2007 x3 manual reviews

We liked it but didn't love it. Now newcomers, such as the Land Rover LR2, the Acura RDX , and the upcoming VW Tiguan , come surprisingly close to matching what we remember enjoying most about the baby Bimmer—gifted handling, abundant luxury, premium-brand cachet—and do so at prices that undercut the X3's.

Time to take a fresh look at the Bimmer. And a fresh thing we found. Technically, a freshened thing. For , BMW gave its cute ute a significant update—inside, outside, and under the hood. But what remained to be seen was how far these changes would go toward ingratiating the X3 to us to the extent that we could actually love the thing, not merely accept it.

Moreover, would they help justify the X3's ever-climbing price? Well, it looks better. Or at least somewhat better. Now that all other BMWs —including the larger, all-new X5 —have taken on "flame surfacing" overtures, the X3's wedgy, angular flanks look even more dated than they did when the X3 was introduced for the model year. But there have been improvements. The new bumpers are no longer the masses of black plastic that made early X3s look about as high-brow as a base Kia Sportage.

In back, the cluttered taillights have been cleaned up nicely. Up front, the grille slats are now a sporty silver hue, and with the xenon headlamp option come BMW's now-ubiquitous "corona ring" spectacles. That's better than nothing, we guess. Inside, upgrades are subtle yet effective in raising the cockpit's perceived quality.

Previous X3 interiors never felt quite up to par with other BMWs, but that is no longer the case. More soft-touch materials and a healthy amount of lustrous wood trim dress things up convincingly, although BMW's button-heavy ergonomics remain.

The navigation system is a joke, making us almost wish for iDrive. Better still is the standard two-row, two-panel panoramic sunroof that bathes the cabin in daylight. As always, we appreciated the impressive interior layout that yields a nearly perfect driving position while offering rear passengers the kind of legroom they might expect in a one-size-bigger ute. The leather upholstery has been upgraded from last year's mediocre "Montana" leather to a higher grade "Nevada" leather.

And as always, the cubic-foot cargo area with the rear seats folded gets a gold star as one of the most spacious among all compact SUVs.

The best news of all for the X3 is the installation of BMW's lovely 3. This engine differs from last year's 3. Horsepower climbs to at rpm and torque rises to pound-feet at a low rpm, compared with horsepower and pound-feet for the 3. We've enjoyed this engine in every BMW so equipped. But ads are also how we keep the garage doors open and the lights on here at Autoblog - and keep our stories free for you and for everyone. And free is good, right? If you'd be so kind as to allow our site, we promise to keep bringing you great content.

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