Its stiff handling finally tamed, BMW’s X3 won Car and Drivers’ July comparison of high-end compact SUVs.
May 31, 2007

BMW’s X3, long looked down on in car magazine reviews because of its harsh ride, redeemed itself in Car and Driver’s July 2007 comparison review, “Attack of the Flying Cicada Killers.” The X3 was first with a runaway margin among three compact SUVs: 212 points for the BMW X3 3.0si, 196 for the Honda RDX, and 181 for the Land Rover LR2 SE. The magazine lauded the X3’s “neutral handling [and] perfect throttle tip-in from one of the world’s greatest engines” more than the “confined cockpit, narrow back seat, [and] ultra-fat steering wheel.” The result? “[A vehicle] worthy of the 3-series [sic] badge now that the ride has been fixed. Welcome back,” CD concluded.


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