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GREAT X-PECTATIONS

MODELS COVERED: (5dr Compact 4x4, 2.0i, 2.5i, 2.5si, 3.0i, 3.0si petrol 2.0d, 3.0d, 3.0sd diesel)

BY ANDY ENRIGHT

BMW has launched a lot of great cars in recent years. The M3, the 330d, the M-Coupe, the 130i and the 535d are all cars that have wormed their way into our affections by dint of their sheer excellence in engineering. BMW aren’t always wholly consistent though. For every cracker, there are models that receive rather less rapturous acclaim and to this list can be added the X3. A car that never really captured the public’s imagination, the X3 has been saddled with a reputation of being at the same time expensive but apparently built down to a price. While this means that new sales have been unspectacular, the used market tends to level out issues like this, the market valuations often changing prevailing opinion of a car. That which was overpriced when new can become a real bargain when used. Does the X3 deserve this second lease of life? Find out here.

The X3 certainly got the big build-up. Its path had been paved by the phenomenally successful X5, a vehicle that changed the way we bought big 4x4s. With a track record like that along with the fact that the car was being built in a high-tech factory in Austria and would be launched into a compact 4x4 market in which Audi and Mercedes had no rivals, the X3 looked destined for instant success. Strangely, things didn’t work out like that. Initial spy shots of the car that started appearing in magazines in early 2003 showed a nicely proportioned vehicle that looked like a shrunken X5. No problem there. The sharp intake of breath came when BMW announced pricing for the X3. In many instances the asking prices were just a couple of thousand pounds less than the equivalent engined X5. Put the two vehicles together and although the X3 was undoubtedly more modern and better packaged, the X5 felt a better built, more prestigious product. No wonder so many buyers paid £2,000 to go large. The X3 wasn’t helped by the fact that no diesel option was initially offered, the range consisting of 2.0-litre and 2.5-litre petrol models only. Black lower body mouldings also proved a turn-off for many customers. BMW must be given credit for rectifying a lot of these issues very quickly. A 2.0-litre diesel arrived in September 2004 and this was followed up by a 2.0-litre petrol economy model in 2005 and a punchy 3.0-litre diesel. Body-coloured mouldings were also swiftly offered, giving the X3 a far more upmarket look. BMW were at it again in September 2006 when the engine range was significantly revised and the styling was updated. The 2.5si and 3.0si engines arrived with 218 and 272bhp respectively while a 3.0sd unit with 286bhp turned up at the top of the range - at the time, it was the most powerful diesel ever offered in a BMW. The styling changes ran to a larger front grille and a redesigned bumper/spoiler ensemble. Inside, the materials were upgraded and a three spoke steering wheel introduced while all models received DSC+ traction control. Further tweaks to the engine line-up came in September 2007 with the introduction of BMW’s EfficientDynamics technology. This delivered fuel and emissions savings across the range with a headline-grabbing 43.2mpg attainable in the 177bhp 2.0d model.

The front features a lot of black plastic and the interior never looks or feels quite as ‘hewn from solid’ as the X5. All things are relative, however, and by the standards of the compact 4x4 class, the X3 is the best there is. That shouldn’t be surprising given the prices asked from new. The range opens with the 123bhp 2.0-litre petrol model, then comes the 150bhp 2.0-litre diesel. The 192bhp 2.5i and the 231bhp 3.0-litre petrol versions were up-graded in 2006 to offer 218bhp and 272bhp respectively. This 3.0si unit will hit 60mph in 7.5s before accelerating on to 142mph. The 3.0-litre diesel models could be the most desirable in the range with 36mpg economy and 218bhp or a massive 286bhp in 3.0sd form. The 2.5-litre car is offered with a manual gearbox and the option of an automatic while the 3.0-litre petrol version is supplied solely with BMW’s acclaimed six-speed auto transmission. Trim levels run from standard through SE and Sport to M Sport with certain engines restricted to the plusher trims. There are some rather unusual consequences of shrinking the car down to compact 4x4 dimensions. Despite featuring split fold rear seats that can’t fold flat, the overall luggage capacity is actually more than an X5 and the simpler one-piece rear tailgate is a good deal more practical. The rear doors are narrow and make getting in and out without dirtying your strides on the black running boards rather difficult. The rear squab is also mounted very low and long legged passengers won’t savour a long journey tucked in the back of an X3. Another consequence of the dinkier dimensions is a smaller fuel tank. Given that the X3 is only marginally more economical than an equivalent X5, the drop in tank size from 93 to 67-litres puts a big dent in its pretensions as a long distance mile-muncher.

Few BMW models take a good pummelling when it comes to residuals, but the depreciation curve of the X3 looks rather precipitous at present. As an example, a 2.5i Sport with manual transmission would have cost its owner £31,422 (without options) back in March 2004 and that car is currently changing hands at just over £19,200 right now. A 3.0-litre SE automatic is worth around £20,900 with 18,000 miles on the clock. This means that if you’re prepared to go with a lightly used example, you can snag an X3 for about the same price as a new Freelander or X-Trail.

The BMW X3 has no known faults although it would be wise to check the underbody, exhaust and suspension for signs of damage from overenthusiastic off-roading. Overenthusiastic on-roading may well have taken its toll on the car too as ground clearance isn’t huge. The plastic body cladding is also vulnerable if you are planning to test the X3’s off-road limits. The engines are all peerlessly reliable units and although interior quality is nothing to get excited about, nothing seems overly flimsy.

(approx based on a X3 2.0i) A clutch assembly is around £130. Front brake pads are around £40, a full exhaust about £360, an alternator around £100 and a tyre around £40. A starter motor is about £120. A headlamp is about £165.

BMW have boxed clever in the way the X3 drives. The front suspension has been set up to offer a livelier handling balance and the steering features a snappy ratio that makes jinking from lane to lane simplicity itself in spite of the elevated ride height. The relatively small turning circle of 11.7 metres helps when making three-point turns in tight confines. Drive an X3 hard over swooping country roads and you’ll feel the benefits of these changes. Imagine it half way between an X5 and a Three Series Touring and you shouldn’t be too far off the mark. The Sport pack raises the 3.0-litre model’s top speed by a few miles per hour courtesy of higher-rated tyres, but the knobbly low speed ride this rubber imposes makes it of questionable benefit. Although most small 4x4s understeer determinedly when pushed hard into a corner, the X3 is, thanks to BMW’s xDrive system, made of sterner stuff. This system distributes drive to the axle which most needs it in a split second. Developed in partnership with Bosch, xDrive splits 38 per cent of drive to the front wheels and 62 per cent to the rears in normal driving conditions but as soon as one wheel starts spinning, the system automatically re-routes the flow. Working in conjunction with ESP stability control and DSC traction control, xDrive calculates the car’s yaw rate, steering angle and speed, this system keeps you on the straight and narrow. Although few will ever take their X3 off-road, BMW’s baby 4x4 superficially looks fairly adept; its fording depth, ground clearance and angles of ramp and departure being very little different to the surprisingly effective X5. Your ambition will be limited by the tyres, however, and BMW offer no option of gnarlier rubber. Self-levelling suspension, underbody protection and a low-range gearbox – all items any serious off roader would want – are noticeable by their absence. Hill Descent Control is fitted as standard but if you need this system to get down such a gradient in the first instance, it’s highly debatable whether the X3’s road biased tyres would afford you the grip to make the return journey back up.

While there’s little doubt that the BMW X3 makes a better used buy than a new one, it wouldn’t come top of my personal recommendations list. If you buy into the BMW brand image enough to be prepared to fork out for one, you’ll probably be perfectly happy but this sort of money buys some very capable new rivals that come with a full warranty. BMW is improving the X3 with every passing year and it will doubtless morph into a very good car. It’s not there yet though.

SIX SYMBOL

MODELS COVERED: (2dr coupe, 2dr convertible, 3.0, 4.4, 5.0 petrol [M6])

BY ANDY ENRIGHT

After the furore caused by the controversial styling of the 5 Series, the launch later in 2003 of the 6 Series was virtually a low key event. Based on a modified 5 Series chassis, the Six offered a sleek coupe shape and was followed shortly thereafter by a Convertible version. Both cars are in strong demand, with few natural competitors. As a used buy, these cars are just starting to make sense, the earlier models having had the sharpest edge taken off the depreciation curve.

