If you’ve been following our Sights & Sounds videos, you’ll know they give you an
Analysis
As you can tell from the video, BMW does some things rather differently with their X3. In the boot, the boot floor is help upright by a gas strut. While it is another potential point of failure, we have to admit it is extremely helpful when you’ve got your hands full.
The tonneau cover is also detached in its own peculiar way. A button hidden on the left side unlocks and frees the whole assembly. In the boot you also get a 12V socket, a couple of hooks and an elastic band for storage.
Plastics in the BMW X3 were not particularly impressive. We found many parts that were stained and some even scratched easily. These include the central storage box and the driver’s side storage compartment. The plastic cladding where the tonneau cover rubs up against was scratched up. We’re not sure if the car was abused or if this was from regular use.
The doors too featured hinges that weren’t quite as well planted as one would expect in this segment. Door latches too looked ‘cheap’ and finished in chrome. While these are minor complaints in most cars, BMW commands a price premium and their competitors go the extra mile to justify their prices.
The door locking mechanism also produced a ‘whining’ or ‘whirring’ noise on the front passenger side. This occurred when the doors were set to ‘unlock’ when already in that state.
That being said, the BMW X3 xDrive30i was phenomenal to drive. The car is
