The BMW X3 is a compact luxury crossover SUV (though BMW advertises it as an SAV, or Sport Activity Vehicle) produced by the German automaker BMW. It is based on the BMW 3-Series automobile platform. The X3 3.0i won the Canadian Car of the Year Best New Sport Utility Vehicle award for 2005. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 515 pixelsFull resolution (1584 × 1020 pixel, file size: 196 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): BMW X3 Metadata This file contains... Automakers, also known as carmakers, automobile manufacturers, motor manufacturers, or the automobile industry are companies that design and manufacture automobiles. ... Magna Steyr (properly Magna Steyr Fahrzeugtechnik AG & Co KG ) is an automobile manufacturer based in Oberwaltersdorf, Austria. ... BMW, abbreviated for Bayerische Motoren Werke or in English Bavarian Motor Works, is an independent German company and manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles. ... The Grazer Schloßberg Clock Tower Graz [graːts] (Slovenian: Gradec IPA: /gra. ... It has been suggested that Vehicle size class be merged into this article or section. ... Subaru Forester, one of the first vehicles to be named a compact SUV Suzuki Grand Vitara, a modern compact SUV Compact SUV is a class of small sport utility vehicles with a length between 4. ... 2007 Cadillac Escalade, a high-end luxury SUV A luxury SUV is a North American term for sport utility vehicles which have features that resemble other luxury vehicles. ... The Honda CR-V is a crossover SUV based on the Honda Civic platform. ... Cars can come in a large variety of different body styles. ... This article or section may be confusing or unclear for some readers, and should be edited to rectify this. ... In automobile design layout is the place where both the engine and driven wheels are. ... A front-mounted engine describes the placement of an automobile engine in front of or on the front axle. ... This article is missing citation of sources. ... An automobile platform is a shared set of components common to a number of different automobiles. ... The BMW E83 automobile platform is the basis for the 2004 through present X3 compact SUV. It is the first BMW since the M1 to not be built at a BMW factory. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Internal combustion engine. ... The liter (spelled liter in American English and litre in Commonwealth English) is a unit of volume. ... hp, see HP (disambiguation) The horsepower (hp) is the name of several non-metric units of power. ... The straight-6 (also inline 6, I-6, or I6) is an internal combustion engine with six cylinders aligned in a single row. ... In mechanics, a transmission or gearbox is the system of gears and/or the hydraulic system (called variously hydrodynamic, fluid or automatic transmission) that transmits mechanical power from a prime mover—such as an engine or electric motor—to a typically rotary output device at a lower angular momentum but... An automatic transmission is an automobile gearbox that can change gear ratios automatically as the vehicle moves, thus freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually. ... A manual transmission (also known as a stick shift, straight drive, or standard transmission) is a type of transmission used in automotive applications. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The BMW 3-Series is a line of compact sedans manufactured by BMW since May, 1975. ... The Audi Q5 is a crossover SUV based on Audis A4 sedan. ... The Freelander is a compact crossover SUV from Land Rover. ... According to Wheels24 the Premier Automotive Group plans to reveal the XC60, a Volvo-branded compact crossover SUV, to the public in late 2006. ... Subaru Forester, one of the first vehicles to be named a compact SUV Suzuki Grand Vitara, a modern compact SUV Compact SUV is a class of small sport utility vehicles with a length between 4. ... 2007 Cadillac Escalade, a high-end luxury SUV A luxury SUV is a North American term for sport utility vehicles which have features that resemble other luxury vehicles. ... The Honda CR-V is a crossover SUV based on the Honda Civic platform. ... Automakers, also known as carmakers, automobile manufacturers, motor manufacturers, or the automobile industry are companies that design and manufacture automobiles. ... BMW, abbreviated for Bayerische Motoren Werke or in English Bavarian Motor Works, is an independent German company and manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles. ... The BMW 3-Series is a line of compact sedans manufactured by BMW since May, 1975. ... An automobile platform is a shared set of components common to a number of different automobiles. ... Canadian Car of the Year winners, as chosen by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada: // 1987 Car of the Year Pontiac Bonneville 1988 Car of the Year Lincoln Continental 1989 Car of the Year Ford Taurus SHO 1990 Car of the Year Nissan 300ZX 1991 Car of the Year Lexus...

History and development

Along the heels of a very successful and ongoing production run of the BMW X5, BMW decided in the early millennium that it wanted to compete with the likes of the Freelander, now renamed as the LR2, and other small luxury SUVs just as the X5 had previously done so well in its respective classes. Thus the X3 (internally known as E83), was born. The BMW X5 is a mid-size luxury crossover SUV sold by BMW since 2000. ... The Land Rover Freelander, recently re-named the Land Rover LR2 in North America, is a compact, four-wheel drive, crossover SUV from British Land Rover, a subsidiary of the Ford Motor Company. ... 2007 Cadillac Escalade, a high-end luxury SUV A luxury SUV is a North American term for sport utility vehicles which have features that resemble other luxury vehicles. ...

What thus emerged was a concept unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show in 2003. Dubbed the xActivity, BMW previewed to the public for the first time what a smaller SAV based on a 3 Series platform would look like. The concept had no windows, for the most part no roof, and a sleek futuristic interior. Only the basic shape of the car would emerge as the BMW X3.

