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Road Test

BMW X3 2.5i SE

Test Date 27 July 2004  Price When New £29,725

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Verdict

We’d hoped for a junior X5, and while the X3’s size — and its cabin space in particular — exceeded our expectations, in most other areas we’re a little disappointed. It’s not that the X3 is a bad car, but it is merely a quite good one, and we’ve become accustomed to BMW delivering more than that.
The exterior styling is a matter of taste and doubtless will grow with familiarity, as has that of the new Five. But the low-rent cabin plastics and jittery ride are less easy to overlook, particularly when rivals such as the Lexus RX300 trump the X3 on both counts.
On the plus side, the X3 is much better to drive than its peers, and its car-like responses make it the only real choice for drivers who want their SUVs to look, but not behave, like off-roaders. And, in some respects, the entry-level 2.5 makes a better case for itself than the 3.0 model by further distancing the X3 from the more expensive X5. The diesel versions, however, will undoubtedly be the pick of the range when they arrive later this year.
Perhaps things would be different were the X5 not so utterly brilliant, but by moving the goalposts BMW has created a rod for its own back. As it stands, the X3 is a good effort, but not a great one.

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