2-year warranty is essentially useless to me. However, the 4-year is just fine because I plan on getting a newer model of the X3 in a few years. I also have unlimited BMW Roadside Assistance which is definitely a plus.

My Thoughts

I love the X3. Unlike most modern SUV’s, it doesn’t come with a third row seat. However, it does offer a lot of space for the five people that it can fit. The seats are very comfortable and the excessively smooth ride certainly offers a touch of luxury to any passenger’s ride. However, as noted, the ends of the seats do have a slanted incline which can be a damper on the overall comfort.

The driving experience is thrilling. I have complete control when driving this car as it reacts to every command so easily. Because the X3 is smaller than many of its competitors, it has to be one of the easiest SUV’s to maneuver. Its compactness allows for better control, especially on curvy roads, and doesn’t ask much from the gas station.

If you’re in the SUV market, I would certainly recommend the X3. I’m very happy with my purchase.