By Ollie Kew
First Official Pictures
05 February 2014 23:00
The revised BMW X3 plays spot-the-difference with, on the outside at least, BMW having done a pretty convincing job of turning it into an X5 lookalike. The new X3 goes on sale in June 2014, costing from £31k.
The facelift looks subtle â" letâ™s concentrate on the BMW X3â™s engine tweaks.
The X3 has an all-diesel line-up, teamed with either a six-speed manual gearbox or an eight-speed automatic. Rear-wheel drive (sDrive, in BMW-speak) is available on the most basic model with 4x4 â˜xDriveâ™ standard on the rest of the range.
Itâ™s no surprise that the least powerful, slowest X3 is also the cheapest. The X3 sDrive18d only has 145bhp and 265lb ft, but BMW claims itâ™ll do as many as 60.1 miles per gallon of diesel burned, and only emits 131g/km of CO2. That makes it more efficient than the diesel XC60, Audi Q5 or Land Rover Freelander.
At the other end of the scale, thereâ™s the X3 xDrive35d. Okay, itâ™s no M Division monster, but with 309bhp and 465lb ft on tap from its turbocharged straight-six, itâ™s no slouch. Who needs to do 0-62mph in 5.3sec and 155mph in an X3?
If that sounds like your sort of SUV, youâ™ll have to stump up around £41,000. Even if youâ™re more pragmatic, the entry-level X3 has seen a £2020 price hike, starting at £30,990. That means itâ™s a few hundred quid more than the XC60â™s starting price, but youâ™ll have £600 change against a diesel Q5.
How is BMW justifying an extra two grand for an X3?
You now get heated seats, an automatic tailgate and BMW â˜businessâ™-spec sat-nav on every model. Thatâ™s in addition to leather seats, climate control, cruise control, DAB radio, 17in alloy wheels, front and rear parking radar, automatic wipers, and automatic lights.
For every model except the top-spec xDrive35d, thereâ™s now an optional 17in â˜aeroâ™ wheel design, which helps shave another 7g/km off your CO2 emissions, and, indirectly, your tax bill.
What exactly has changed, visually?
Reprofiled headlights, extra chrome, bigger â˜kidney grilleâ™ nostrils, and massaged front and rear bumpers. Naturally, there are new alloy wheel designs to choose from, myriad leather and trim finishes, and even a new â˜xLineâ™ trim level for a more butch, utilitarian look (as seen in our gallery).
So, itâ™s more efficient and better kitted out, but looks more like the ugly X5 and costs a chunk more than before too. Would the BMW X3 be your pick of the family SUV class? Add your thoughts in the comments below.