2015 BMW X3 Diesel Tested: Torque of the Town

Instrumented Test

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The X3 goes compression ignition.

BMW’;s recent face lift of the X3 might have gone largely unnoticed, but this particular X3 will not. Powered by BMW’;s N47 4-cylinder turbo-diesel, the xDrive28d tends to make its presence known with considerable clatter and rumble it’s supposed to ride the gradually rising tide of oil-burners in the U.S.

Although BMW continues to tout the X3 as a “sports activity automobile,” this one particular has the workaday sound of an truthful-to-goodness off-roader. It is not an unpleasant sound, and it alterations in pitch when the engine is revved. The 2.-liter 4-banger provides ample grunt about town with 280 lb-ft of peak torque coming in at just 1750 rpm. And the ZF-sourced wide-ratio 8-speed automatic does an okay job of masking delays in initial response, which means prior to the turbo is spooled up. The gearbox does a lot of shifting—perhaps too a lot for our tastes—but the X3 accelerates briskly to city speeds. This transmission is an business benchmark, some thing that cannot be mentioned about the nonetheless-infuriating gear selector.

On the open road, it’;s a distinct story. The diesel’s zero-to-60 mph time of 7.9 seconds and the 125-mph leading speed are totally unremarkable, and are indicators of this X3’s reluctance to play. It’;ll cruise along happily at a steady pace, and it delivers excellent fuel economy—we observed 28 mpg during our drive—but you will want to look elsewhere for excitement. BMW’s xDrive all-wheel drive is common, but don’t make any plans to tackle the Rubicon Trail—off-roading is not on the list of this vehicle’s aspirations. The X3 may possibly be capable to conquer some nasty terrain, but it is safe to assume that its all-wheel-drive technique is there mainly to offer some peace of thoughts on the perilous trek to soccer practice.

The X3′s capable chassis functions a coil-spring suspension with a multilink rear axle. What body roll exists is quite nicely controlled, and the electromechanical energy steering operates with precision, even as it lacks the tactile really feel of previous BMW setups. Our test vehicle was fitted with all-season 245/50 R18 M+S tires, but we observed only mild understeer and managed .82 g of lateral grip on the skidpad. The otherwise unremarkable brakes exhibited slight fade below anxiety, whilst the ever-vigilant stability-manage system proved to be a bit also eager to intervene.

The new X3’s interior has changed only slightly from the pre-refresh version the basic shapes remain the same, but high-gloss accents add a touch of contemporary luxury. Higher-finish driving-help systems are optional, and, whilst we discover them to be a distraction, we suppose they’re valuable for drivers who pay a lot more attention to cell phones and cappuccinos than the steering wheel.

The X3 xDrive28d begins at a cool $ 42,850. With just a few options selected—Nevada leather seats ($ 1450), Mineral White metallic paint ($ 550), a panoramic sunroof ($ 1350), heated front seats ($ 500), a navigation system ($ 2150), Harman Kardon premium audio ($ 875), enhanced smartphone integration ($ 500), and concierge solutions ($ 250)—our X3 xDrive28d stickered at $ 50,450. It is achievable to jack up the cost to practically $ 60,000 with a couple of much more dollops from BMW’s comprehensive dish of alternatives. That is a lot to ask for this compact SUV, and we doubt it will be able to replicate the sales success of the powerful and quiet 6-cylinder diesel version of the X5.

In European markets, BMW has replaced the N27 4-cylinder diesel with the new-generation B27 oil-burner. The new diesel addresses some of the gripes we have with the N27, most notably being a lot smoother and quieter. Can we have that one in the U.S.?

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2015 BMW X3 Diesel Tested: Torque of the Town