The BMW 6 Series had a lot to live up to. Many of us fondly remember its shark-nosed predecessor. Although it stayed around a little longer than perhaps it should have done, this was a car that oozed charisma, with classic old shots of 6 Series Touring Cars making it one of the coolest cars the late seventies produced. Although it’s doubtful the current 6 Series will ever attain that cachet, it is, in many ways, a car similar in philosophy. Customers after a high-end GT coupe that can lift its skirts and hustle bought the original 6 Series then and buyers looking for the same qualities are attracted to today’s Six. Introduced in December 2003, the 6 Series was initially offered with just a 645i coupe model available. A convertible model followed in February 2004 and it wasn’t until August 2004 that the range was augmented with another engine - in this case the entry-level 630i, offered in both coupe and drop top forms. The ultimate 6 Series was unveiled in summer 2005 to a rapturous press. The 507bhp V10 M6 coupe featured similar mechanicals to the M5 with a lighter and sleeker body. Deliveries to customers started in late 2005. September 2007 brought a facelifted 6-Series but you had to work hard to spot the changes. For the record, the headlamps gained LED technology that takes the form of a thin row of lights above the main projectors. More obvious was the redesigned front valance that accommodates differently shaped air intakes and at the back, the bumper was tweaked to increase the impression of width. Other than that, the grille is fractionally larger and the rear light clusters have been tweaked. BMW’s groundbreaking EfficientDynamics technology was also included boosting economy and lowering emissions across the range.

Core driving functions are located in or around the steering wheel and a simplified version of the iDrive system offers a still enormous amount of driver control with just a few nudges, taps and twists of the serrated metal mouse. The dashboard design is otherwise rather low key, the analogue dials being rather disappointingly small. If the exterior is jam-packed with design details clamouring to catch your eye, the opposite is true of the cabin layout. Yes, it all hangs together very well and seems well built but nowhere does your eye alight approvingly on a signature feature. BMW claim the 6 Series has the largest luggage capacity in its class and there’s ample room for a pair of golf bags and a suitcase. Automatic air conditioning and a very respectable stereo are fitted but some small omissions grate. The BMW may be able to carry a decent amount of luggage but don’t expect to carry rear seats passengers over 5‘9" without complaint. Legroom isn’t generous either. No fewer than three transmissions are available to hitch up to the 645i’s glorious 333bhp V8 powerplant. Aside from a conventional six-speed manual ‘box, there’s also a six-speed automatic Steptronic gearbox. Or for those who want the convenience of a sequential manual gearbox but really want to take control when charging hard, there’s the F1-style SMG system with steering wheel mounted paddles. The 630i, meanwhile, misses out on the SMG and the M6 is offered exclusively with its seven-speed SMG set-up.

With the M6 a rarity and 630i models also thin on the ground, your best chance of finding a used Six will come in the shape of the 645i models. You’ll need at least £34,700 for a 53-plated 645i coupe with £36,500 landing you an automatic of the same year. The convertibles are holding their value extremely well and open at £37,500 for a manual on a 53 plate and £39,400 for an automatic model. The 630i is rated at insurance group 19 with all other variants lumped into the catch-all 20 category.

No significant faults have emerged thus far. You’ll need to make sure the previous keeper has specified wisely from the options list. Leather and metallic paint are essentials and anything with oversized or chromed alloys should be given a wide berth. Check that the service record and mileage corresponds and that if your car is a high mileage ex-fleet vehicle, that the price has been adjusted correspondingly. Like all contemporary BMW models, the 6 Series has no fixed service intervals, the car’s diagnostics deciding when it needs to come in for a freshening, so ask the buyer questions about how the car has been run and get a feel for whether it’s been cherished or punished. Check the Convertible hoods thoroughly for tears or discolouration and operate the mechanism a few times to ensure it all seals correctly.

(approx based on a 630i ) An air filter is around £21, whilst you’ll pay a similar amount for a fuel filter. Oil filters are around £8, whilst spark plugs are £17. A replacement cam belt is around £29.

Although the 6-Series can lift its skirt and hustle when needs be, as evidenced by a sprint to 60mph in just 5.9 seconds produced by the 645i or 4.2s in the M6, it’s by no means an out and out sports car. The ride is firmer than you may expect, the big tyres occasionally crashing through potholes. Dynamic Driving Control is a function very similar to the ‘Sport’ mode on M3 and M5 models. Press a button on the centre console and this sharpens up throttle reaction as well as generating a little more feel from the steering system. When allied to the SMG or Steptronic gearboxes, DDC also shifts gears at higher revs, switching ratios in just 150 milliseconds. Whichever system you choose, you’ll be amazed at the sheer grip generated by the roadroller Bridgestone Potenza tyres. That said, the 6 Series feels just that little bit too big to be a truly effective cross-country tool. On sweeping A-roads, however, the Six is magnificent, third gear capable of reaching over 100mph, the engine’s gutsy 332lb/ft of torque making it almost unnecessary to resort to stirring the box. Leave it on third and it’ll be fine. Even the 630i is a strong performer, 62mpg is reached in 6.5s thanks, in part, to the 258bhp output. An option many customers will choose is BMW’s Dynamic Drive. This automatically builds up counter forces on the car’s anti-roll bars and as such, virtually eliminates any body roll when cornering. After trying a car with Dynamic Drive and another without it, it’s an option worth pursuing if you plan to enjoy serious lateral g-forces. Another interesting option BMW offer is Active Steering, a system that debuted to mixed reaction on the latest 5 Series. This dramatically varies the steering ratio according to speed. At low speeds, you’ll often need little more than a quarter of a turn on the wheel to effect a 90-degree turn. It’s easy to be caught out when decelerating from a motorway into the tight car park of a service area by Active Steering but it’s probably something to which you’ll grow accustomed. Customer take-up of the option on 5 Series models has outstripped BMW’s most optimistic estimates. There’s also Adaptive Headlights which turn through corners, a Head-up Display which projects vital information onto a section of the windscreen and Active Cruise Control that uses radar to maintain a safe distance to the vehicle in front.

If you are going to splash out on a used GT coupe or convertible of this ilk, the BMW 6 Series is one of the safer havens for your money. That’s not to say that depreciation won’t take quite a toll, just that there are many rivals that will get hit much harder. The M6 model is virtually beyond reproach but for most people the 630i variants are the best compromise. Tracking down a nicely specified, low mileage 630i coupe could be a very enjoyable quest.

ARCH BISHOP OF TORQUE
BMW’s M3 has a long and illustrious motorsport-based history, beginning with four cylinder cars, then six and now the eight cylinder version. Andy Enright reports

BMW’s M3 has long campaigned on offering the pace and poise of a Porsche 911 at two-thirds of the price. Now BMW has really gone to town, with a 420bhp V8 engine that’s not only lighter than its six-cylinder predecessor but which punts the M3 into a new performance realm.

The V8 engine plumbed beneath the bulging bonnet of the M3 had a lot of commentators a little worried at first. The balance of the six-cylinder E46 model was so exquisite that the prospect of a big four-litre ‘bent-eight’ shoehorned into the svelte 3 Series shell smacked of an almost Mercedes-like obsession for power at any cost. Seems we needn’t have worried. BMW assures us that the weight of the V8 is, at 202kg, a full 15kg lighter than the old ‘six’. The aural signature from this engine is like no other road car powerplant. To sit beside Germany’s Nürburgring race track and hear development cars screaming past was otherworldly. Every single time the engine note came bouncing off the Eschbach trees, it sounded as if a sawmill had just cranked into operation somewhere in the valley. The cause is the induction system which features an oscillating tube fed by eight lightweight intake funnels. Add a fruity exhaust blare and you have a car that will swivel heads from a long way out. BMW quotes a 0-62mph time of 4.8 seconds and an electronically limited top end of 155mph although it is said to nudge 180mph with the software nanny shackled. A six-speed manual gearbox is standard with a seven-speed SMG sequential box available as an option. With a stiffer body, carbon-fibre reinforced plastic roof and an even more aggressive version of the legendary M-diff hydraulic centre differential, the M3 isn’t just all about that astonishing engine.

"The aural signature from this engine is like no other road car powerplant….."

