Body Styles, Trim Levels, and Options The Sport Activity package includes 18-inch wheels, running boards, a sport steering wheel and rear privacy glass. Opting for the Sport package nets a stiffer sport suspension, sport front seats and steering wheel and body styling accents. Other options include 19-inch alloy wheels with higher-performance tires, speed sensitive steering, a premium audio system, 16-way power front seats, a navigation system, heated front and rear seats, a heated steering wheel, adaptive xenon headlights and front and rear parking sensors.
Power is routed through either a class-exclusive six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic transmission with manual shift control. EPA estimated fuel ratings for the automatic transmission are 17 mpg city/24 mpg highway and 20 mpg in combined driving.
Safety Standard safety equipment includes antilock disc brakes, automatic brake drying, front-seat side airbags, full-length side curtain airbags, active front-seat head restraints, stability control and hill descent control. Rear-seat side airbags are available as an option.
The standard front seats are comfortable and firm, with sufficient support for sporty driving; there are also optional sport seats and sublimely comfortable 16-way power seats.
Driving Impressions Aside from the ride quality, this BMW's driving dynamics are beyond reproach.
The 2011 BMW X3 has been fully redesigned. Thankfully, BMW softened the suspension and upped the power in successive years. An optional adaptive suspension allows the driver to select from three different modes calibrating suspension, throttle, transmission and stability control settings.
The xDrive28i ostensibly replaces last year's xDrive30i, and offers slightly less power, but also a slimmer entry fee.
Body Styles, Trim Levels, and Options The 2011 BMW X3 is a five-passenger compact luxury crossover SUV available in two trim levels: the xDrive28i and the xDrive35i. Standard features on the 28i include 17-inch alloy wheels, automatic headlights, foglights, rain-sensing windshield wipers, eight-way power front seats, a tilt-and-telescoping leather-wrapped steering wheel, leatherette (premium vinyl) upholstery, automatic climate control, cruise control, Bluetooth, BMW's iDrive electronics interface and a 12-speaker audio system with a CD player, HD radio, an auxiliary audio jack and an iPod interface.
The Sport Activity package varies slightly for each model, but includes 18-inch wheels, sport front seats, roof rails and a sport transmission with paddle shifters. Opting for the Dynamic Handling package gets you adaptive suspension dampers, variable-ratio steering and three driver-selectable drive modes. A Cold Weather package adds heated front and rear seats and a heated steering wheel.
A 3.0-liter inline-6 engine powers both 2011 BMW X3 models. BMW estimates the x35i's fuel economy at 19 mpg city/26 mpg highway.
Standard safety equipment includes antilock disc brakes, automatic brake drying (useful in rainy weather), front airbags, front-seat side airbags, full-length side curtain airbags, active front-seat head restraints, stability control, and hill descent control.
Body Styles, Trim Levels, and Options