Just as BMW used many parts from the E39 5 Series parts bin in the making of the X5, the same occurred in the X3's development, whereby BMW engineers reused 3 series parts. In-fact complete sets of parts came straight out of the E46 330xi, emerging unscathed in the X3 (e.g. rear suspension).

Austrian automotive contractor Magna Steyr of Graz, Austria performed additional development work and has been contracted to manufacture all first-generation X3s. Magna Steyr (properly Magna Steyr Fahrzeugtechnik AG & Co KG ) is an automobile manufacturer based in Oberwaltersdorf, Austria. ... The Grazer Schloßberg Clock Tower Graz [graːts] (Slovenian: Gradec IPA: /gra. ...

xDrive

Main article: BMW xDrive

When the BMW X3 premiered in late 2003, BMW announced that it would be using a new 4 wheel drive system to power it and its bigger brother - The (refreshed) X5. The two key things about xDrive are, first, it being one one of the first technologies used to intervene before the driver was ever aware that the car could be unstable, and second, it being transparent (i.e. unknown) to the driver. BMW xDrive, BMWs all wheel drive system that powers the X3, X5 and 2006 and later xd and xi 3-series and 5-series models. ...

Reaction

Right from the start, the BMW X3 had been criticized for its harsh ride (due to the run-flat tires, which have made all new BMWs (except those that aren't fitted with them, for example some M-models) have harsh rides), poor interior quality, price, and off-road ability. BMW addressed the first 2 points in 2005, with a slightly softer ride and by matching plastics and carpeting in the 2005 X5s. It has also been criticized for not being built at a BMW factory. However, Magna Steyer, the factory in Austria has won numerous awards for quality and is the highest rated car assembly factory in Europe. World map showing the location of Europe. ...

The automotive press however for the most part had mixed views of the X3 ranging all over the spectrum - unusual for BMW, but then again not so unusual for modern BMWs. Jeremy Clarkson even said that the X3 was for people who are clinically insane after his road test of it. He also criticized it for its harsh ride, and showed the poor off-road ability in reality when he took one into a "not very tough" off-road trail. He got stuck multiple times, although he has admitted that he is not a very good off-road driver, but the trail didn't provide options for going from somewhere else, as it was basically a road with off-road trail obstacles in it. Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson (born 11 April 1960) is an English broadcaster and writer who specialises in motoring. ...

2005 model year changes

• Bluetooth could actually be ordered straight from the factory (part of the Premium Package) and functioned without dealer intervention. (Although the BMW X3 was originally offered and promised with Bluetooth support in 2004, none of the cars that shipped from the factory actually had it installed. Few were able to get it to work with a little bit of tinkering from their dealer.)
• Interior was vastly upgraded with changes to all plastics (making them match, unlike the 2004 model). Also instead of having grey carpeting which was present on all 2004 X3s, the 2005 X3 came with carpeting that matched the leather ordered (with the exception of the Terracotta interior, whose carpeting is black).
• Slightly softer suspension.
• Front wheel fenders are one piece, as opposed to the two piece found on 2004 models.
• A 2.0d engine became available in some markets - joining the 2.5i and 3.0i engines (found stateside) as well as the 3.0d engine sold elsewhere in the world.
• An 'Open-Door' indicator was added to rectify the complaint made by many on the 2004 models.

Bluetooth logo Bluetooth is an industrial specification for wireless personal area networks (PANs). ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Revised BMW X3 (2006-current)

• The new BMW R6 engines available across the rest of the BMW lineup were, as with the 2006 X5 & 2006 Z4, curiously absent from the 2006 X3. It is rumored that the X3 will not get the R6 until the all-new BMW X5 is released in 2007 which will include the R6 engine amongst other newer engines. The X3 will receive, however, redesigned monochromatic front and rear fascias to replace the flat black bumpers. Also, the 2.5i variant will no longer be sold in the U.S., as buyers tended to go more for the 3.0i model.

• U.S. bound 2006 X3's were all equipped with a special version of the 'M' technik bodykit as standard. The difference being in that the U.S. cars had unpainted door sills and wheel arches. U.S. spec Sport Package 2006 X3's got the full 'M' bodykit (with painted front, side and rear plastic) available in the rest of the world as a BMW accessory.

• 2.5i was removed for sale from the U.S. market.

Interior of a 2007 X3

• The new changes to the 2007 BMW X3 are now listed on the BMWUSA[1] home page. The 3.0si engine will put 260 horsepower and 225 torque, at a lower (2500) RPM. The front and rear facia are changed, more resembling the X5 SUV. New LED lights and interior upgrades are also on tap. The available Cold Weather Package will include heated seats in the front and the rear. Adaptive headlamps and a panoramic sunroof are available, as well as upgraded dashboard components and leather seating. It is on sale now in the US.

2007 X3

R6 is the name for BMWs most recent straight-6 engine family. ... For other uses, see United States (disambiguation) and US (disambiguation). ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2816 × 2112 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2816 × 2112 pixel, file size: 1. ... This article or section may be confusing or unclear for some readers, and should be edited to rectify this. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

BMW X3

• BMW X3 Long Term Testfrom Motortrend.com
• BMW X3 BMW International website
• BMW X3 UK BMW X3 Information & Review Website

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