The E92 M3 is packed with intriguing design features but the most important one for many is that it looks the part. There was barely a dissenting word uttered after its unveiling and most observers judged that BMW had got it spot on, providing a canny balance between sophistication and testosterone-fuelled aggression. The blistered wheel arches house 18-inch rims as standard although many owners will doubtless upgrade to 19-inch CSL style rims. The front bumper is punctuated by a gaping honeycomb centre grille, flanked on either side by intakes that help cool the engine bay and front brakes. A power dome on the bonnet hints at what lies beneath. Move around the car and there are intricately formed side sills, while at the back, there’s ventilation to draw hot air away from the differential. Four chrome-tipped exhaust pipes leave others in no doubt as to what’s just blown by. In profile, the M3 features 18-inch double-spoke light-alloy wheels as standard, with a striking 19-inch wheel available as an option. Another BMW M trait, a side gill in the front wing, also includes the side direction indicator and the M3 logo. Such is the performance of this car that even the exterior door mirrors enhance the aerodynamic characteristics of the car and provide a degree of downforce. Weight has crept up slightly compared to its predecessor but a 77bhp increase in power more than makes up for this. The fact that the power output is now identical to the Audi RS4 is significant as BMW will be keen to demonstrate that it makes better use of its available horsepower than the upstarts up the road in Ingolstadt. Like the larger BMW M5 and M6 models, this M3 also features an MDrive button that brings together numerous personalised functions of the car. The settings for the optional Electronic Damper Control (Normal, Comfort and Sport), three DSC+ traction control settings and three specific engine control maps, plus the response rate of the Servotronic power steering can be controlled with one button on the steering wheel. Once the desired settings are created in the iDrive menu, part of the standard Professional navigation system, one push of the MDrive button transforms the M3 from a car to drive to the shops to a track day special. Although BMW aims to flesh out the M3 range with a folding hardtop cabriolet and, for the first time, an estate, initial early buyers will have to content themselves with the coupe we look at here, likely to be the biggest seller overall, and a saloon version. BMW expects 60 per cent of orders to be for the SMG sequential gearbox-equipped car. The £50,625 price tag represents a marked step up from the outgoing car’s £42,540 closing price. Perhaps in continually sliding the M3 upmarket, BMW has created room in its line up for a more accessible M-car, perhaps based on a 1 Series? Time will tell. Expect to average not much more than 20mpg in normal motoring. Plus you’ll be hit hard in the wallet by your insurance broker (expect a group 20 classification). Some compensation however, should come with low depreciation, particularly in this model’s first couple of years of life when it’s likely to be a ‘must have’ upwardly middle class life accessory. Some rather questionable convertible choices aside, BMW has yet to build a bad M3. Even the E36 generation, derided at the time for having gone soft, appears with the benefit of hindsight to have been a cracker. There were no disappointments with the successive E46 model and that set the bar extremely high. Few doubt that this E92 model M3 will be up to the challenge. Packing 420bhp and developed by a team of enthusiast drivers, the M3 looks the sort of performance coupe most petrolheads would design given a blank sheet of paper. Sophisticated, capable, savagely quick and with a soundtrack to die for, it promises much.

FACTS AT A GLANCE CAR: BMW M3 coupe PRICE: £50,625 – on the road INSURANCE GROUP: 20 CO2 EMISSIONS: 295g/km PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 4.8s / Max Speed 155mph (electronically limited) FUEL CONSUMPTION: (Combined) 22.8mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front airbags, twin front side airbags, twin ITS side window airbags / ABS /DSC WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height 4620/2005/1365 mm [est]

FAST FORWARD
BMW’s X3 returns with an entry level petrol engine that more than punches its weight. Andy Enright reports…

It’s not often that BMW has to perform a little remedial action. They’re traditionally a right first time sort of operation but the X3 was never great straight out of the crate. The two words I kept hearing when discussing the X3 were ‘plastic’ and ‘overpriced,’ never great brand values for a prestige compact 4x4. The latest car has benefited from a raft of improvements not least of which is the fitting of a punchy 218bhp 2.5-litre engine to what is now the entry-level petrol model. The X3 2.5si generates a wholly different range of buzzwords. Fast, fun and composed are just a few.

This isn’t the 192bhp 2.5-litre engine that powered the pre-facelift X3. Instead, the latest X3 gets a far more modern piece of engineering with a healthier slug of torque and the mumbo to move what is quite a sizeable vehicle. Based on the world’s lightest six-cylinder engine, this powerplant is largely constructed of aluminium and magnesium alloys. It’s able to punt the X3 to 60mph in 8.2 seconds before hitting a top speed of 137mph, which is some going for the entry level car ion the range. Petrol buyers looking to step off the line even faster can pay a bit more for the 272bhp 3.0-litre should they so wish. As great as the bigger engine is, I’d have difficulty looking beyond the 2.5si if I needed an X3 that drank from the green pump. While the 3.0-litre diesel is probably the pick of the X3 range, it’s markedly dearer than the £31,100 2.5si and, in the real world, not always quicker. The 2.5’s fuel consumption figure of 30.4mpg also means you’d have to rack up some major mileages to justify the diesel car in terms of fuel savings. The X3 feels pleasantly nuggety to drive, all of a piece if you like. It drives like it looks, compact and car-like rather than a lumbering 4x4. Yes, it is reasonably useless off road but that’s hardly the point. The X3 appeals to a discrete niche and now it does so very well indeed. BMW has succeeded in turning the problem child of its family into a star pupil. So what do you get for your money? Along with the featherweight engine, BMW has also tweaked the X3’s styling, giving it a more upmarket look. The old X3 looked fine when specified in M-Sport trim with the body coloured side panelling but rather cheap with black parts, especially if the body was trimmed in a pale colour. The 2.5si is also available in M-Sport guise and features a colour-keyed front spoiler that sits below a redesigned bumper assembly. A bigger kidney grille reflects BMW’s pride in the latest X3 and front fog lights are now incorporated into the main section of the bodywork. Move round to the back and there are LED tail lamps. 18-inch alloy wheels and twin exhausts that poke out beneath a ground hugging rear valance are standard with the option of 19-inch rims.

"The X3 2.5si drives as a proper BMW should"

The interior, the source of much of the X3’s reputation for being built down to a price, has also been treated to a nip and tuck. The materials used on the centre console have been uprated and there’s a better looking three-spoke steering wheel. The anthracite head lining and cool technical finishes of the M-Sport model also lift the cabin, giving the car a properly premium feel. Now that much of the technology that was introduced on the 5 Series has matured, BMW has been able to take a look at what’s worth sticking with, what features will die a quiet death and, at the same time, has also introduced a few new ideas on the X3. The Dynamic Stability Control + system (DCS+) is fitted to an X model for the first time, giving X3 drivers immense confidence as they explore the outer reaches of the car’s handling envelope and acting as a reassuring safety net in the event of an evasive or emergency manoeuvre. The braking system has been given the most attention and the X3 comes with a series of braking functions that are beyond the ken of many cars costing three times as much. Brake Drying scrubs away the film of water on the brake discs that can reduce stopping power, while Brake Pretensioning shortens stopping distances during an emergency stop by priming the brakes to remove any slop in the system should the driver come sharply off the throttle pedal. Hill Start Assistant holds the brakes on a manual car until the driver can accelerate away while Brake Fade Compensation ramps up calliper pressure if the system detects that heat build up is causing brake fade. Switchable Dynamic Traction Control is also another first for an X model. Let’s be clear about this. BMW has repositioned the X3, lifting it out of the compact 4x4 mainstream and has equipped it with jet heels. It’s different because it’s so much faster and more capable - on road at least - than any conceivable rival. It needed to be though. Land Rover is looking to redefine this sector with the new Freelander and, as you’re probably aware, Land Rover and BMW have a little history. Points are there to be proven. BMW is anything but complacent. You only have to look at what the company has done to the X3 range as a whole to realise that they’re acutely attuned to customer feedback. Draw up a tick sheet of all the faults of the first generation X3, run the rule over this latest car and you’ll find that the Munich outfit has dispassionately set about rectifying all the shortcomings. The 2.5si model is evidence, if ever it were needed, that BMW knows how to build a driver’s car. Don’t let the all-wheel drive paraphernalia muddy your logic. It’s not cheap but at least now you’ll be able to form a more justifiable value proposition. Don’t write off the X3 based on prejudice. It’s come a long way.

FACTS AT A GLANCE CAR: BMW X3 2.5si PRICES: £31,100-£33,185 - on the road INSURANCE GROUP: 17 CO2 EMISSIONS: 224g/km PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 8.2s/ Max Speed 137mph FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 30.4mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front, side & window airbags, ABS, DSC+, ESP, DTC WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: (length) 4565mm (width) 1,853mm (height) 1,674mm

REGENERATION X
The vehicle that rewrote the rules for luxury 4x4s is back, bigger and bolder than ever. Andy Enright runs the rule over BMW’s latest X5

Few cars demonstrate just how rapidly the car industry moves more clearly than the BMW X5. When it first appeared in 1999, it would be no exaggeration to say that it completely revolutionised the market for big 4x4s. Think of the sector pre-X5 and post X5 - it really was that much of a landmark vehicle. Before the BMW appeared, 4x4s were mainly big, slow and agricultural. Other manufacturers were just beginning to see that it was possible to build in a little refinement and elegance but when the X5 first appeared in 1999, it changed everybody’s perception. Within four years, however, it had gone from the head of the bunch with no foreseeable rivals to lower middle order. Something needed to be done. Something has and you’re looking at it right here in the shape of the all-new X5.

Clues as to the direction this vehicle would take appeared in 2004 with the launch of the BMW X3. Many potential customers groused that the X3 was almost as expensive as the X5 and couldn’t see the point of the smaller car but plans for the replacement X5 were already well in hand, with the aim of pitching a much bigger car a good deal further upmarket in order to compete against the likes of the Range Rover, the Porsche Cayenne and the Volkswagen Touareg on an equal footing. Now it all makes a good deal more sense. In the years since the X5 first appeared, much has progressed in the science of packaging a car within a given wheelbase. This much was evident when BMW let slip the fact that the X3 was actually bigger than the old X5 inside and the latest X5 is supersized compared to its predecessor. Let’s have a look at the pertinent facts. This X5 is only 19cm longer than the old model but manages to incorporate up to three rows of seats. Even with all three rows occupied, there’s still 200 litres of boot space. In a more conventional five-seat configuration, the X5’s boot measures 620-litres, up 155 litres on its predecessor. There’s also an additional 90-litre storage compartment under the floor if you’re not interested in having seven seat capacity and BMW reckons that only around 10 to 15 per cent of buyers will opt for the extra seats. This X5 is also 6cm wider than its forebear but, in another case of the engineers pulling a rabbit out of their hat, weighs no more in base specification. The styling of the car is a good deal more conservative than many contemporary BMWs with little of the ostentatious ‘flame-surfacing’ seen on models such as the 5 Series and Z4. Instead, BMW has adopted a more restrained look and feel that lifts the best aspects of modern BMW design language and fuses them together in a broadly harmonious fashion. The dashboard features the same ‘wing’ design as many BMW saloons while the stance of the car is much like a supersized and rather chunkier X3. It’s a very deft piece of styling that, in common with its predecessor, manages to disguise its bulk superbly.

