BMW X3 (2014-2017) Review and Prices

Choose the more powerful 30d and you get the automatic gearbox as standard, along with a lot more performance. It has six-cylinders to the 20d’s four, which means it’s quieter, smoother and more relaxing to drive, but also quite a lot quicker with 0-62mph coming up in just 5.9 seconds – it’s so quick there’s little point in choosing the even faster 35d model. Despite this, fuel economy isn’t too bad on paper – 47.9mpg should be possible, although you can knock 10mpg off that during normal driving.

The BMW’s surprisingly easy to drive quickly for a big SUV. Its steering is accurate and weighty which helps it feel very stable in corners, and the firm suspension means you don’t have to deal with much body roll at all. M Sport models come with huge 19-inch alloy wheels that look like they belong on a steamroller and provide lots of grip.

Unfortunately, they also make the X3 feel pretty uncomfortable over bumps when combined with the car’s jiggly standard suspension. The easiest way around this is to pay £940 for the firm’s variable dampers that have three settings They give you the best of both worlds, allowing you to set the suspension in Sport or even-stiffer Sport+ when you come across a fun winding road before popping it back into Comfort on bumpy town surfaces.

Funnily enough, it is actually pretty easy to drive in town for a big SUV, particularly if you have the automatic gearbox that gives your left foot a rest from operating the clutch. The X3’s raised height gives you a great view out and, aside from the pillars that run up the side of the windscreen, you don’t have to worry about too many blind spots.

As a result joining a motorway is easy and the X3 is generally pretty quiet at a cruise, although M Sport models suffer from a lot of tyre roar thanks to their huge 19-inch wheels and wider tyres.

Safety shouldn’t be an issue, though – the X3 scored five stars when it was crash tested by Euro NCAP in 2011 and although five-star models evaluated in the tougher, more recent tests will be even safer, the BMW comes fitted as standard with active cruise control, stability control and eight airbags.

Proper off-road ability isn’t a feature, though. All models have four-wheel drive, but the likes of the Land Rover Discovery Sport would leave the BMW floundering on anything more than a muddy track. It’ll make a decent tow car, though, capable of pulling between 2,000-2,400kg depending on which model you go for.