"With this X5, BMW is looking to restore a hierarchy that sees it unopposed on the top step of the luxury 4x4 podium. Would you bet against it?"

One thing that BMW is keen not to alter is the X5’s reputation as being the best driver’s car in its class. When the model first appeared, the German company invented a new classification for it, steering away from the lumbering Sports Utility Vehicles and dubbing the X5 a Sports Activity Vehicle, marketing doublespeak for the fact that this car was aimed at on-road performance rather than off-road ruggedness. BMW’s intent is obvious when examining the finer engineering beneath the X5. Instead of a high-mounted engine that stays clear of water, much as you’d get in most serious 4x4s, BMW have gone the opposite way, mounting the engine and gearbox as low and as far back as possible for an aggressive centre of gravity to help spirited cornering. Customers with older X5 models may well encounter a sense of déjà vu when they run the rule over the available engine line up, three of the powerplants offered to UK customers being the familiar 235bhp 3.0-litre diesel, the 272bhp 3.0-litre petrol and the range-topping 355bhp 4.8-litre petrol powerplant. What’s changed is the addition of a 3.0sd unit that uses twin turbochargers to boost its output to 286bhp. There’s also a six-speed gearbox that shifts faster and features a smaller gearstick for space efficiency in the cabin, freeing up room for the all-important cupholders. An electronic parking brake also supplants the more traditional handbrake this time round. A number of other innovations feature on the X5. As well as intelligent xDrive four-wheel drive, the X5 ushers in Adaptive Drive and Active Steering for the first time on a BMW X model. Adaptive Drive uses active hydraulic anti-roll bars to counteract the cornering forces of the car to keep the body from leaning too heavily and unsettling the occupants. In addition to this, Adaptive Drive incorporates an Electronic Damper Control system that uses sensors to continuously adjust the damper setting for optimum comfort. Active Steering uses an electronically operated planetary gear intersecting the steering shaft that adds more lock than that dialled in by the driver at slow speeds to make parking easier. When driving at speed the opposite occurs, offering extra reassurance and more dynamic feedback. Other innovations include a Heads-up Display – a first for a vehicle of this ilk. For enhanced safety the system projects speed, navigation and check control messages onto the windscreen into the line of sight of the driver. Such a system allows drivers to keep their eyes on the road ahead while still being made aware of important instructions. One of the tricks behind this X5’s excellent luggage space is the fact that it carries no spare, instead being fitted with run-flat tyres – again a first for a big 4x4. These tyres allow a driver to continue a journey in the event of a puncture for up to 90 miles at speeds of 50mph and also offer additional reassurance in the event of a blowout. The X5 comes as standard with 18-inch alloy wheels but if you really want to go to town, there’s also the option of 19 and 20-inch rims. A full colour rear parking camera is another option that looks set to prove popular. As stable as the X5 promises to be, there’s always the safety net of the Dynamic Stability Control+ system to fall back on. Standard on all X5 models, this comes with four unique functions for added safety and comfort. Brake Pre-tensioning reduces stopping distances during an emergency stop by priming the brakes should it detect the driver lifting off the accelerator sharply in reaction to an incident ahead. Brake Drying improves braking performance in the wet by periodically applying the brake pads to scrub away the film of water that can build up on the brake discs. Hill Start Assistant allows a car to pull away smoothly on a steep gradient without rolling backwards, courtesy of the brakes being held for the short time it takes the driver to apply the accelerator after releasing the foot or handbrake. Brake Fade Compensation applies additional braking without any extra effort from the driver should sensors detect that the brake pads are starting to lose ‘bite’ due to heat build-up. The BMW started out great and became merely very good. The latest vehicle may never reclaim the dominant market share its predecessor once enjoyed, but BMW will once again have the hardware to put upstarts like Volvo and Volkswagen firmly in their place and duke it out on a level playing field with the likes of Audi and Mercedes. This looks like a welcome return to form.

FACTS AT A GLANCE CAR: BMW X5 range PRICE: £39,995-£53,860 - on the road INSURANCE GROUP: 17-19 CO2 EMISSIONS: 214-286g/km PERFORMANCE: [4.4] 0-60mph 6.3s/ Max Speed 150mph FUEL CONSUMPTION: [3.0d] (combined) 32.5mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front, side & window airbags, ABS, DSC+, run flat tyres WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: (length/width/) 4857/2250mm

SPORT FOR ONE
BMW’s smallest sportscar still packs a hefty punch. Steve Walker reports

It’s the outstanding engines, particularly the diesel ones, that make BMW’s 1 Series Coupe a unique choice in the sports coupe segment. The car delivers all BMW’s best bits distilled down into a compact driver-focused package.

There’s a simple purity about much of what BMW does that helps make its cars so desirable and eminently drivable. As you drop down the range and more of the superfluity is stripped away, you draw nearer to the basics that are at the heart of all BMW products. The 1 Series Coupe looks like coming closer to the essential core of BMW than almost any of the other vehicles in the current line-up and that’s partly why it has enthusiasts teetering on the edges of their M Sport racing seats. Thanks to the efforts of the BMW marketing department, most of us are pretty well aware of what the main tenets of BMW actually are. The hallowed 50:50 weight distribution is the obvious one, derived from the classic engine at the front, drive to the rear layout. Then you have the world-leading engine technology, the kidney grille, the unfussy interiors and the over-riding driver focus. BMW is a company that’s acutely aware of its heritage but also one that’s not afraid to break with tradition if it’s deemed to be in the interest of the products. The 1 Series Coupe has something of the old and the new about it. The 2.0-litre diesel engine was the highlight of the 1-Series hatchback range for a long time after it’s launch so it really says something that it now sits a sorry third in terms of the want one factor in the 1 Series Coupe’s three engine line-up. At least this highly adept unit is being outshone by some absolute corkers. The range-topping model is the 135i. It’s powered by a 3.0-litre petrol engine that’s helped to its 306bhp output by a pair of turbochargers that are hardly in-keeping with BMW’s normally-aspirated heritage. Fitted with this engine, the 335i 3 Series Coupe feels like eight tenths of an M3, so you can imagine how vigorously it’s going to shift the lighter 1 Series two-door. If you can’t, 0-60mph is pegged at 5.3s and the 155mph top speed is artificially limited. Almost as impressive is the 123d. This 2.0-litre diesel is the first all aluminium oil-burner in the world to achieve a specific output of over 100bhp per litre. Another pair of turbochargers help it to 204bhp, 0-60mph in 7s dead and a 148mph top speed. Rival marques have hulking six-cylinder diesels that can’t match it.

"A formidable array of engines and those classic BMW driving dynamics, …"

BMW’s 50:50 weight distribution is intact with the 1 Series Coupe. The car rides on double-joint spring strut suspension at the front and a five-link arrangement at the rear, chosen to leave the maximum degree of adjustability available to the chassis engineers. Big power like this in a compact rear wheel drive car is a recipe for big fun but also for the odd hairy moment. With this in mind, BMW’s DSC dynamic stability control is standard and the two more gutsy engines get DSC+ which includes various additional features to help with brake performance amongst other things. The traction control component of the DSC system allows a degree of wheel slip before reining-in the throttle, which will spur on the keen driver. The 135i model gets up-rated brakes with six piston callipers to help scrub off all that speed. Links to the 1 Series hatch are evident in this Coupe model, the nose borrows heavily from the hatchbacked car with the bumper jutting forward from the plain of the grille and headlamps. Below, the air intakes are more aggressively shaped and as you progress back down the car’s length, the differences become more pronounced. The booted outline of the car owes more to the 3 Series Saloon and Coupe than the 1 Series. The car is 133mm longer than the hatchback that spawned it and the sharply angled windscreen, along with the protruding rear, emphasise this. Beneath the boot lid, which is drawn up into a subtle spoiler, the available space is measured at 370 litres, that’s 20 litres up on the hatch and there’s a 60:40 split rear seat to add a little of the liftback’s practicality. The interior will hold few surprises for existing BMW owners. The high quality materials and solid construction always impress and it’s this general classiness that makes it all feel special rather than any stand-out detailing. The major controls for the entertainment and ventilation system are confined to a panel ahead of the gear lever and the rest of the stuff you need is clustered on or around the steering wheel where it’s simple to access on the road. Prices start at £21,585 (around £4,500 less than a 3 Series Coupe) and there are three trim levels to accompany the three engines and make up the 1 Series Coupe range. The 120d is available in ES, SE or M Sport form, the 123d can be ordered as an SE or M Sport and the 135i is sold in M Sport guise only. It’s the M Sport package that really makes the difference to the car’s appearance, and the way it drives. Buyers at this top level receive sports suspension, sports seats, an M Sport steering wheel and the M Aerodynamic package on their car. In addition there’s anthracite headlining and M branding on the door sills but although the 135i gets 18" alloys, the diesel contingent only gets 17" items as standard. Despite the electrifying performance and sportscar dynamics served-up by the 1 Series Coupe, the car is still being positioned as an entry-point to the sportier side of BMW. Targeted at younger buyers who may otherwise have gravitated towards the current crop of performance coupes or premium performance hatchbacks, the 1 Series Coupe has been designed to offer a sophisticated but highly capable alternative. Vehicles that can outperform the 135i are hard to come by at this price point but it’s the 123d that inspires most. Where else to you go for a diesel sportscar with 204bhp and economy on the frugal side of 50mpg? BMW has built its name on the finely-honed driving dynamics of its products but the marque is rapidly fashioning a second major string to its bow in the area of engine efficiency. Where competitors have turned to all kinds of weird and wonderful hybrid or alternative fuel technologies to meet the environmental challenge, BMW’s short term efforts have concentrated on developing its conventional petrol and diesel engines. The result is EfficientDynamics, a collection of measures that when implemented together, have a startling effect of fuel economy and emissions without harming performance. Different models in the 1 Series coupe line-up utilise different aspects of the EfficientDynamics programme but you can’t argue with the results. The 120d is capable of 58.9mpg on the combined cycle and 128g/km CO2 emissions, you’ll get 54.3 and 138g/km from the 123d while even the 135i can deliver 30.7mpg and 220g/km. Insurance groups for the 1 Series Coupe will reflect its performance but these costs are tempered somewhat by the strong residual values that we can safely expect the car to retain on the used market. With a formidable array of engines and those classic BMW driving dynamics, the 1-Series Coupe looks like a winner every way up. Buyers in the sports coupe sector may not be particularly enamoured by the scaled down saloon car styling but it’s likely that the 1 Series Coupe will more than make up for that when you’re at the wheel. The 120d Coupe’s economy is superior to most superminis, never mind compact sportscars while the 135i Coupe packs a punch that puts it in that same bracket as some serious performance models. Better still, though, is the 123d Coupe’s heady mix of economy and performance. With this model, BMW pulls of its most impressive feat, proving that clean and green can be fun.

FACTS AT A GLANCE CAR: BMW 1 Series Coupe range PRICE: £21,585-£29,745 - on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 14-18 [est] CO2 EMISSIONS: 128-220g/km PERFORMANCE: [135i 5dr] 0-60mph 5.3s / Max speed 155mph FUEL CONSUMPTION: [120d] (combined) 58.9mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front, side & head airbags, ABS, DSC WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Heightmm 4360/1748/1408

THE MEANING OF LIFESTYLE
Fitted with a revised 177bhp version of BMW’s excellent 2.0-litre diesel engine, the X3 looks a decent package. Andy Enright reports

Imagine sitting in a product planning meeting at BMW. Coming up with ways to improve cars like the 3 and 5 Series models would have to be a pretty tough brief. Dreaming up profitable cars in new market niches, on the other hand, surely has to be simplicity itself. First set a base price of, say, £15,000 so as not to cheapen the brand image. Then set out to find the most profitable market segment above this price in which the company is not represented. Build a product for that market with all the usual BMW inbuilt excellence and you have a car like the X3. To guarantee success, fit the car with the most popular engine in your entire line up. How can this sort of logic fail?

In a number of ways actually, many of them hinging on pricing. The BMW X3 has garnered a rather unwelcome reputation as being virtually as expensive as its bigger brother, the X5, although the 2.0d diesel version we examine here does a lot to demolish that perception. Priced at £29,310, this entry-level car ensures that an oil-burning X3 is now available for little more than a decently specified diesel-engined Land Rover Freelander or Nissan X-TRAIL - and in certain instances less. This is the variant that accounts for no fewer than 70% of all UK X3 sales and its recently been substantially improved. The ‘EfficientDynamics’ technology that BMW has been wheeling out across the rest of its line-up has been applied to this car’s 1,995cc turbo diesel engine with devastating effect. This unit now puts out 177bhp (up 27bhp over the previous model) and 350Nm of torque, up 20Nm. That means better performance of course. A zero to 62mph time of 8.9 seconds compares to 10.2 seconds previously, while top speed has increased from 123mph to 128mph. Yet fuel economy has also improved. The X3 2.0d now records an 11 per cent improvement in fuel consumption, attaining 43.5mpg on the combined cycle. The vehicle’s CO2 emissions also fall 10 per cent from 191g/km to 172g/km seeing it drop into Band E for Vehicle Excise Duty. To complete the picture of X3 2.0d revisions, the model is now offered with the option of BMW’s Steptronic automatic transmission. The six-speed gearbox is available on both SE and M Sport variants of the X3 2.0d for around £1,500 more. An auto-equipped BMW X3 2.0d still maintains 42.2mpg on the combined cycle and posts a 178g/km emissions figure.

"Around £30,000 for a compact 4x4 is a lot to pay. But in this X3, you are, now more than ever, getting a lot of car…"

The ads tell us that the bulk of X3 buyers are the sort of young, affluent twenty and thirty-somethings that you see in lifestyle magazines. They haul jetskis about, strap snowboards to their roof bars, have perfect teeth, glowing tans and no dandruff to speak of. In reality, this being England and not California, the X3 is more likely to be seen on the school run or clogging the car parks of IKEAs up and down the country. The 2.0d model is, like the rest of the X3 range, hugely colour sensitive and you’ll need to choose your options carefully if you’re not to make a costly error. This is less of a problem since the mid-term revisions introduced to the range in 2006. These saw a reduction in the size of the rather cheap looking black side panels that previously clung to the sides of this car, leaving them as mere running strips. If you can afford to go for the M Sport version (£31,060 in this form), they disappear completely. The colour-keyed front spoiler that now sits below a redesigned bumper assembly on both variants also improves the overall look no end. A bigger kidney grille reflects BMW’s pride in the latest X3 and front foglights are now incorporated into the main section of the bodywork. Move round to the back and there are LED tail lamps. The X3 feels every inch a BMW from behind the wheel. The front suspension has been set up to offer a livelier handling balance and the steering features a snappy ratio that makes jinking from lane to lane simplicity itself in spite of the elevated ride height. The relatively small turning circle of 11.7 metres helps when making three point turns in tight confines. Drive an X3 hard over swooping country roads and you’ll feel the benefits of these changes. Imagine it half way between an X5 and a 3 Series Touring and you shouldn’t be too far off the mark. Although most small 4x4s understeer determinedly when pushed hard into a corner, the X3 is, thanks to BMW’s xDrive system, made of sterner stuff. This system distributes drive to the axle which most needs it in a split second. Working in conjunction with ESP stability control and DSC traction control, xDrive calculates the car’s yaw rate, the steering angle and vehicle speed, this system keeps you on the straight and narrow. There’s even TSC (Trailer Stability Control) that monitors any pendulum effects caused by towing a wayward trailer and alerts the stability control system accordingly. Although few will ever take their X3 off road, BMW’s baby 4x4 superficially looks fairly adept; its fording depth, ground clearance and angles of ramp and departure being very little different to the surprisingly effective X5. Your ambition will be limited by the tyres, however, and BMW offer no option of gnarlier rubber. Hill Descent Control is fitted as standard but if you need such a system to get down such a gradient in the first instance, it’s highly debatable whether the X3’s road biased tyres would afford you the grip to make the return journey back up. Around £30,000 for a compact 4x4 is a lot to pay. But in this X3, you are, now more than ever, getting a lot of car. Anyway, on the right kind of lease or finance deal, that asking price can even look as attractive as this car now does with its bodywork modifications. With 177bhp on offer, there certainly doesn’t now seem much point in paying £4,000 more for the 218bhp 3.0d model. Which is about the only thing BMW dealers can justifiably complain about with a product of this quality to sell.

FACTS AT A GLANCE CAR: BMW X3 2.0d range PRICES: £29,310-£31,470 - on the road INSURANCE GROUP: 15 CO2 EMISSIONS: 172-178g/km PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 8.9s/ Max Speed 128mph FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 43.5mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front, side & window airbags, ABS, DSC, ESP WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: length/width/height 4569/1853/1674mm

AN OPEN & SHUT CASE?
At last, an attractive BMW 1 Series. This Convertible version has a fabric roof, so it looks good, and clever engineering so it adds up both on paper and on-tarmac. Jonathan Crouch reports

Say you like the idea of a BMW 3 Series but don’t like the styling and weight compromises brought about by the metal folding roof. Or a 1 Series Coupe would appeal – if only it looked less awkward. Then BMW’s 1 Series Convertible is your car. As long as you can afford the usual high BMW up-front prices, the rest of the story is pretty much all good news. Rear wheel drive means exemplary handling and BMW’s EfficientDynamics technology means cheap, green motoring.

It’s rather curious that it’s taken so long to see a convertible in the ‘premium compact hatch’ segment. You’ll more likely know it as the class that brings you small cars with prestigious badges – models like the Mercedes A-Class, the Volvo C30 and the BMW 1 Series. The danger for all these brands is that a drop-top version of any of these cars would be priced uncomfortably close to their existing larger cabrios. BMW, being BMW, have gone ahead and produced this 1 Series Convertible anyway, even though it indeed sits just a few thousand pounds below the price of a 3 Series Convertible. Perhaps one reason why is the desire to give buyers a choice between the 3 Series’ metal folding hard-top and the 1 Series’ lighter, prettier and less stylistically compromised fabric roof. All 1 Series Convertibles are reasonably rapid, even the entry-level 118i reaching sixty in 9.3s on the way to 130mph. The flagship 135i almost halves this acceleration figure and has to be restrained (why?) at 155mph. Being rear wheel drive, the 1 Series is always going to be the default driver’s choice in this segment, though we’re not huge fans of the electronic power steering fitted to all variants except the flagship 135i. It operates on an ‘on demand’ basis, reducing engine output normally needed to power the steering hydraulics. Buyers choose between either six-speed manual or automatic gearboxes. Steering wheel-mounted paddles enabling manual shifts of the auto ’box are standard on 135i cars and optional on 125i models. 135i customers get BMW’s electronic differential lock which electronically slows the spinning inside rear wheel to enhance vehicle traction when the car is accelerating hard out of corners or tight bends. In this situation, it electronically slows the spinning inside rear wheel to enhance vehicle traction and ensure that all available power is transferred to the road.

"No other convertible in the £15,000-£30,000 price bracket will be anything like as good to drive as this one…"

Should you be careless enough to be about to roll your car roof-down, a sensor will register the imminent danger and, alongside the relevant airbag deployment, two roll-over bars will extend from behind the rear seats in a fraction of a second to protect the safety cell. The 1 Series Coupe was obviously designed with a Convertible model in mind. Both cars share a virtually identical silhouette, with long bonnets, short overhangs and set-back glassy ‘greenhouse’ proportions. The distinctive, horizontal shoulder line runs from the front of the bonnet, through the long, frameless doors, and onto the end of the boot lid.  From the rear, the boot lid finishes in a discrete lip spoiler that houses the integrated third brake light and typical L-shaped rear light clusters use LED-powered light conductors. This drop-top model features a fabric roof that opens or closes in 22 seconds, and at speeds of up to 25mph. The roof material is available in classic black, beige or, as a world first, an innovative anthracite silver fleck which is a fabric material interwoven with fine shiny metallic fibres. Inside, BMW reckons that there’s space for four occupants, though the cabin isn’t as large as that of, say, convertible Audi A4s or a Saab 9-3s. Still, there’s a respectable 305 litres of boot space with the roof up (260 litres with the roof down). A nice touch is a ‘convertible’ setting for the air conditioning when the roof is down. Though based on the 1 Series Coupe, the Convertible offers a wider range of engines. The two models share 177bhp 120d diesel and 306bhp 135i units, a selection to which the Convertible also adds three more petrol derivatives: a 143bhp 118i entry-level variant, a 170bhp mid-range 120i version and a 218bhp 125i model for those who can’t quite stretch to a 135i. Sadly, it does without arguably the best of BMW’s 1 Series engines, the twin-turbocharged 204bhp 123d diesel, only currently offered in the Coupe. In common with Coupé models, purchasers of 135i Convertibles receive the M Sport aerodynamic package as standard. This includes a redesigned, sporting front valance with large air intakes assisting engine breathing and brake cooling.  Re-profiled sill panels and a rear diffuser integrated into the rear bumper aim to add to the car’s sportiness. The 135i Convertible also features 17-inch light alloy wheels and six-pot brake callipers on the brakes (two-pot on the rear). A popular option will be leather upholstery with BMW’s clever ‘SunReflective Leather Technology’ to prevent the seats from over-heating in hot weather. This uses ‘cool pigments’ during production to reflect infrared rays of sunlight. The result is a reduction in the surface temperature of the seat surfaces by up to 20 degrees Celsius when compared to conventional leather upholstery. As with all of the premium brands, you have to offset high initial asking prices with low depreciation. Since most cars of this type are bought on leases, this process will be done for you. All 1 Series Convertible models benefit from BMW’s EfficientDynamics programme that makes them easily greener and more fuel efficient than their rivals. This effectively works through a combination of clever ideas. Brake Energy Regeneration, for example, which uses intelligent Alternator Control and an Absorbent Glass Matt battery to harness engine power that would normally have been lost during engine over-run or braking. Plus there’s an Auto Start-Stop system that cuts the engine in urban traffic when the gear is deselected and the clutch pedal raised. The result of all this is that this BMW will cost you significantly less to run than, say, an Audi A4 or Saab 9-3 drop-top and not much more than a cabrio based on a cheaper, more mainstream family hatchback – say a Volkswagen Eos or a Ford Focus CC. The only issue for buyers will be whether the 1 Series’ interior is large enough. A a comparison, an Eos’ boot holds 75 litres more than the BMW’s with the roof up (though curiously 55 litres less with the roof down). BMW’s biggest problem with the 1 Series Convertible will be the impact it will make on 3 Series Convertible sales. For us, the ‘One’ looks to be the better buy, being cheaper to buy and run, better looking and more agile. True, it’s slightly smaller – but not much. The competition from rival models made by other brands with larger cabins and boots is tougher but the BMW still looks appealing, this drop-top the only 1 Series derivative you could actually call pretty. No other convertible in the £15,000-£30,000 price bracket will be anything like as good to drive as this one – or as cheap to run. If you can stomach the upfront investment, this car is a choice that ticks most of the other boxes. And, importantly for a convertible, it makes you feel good about doing it.

FACTS AT A GLANCE CAR: BMW 1 Series Convertible range PRICES: £23,000-£32,000 [est] - on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 15-18 [est] CO2 EMISSIONS: 120-200g/km [est] PERFORMANCE: [135i] 0-60mph 5.6s / Max Speed 135mph FUEL CONSUMPTION: [125i] (combined) 34.9mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front, side & head airbags, ABS, DSC WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Heightmm 4360/1748/1411

BLACK MAGIC
Gas-guzzling 4x4s are becoming increasingly difficult to justify but BMW’s X5 3.0sd shows that a luxury off-roader doesn’t have to mean big bills and bad karma. Steve Walker reports.

We already knew BMW’s 3.0-litre twin-turbo diesel was one of the finest engines out there and in the X5, its position in the oil-burning firmament is confirmed. 0-60mph takes 7s, there’s a 146mph top speed and you still get 34mpg economy with lower emissions than a 2.2-litre Alfa Romeo 159. Combined with the X5’s class-leading on-road dynamics, spacious interior and strong build quality, it makes a formidable 4x4.

Are big 4x4 vehicles getting a raw deal in the current political climate? Diving one certainly seems to be a sure-fire method of driving a wedge between yourself and other road users but are the frowns from pedestrians and looks of thinly-veiled contempt from cyclists and citycar drivers justified? BMW have a vehicle that presents a convincing case to the contrary, largely thanks to its use of one of the world’s best engines. Could you learn to love an X5 3.0sd? This isn’t an exercise in defending big 4x4s. There’s no doubt that these vehicles are bristling with redundant capability when they’re driven exclusively on tarmac, as the majority of them tend to be. It’s capability which weighs a lot and takes up a lot of valuable road space so there’s definitely a question mark there in terms of efficiency. What we can also say is that large 4x4 vehicles offer definite practical advantages to their owners, and that people who write off all 4x4 vehicles as gas-guzzlers should examine the facts. Even luxury 4x4s like BMW’s X5 can be rendered relatively benign environmentally by a modern diesel engine. An X5 3.0sd produces less CO2 than models like the Ford Mondeo 2.5T, the Nissan 350Z and the Alfa Romeo 2.2 JTS. You could safely drive your kids to school in any of those without being made to feel like an outcast by the world at large. The 3.0sd engine is quite a piece of work, even by BMW’s high standards. Also found in the misleadingly titled 535d and 335d, it’s a 3.0-litre diesel engine that achieves its 286bhp power output with the aid of two turbochargers. The set-up avoids the ‘lag and lunge’ characteristics of some powerful diesel engines by employing a small turbo that spools up quickly to fire the X5 off the line and a larger one to deliver mid to top-end grunt. The result is a smooth flow of torque with the sizable peak output of 580Nm available from just 1,750rpm. The associated performance figures are eye-opening for a vehicle tipping the scales at 2,185kg. Seven seconds are all that’s required for the X5 to hit 60mph from a standing start and the top speed is 146mph.

"The 3.0sd has to be the pick of the current X5 range…."

BMW built the X5 to be the best handling luxury 4x4 on the road and it’s still there or thereabouts with only the Porsche Cayenne offering a serious challenge. What the X5 isn’t is a capable off-road vehicle. It lacks the hardcore features, like a low-range gearbox and locking differentials, that genuine mud-pluggers rely on but BMW’s decision to concentrate on tarmac performance has paid dividends during the kind of driving that most of its customers do. Tight body-control and accurate, well-weighted steering make the X5 feel almost saloon like in its responses. The vehicle’s size is quickly forgotten as it flows through combinations of bends unruffled and eats-up the miles with its finely-judged suspension. The DSC+ traction control system has been designed to give optimum purchase in slippery conditions and will allow a smidgeon of wheel spin to get you moving on snow or ice. It also includes a Hill-start assist function to prevent you rolling backwards when setting off up hill along with brake pre-tensioning, brake fade compensation and brake drying for optimum stopping performance. The X5 resists some of the styling excesses that are on show elsewhere in the BMW line-up, going for a low key handsome look. The control interfaces inside are initially daunting with the joystick gear lever and the infamous iDrive knob on the centre console. These aren’t features that will endear the X5 to potential buyers on a typical 30 minute test drive but you will get used to the iDrive or else learn to leave it alone. The benefit of having the more complex controls hidden within a labyrinthine computer menu system like the iDrive is the elegant lines of the relatively button-free fascia. It all looks superb and it doesn’t feel bad either with quality materials used even where they could have gotten away with cutting some costs. The X5 never feels less than excellently assembled, its hushed cursing manner and the way the moving parts move only hinting at the depth of engineering at work. Let’s have a look at the pertinent facts. This X5 is only 19cm longer than the old model but manages to incorporate up to three rows of seats. Even with all three rows occupied, there’s still 200 litres of boot space. In a more conventional five-seat configuration, the X5’s boot measures 620-litres, up 155 litres on its predecessor. There’s also an additional 90-litre storage compartment under the floor if you’re not interested in having seven seat capacity and BMW reckons that only around 10 to 15 per cent of buyers will opt for the extra seats. This X5 is also 6cm wider than its forebear but, in another case of the engineers pulling a rabbit out of their hat, weighs no more in base specification. The 3.0sd engine is the top choice in an X5 diesel range that accounts for 90% of total X5 sales in the UK. It commands a £42,630 price tag in standard SE form and the M-Sport package comes at a premium of over £5,000. It’s a price that many customers will be willing to pay for a selection of sporty add-ons that includes 19" alloy wheels, the M bodykit, sports suspension and upgraded interior trim featuring leather sports seating. It’s possible to save over £2,000 by going for the 3.0d engine that makes do with one turbocharger but the 3.0sd is far superior and well worth the premium if you can scrabble it together. Compared to the lesser 3.0d X5, the 3.0sd model gets larger brake discs to help it cope with the extra performance. Safety equipment is reasonably generous with DSC+ fitted as standard and a full complement of airbags. It has been noted by some observers, however, that the curtain airbags do not extent to protect passengers in the optional third row of seating, an oversight that BMW really should rectify. With combined cycle fuel consumption of 34.4mpg and 216g/km CO2 emissions, this BMW X5 is hardly the crime against the planet that some would portray it as. It’s even possible to justify forking out extra for the superior performance of this 3.0sd model on the grounds that it barely uses any more fuel than the 3.0d, which achieves 34.9mpg. The 85-litre tank gives the X5 3.0sd a theoretical range close to 650 miles. Predictably, the BMW X5 holds onto its value with some tenacity and the 3.0sd promises to be a popular choice on the used market so there’s little to worry about on that score. Insurance is group 17 which is the same as the 3.0d, giving you another reason to upgrade. BMW’s six-cylinder twin-turbo diesel engine is quite a powerplant. Mated to the X5 luxury 4x4, it achieves urgent performance and fuel economy to dispel the gas-guzzler myth that certain groups seek to blanket the entire 4x4 sector with. The X5 doesn’t have the off-road pedigree of its key rivals but they can’t match the BMW on the tarmac. When you look at how luxury 4x4 owners actually use their vehicles, it’s hard to argue with BMW’s road-biased approach. The 3.0sd has to be the pick of the current X5 range. In a money-no-object decision, you might just about plump for the V8 petrol unit but in the real world, the associated running costs and environmental guilt would prove too much of a burden for most to bear. Great performance, fuel economy that’s only fractionally inferior to the 3.0d and the knowledge that you’re in the company of one of the world’s finest engines make give the X5 3.0sd tough to resist. What’s more, you’re also getting a spacious, practical and beautifully built family car. Who said the days of the 4x4 were numbered?

FACTS AT A GLANCE CAR: BMW X5 3.0sd PRICE: £42,630-£47,675 on the road INSURANCE GROUP: 17 CO2 EMISSIONS: 216g/km PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 7.0s / Max Speed 146mph FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 34.4mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front, side & window airbags, ABS, DSC+, run flat tyres WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: (length/width/) 4857/2250mm

TORQUE TO HAND
The BMW X3 didn’t get off to the brightest start but if any vehicle deserves a second chance it’s this one. Andy Enright takes a look at the 3.0sd diesel model

If you’ve got the money, BMW has built what is, as far as I can see, as close to the one-size-fits-all vehicle as it’s possible to get. Imagine something fast, which handles well, which can get itself out of a sticky spot, which is big on the inside but not unwieldy to park, which is well built, good looking and which will hold onto its value tenaciously. Despite doing this, the vehicle in question won’t even make it to many people’s shortlists. The BMW X3 3.0sd is playing to a very tough crowd.

If BMW was guilty of anything when launching the original X3, it was perhaps of being a little opaque in their product planning. The backstory is that they were planning to move the X5 significantly upmarket and needed to pull the X3 upmarket too in order to fill the void. While the all-new X5 was still being finalised, the X3 suddenly looked poor value for money, despite being bigger on the inside than its big brother. Most didn’t appreciate these subtleties and simply saw the X3 as a more plasticky model that was priced too closely to the more prestigious X5. BMW was in a no-win situation. Believe it or not, the Z3 Roadster is the reason why. When they introduced the Z3, the first cars imported were the entry-level 1.9-litre models after which the Z3 garnered an undeserved reputation as a hairdresser’s car. Anxious to avoid this tag with the X3, BMW brought in powerful 2.5 and 3.0-litre models first, only for the press to moan that it was too expensive and priced too closely to the X5. They won’t be moaning when they get their paws on the X3 3.0sd. Here’s why. For start, the X3 3.0sd is packing one of the finest engines in series production. The 286bhp 3.0-litre twin turbo diesel engine gives this unassuming looking compact 4x4 some gargantuan clout. Borrowed from the 535d, this engine will slingshot the car to 60mph in just 6.3 seconds and on to a top speed of 149mph. With a combined economy figure of 36.2mpg thanks to BMW’s EfficientDynamics technology, it’s not as if you’ll pay the penalty at the pumps either. A clue as to the potency of this engine comes when the torque figure is revealed. Packing 580Nm of torque, the X3 3.0sd has muscles the size of a Porsche 911 Turbo. Grip off the line is excellent, the all-wheel drive system shuttling torque to whichever set of wheels can most easily handle it. Run-flat tyres ensure that you won’t be left stranded by the roadside in the event of a puncture and also mean that you don’t need to waste space and energy carrying a spare. Forget about all the hype about run-flats and poor ride quality. BMW has finally got the hang of tuning the suspension to handle the sidewall stiffness of the tyres.

"The X3 3.0sd kicks like a mule when you prod the accelerator"

So we have a car that’s quick enough to make a Porsche Cayman sing for its supper but which is more economical than a Honda Accord 2.4 and offers passenger space that isn’t far off Range Rover proportions. Still in the anti brigade? Along with the crackerjack engine, BMW has also tweaked the X3’s styling, giving it a more upmarket look. The old X3 looked fine when specified in M-Sport trim with the body coloured side panelling but rather cheap with black parts, especially if the body was trimmed in a pale colour. The latest car reduces the size of the black side panels to mere running strips and a colour-keyed front spoiler sits below a redesigned bumper assembly. A bigger kidney grille reflects BMW’s pride in the latest X3 and front foglights are now incorporated into the main section of the bodywork. Move round to the back and there are rod LED tail lamps. The X3 3.0sd also gets 18-inch alloy wheels and twin exhausts that poke out beneath a ground hugging rear valance. Don’t be tempted to go off-roading. The interior, the source of much of the X3’s reputation for being built down to a price, has also been treated to a nip and tuck. The materials used on the centre console have been uprated and there’s a better looking three-spoke steering wheel on offer. The 3.0sd gets stainless steel foot pedals, underlining its sporty credentials. Now that much of the technology that was introduced on the 5 Series has matured, BMW has been able to take a look at what’s worth sticking with, what features will die a quiet death and, at the same time, has also introduced a few new ideas on the X3. The Dynamic Stability Control + system (DSC+) is fitted to an X model for the first time, giving X3 drivers immense confidence as they explore the outer reaches of the car’s handling envelope and acting as a reassuring safety net in the event of an evasive or emergency manoeuvre. The braking system has been given the most attention and the X3 comes with a series of braking functions that are beyond the ken of many cars costing three times as much. Brake Drying scrubs away the film of water on the brake discs that can reduce stopping power, while Brake Pretensioning shortens stopping distances during an emergency stop by priming the brakes to remove any slop in the system should the driver come sharply off the throttle pedal. Hill Start Assistant holds the brakes on a manual car until the driver can accelerate away while Brake Fade Compensation ramps up calliper pressure if the system detects that heat build up is causing brake fade. Switchable Dynamic Traction Control is also another first for an X model. This sort of capability doesn’t come cheap. You probably guessed at that already. The base price of this car, only available in ritzy M-Sport guise, is a hefty £37,150 but that’s over £2,000 less than the equivalent 5 Series. Ask yourself what the 5 Series offers in terms of capability over the X3 and then reverse the question and suddenly the X3 3.0sd looks like money well spent.

FACTS AT A GLANCE CAR: BMW X3 3.0sd PRICE: £37,150-£38,910 - on the road INSURANCE GROUP: 18 CO2 EMISSIONS: 208g/km PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 6.3s/ Max Speed 149mph FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 36.2mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front, side & window airbags, ABS, DSC+, ESP, DTC WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: (length) 4565mm (width) 1,853mm (height) 1,674mm

COUNTER ATTACK
A decade ago we’d have sniggered at a diesel powered sports car but BMW’s 123d Coupe is no laughing matter, especially for its rivals. Steve Walker reports.

The debate will rage on concerning the exact location of the 1-Series Coupe’s place in the automotive firmament. BMW tells us it’s a coupe and its performance would appear to back that up but it still looks for all the world like a saloon car that’s come up a couple of doors short. In the end, it may not matter. As long as the 1 Series Coupe can condense the best bits of BMW into its stumpy frame, customers will come running. The 123d certainly gets off to a flying start with one of the best oil-burning engines in the business.

The BMW model range is looking increasingly congested these days but if other car manufacturers had engines like BMW’s, they’d be rushing to cram them into as many market sectors as possible as well. Precisely which market sector the 1 Series Coupe operates in is open to debate but with rear-wheel-drive, EfficentDynamics and a 201bhp twin-turbo diesel engine, the 123d should be enough to give its rivals a bad case of the jitters - wherever they are. Getting over 200bhp from a 1,995cc four-cylinder diesel engine is no mean feat. To achieve it, BMW engineers employed third-generation common-rail fuel injection technology then bolted on a pair of turbochargers, just to be on the safe site. The twin blowers work as a team. A smaller one gets to work quickly providing extra urge from low revs before seamlessly handling over to its bigger brother which delivers the shove at the top of the rev range. Peak power is available at 4,400rpm but the 400Nm maximum torque arrives at 2,000rpm and never fades below 270Nm until you hit the red line. The diesel can’t replicate the thrill of BMW’s high-revving petrol engines but it’s remarkably smooth for a diesel, and brutally quick. The 0-60mph sprint is done and dusted in seven seconds but it’s the muscle the 123d exerts in each gear that really gets you grinning.

"BMW’s 1-Series Coupe could never be accused of being formulaic"!

With brute force like that coupled with outstanding refinement, the 123d undoubtedly has one of the finest diesel engines on the market and its chassis isn’t too shabby either. The ride is actually smoother and suppler than people used to BMW products might expect. The firmness is still there in the springs and dampers but the 123d copes with B-roads without drama and is a silky performer over longer motorway trips. The seat offers outstanding support and adjustability and although the thick rim of steering wheel might not be to everyone’s taste, the electric assistance is beautifully weighted. Perhaps the 123d lacks the cut-throat sharpness of BMW’s most focused sports models but for most people, most of the time, it strikes a great balance. When details of the 1-Series Coupe first emerged, BMW enthusiasts were soon salivating at the prospect of a compact, lightweight BMW sportscar that would reprise the glories of the marque’s sporting models from the 60s and early 70s. The reality is somewhat different. The 123d actually weighs in at 1,495kg, exactly the same as the 320d Coupe. It’s 22cm shorter than that car and 3.4cm narrower too but its roof is nearly 3cm taller. This goes a long way to explaining why the sleek shape of the 3-Series based model isn’t carried over to the stubby One. The 1-Series Coupe is certainly an interesting car to look at but it’s probably also going to be one that divides opinion. The arcing sill line and the perky boot spoiler will prove controversial but the front is suitably aggressive, especially with the M Sport body kit. Beneath the boot lid, the available space is measured at 370 litres, that’s 20 litres up on the 1-Series hatch and there’s a 60:40 split rear seat to add a little of the liftback’s practicality. The interior will hold few surprises for existing BMW owners. The high quality materials and solid construction always impress and it’s this general classiness that makes it all feel special rather than any stand-out detailing. The major controls for the entertainment and ventilation system are confined to a panel ahead of the gear lever and the rest of the stuff you need is clustered on or around the steering wheel where it’s simple to access while you’re driving. To own a 123d, you’re going to need at least £24,855 for the SE specification model and the M Sport starts at £26,290. This kind of capability was never going to come cheap but whether you see a 123d as good value or not depends largely on your standpoint. It’s certainly expensive compared to the top performance hatchbacks but less so if you see it as a rival to sports coupes like Audi’s TT and Nissan’s 350z. It’s the M Sport package that really makes the difference to the car’s appearance, and the way it drives. Buyers at this top level receive sports suspension, sports seats, an M Sport steering wheel and the M Aerodynamic package on their car. In addition there’s anthracite headlining and M branding on the door sills. The 123d’s basic SE specification gets you DSC Dynamic Stability Control, CBC Cornering Brake Control, rear parking sensors, air-conditioning and a multi-function steering wheel. EfficientDynamics is a collection of measures devised by BMW that when implemented together, have a startling effect of fuel economy and emissions without harming performance. The 123d utilises different aspects of the EfficientDynamics programme including Auto Start-Stop, Brake Energy Regeneration and an optimum gear change indicator but the technology is best judged on its results. The 123d is capable of 54.3mpg on the combined cycle and 138g/km CO2 emissions. This excellent showing gives the 123d extra appeal as a fast car with a conscience that isn’t going to prove cripplingly expensive to run. Insurance groups for the 123d Coupe will reflect its performance but these costs are tempered somewhat by the strong residual values that we can safely expect the car to retain on the used market. Sports coupe or compact two-door saloon, BMW’s 1-Series Coupe could never be accused of being formulaic. The styling will baffle as many people as it beguiles but there are no arguments where the 2.0-litre twin-turbo diesel engine in the 123d is concerned. It’s yet another remarkable piece of work by BMW’s boffins, offering refinement, performance and economy at levels that will take some getting used to. At least owners can have some serious fun during the acclimatisation process. BMW enthusiasts will feel a pang of disappointment when they realise the 1-Series Coupe isn’t a hardcore performance model that they can relive the lightweight lunacy of the 2002 tii in. That should pass, however, especially when they appreciate the merits of this thoroughly modern coupe. The 123d might lack some sharpness for that ten per cent of the time when you’re barrelling along a snaking B-road and yes, it does look odd from some angles but its surging torque, excellent economy and well-judged chassis make it a formidable solution to the problems of motoring today. As an all round ownership proposition, it stands out.

FACTS AT A GLANCE CAR: BMW 123d Coupe PRICE: £24,855-£26,290 - on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 16 [est] CO2 EMISSIONS: 138g/km PERFORMANCE: 0-62mph 7s / Max speed 148mph FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 54.3mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front, side & head airbags, ABS, DSC WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Heightmm 4360/1748/1408

QUICK SMART
BMW wheels out the heavy metal with the X3 3.0si. Andy Enright reports

There’s something enormously gratifying about disproportionate retaliation. Tell me you didn’t get a little juiced when Zinedine Zidane floored Marco Materazzi after an innocuous insult or when Robin Cook gave Tony Blair both barrels upon his ministerial resignation. Research has shown that our brains are actually hard wired for it.

Scientists have shown that what begins as a game of soft touches between two people quickly becomes a game of moderate pokes and then hard prods, even though both participants do their level best to respond in kind. Each would be convinced that he was responding with equal force and that for some reason, the other participant was escalating the force being used. Neither realised that the escalation was the natural by-product of a neurological quirk that causes the pain we receive to seem more painful than the pain we produce, so we tend to dish out more pain than we have received. Just lately BMW has been bringing the pain to its rivals in the shape of ever more powerful X3 models and the 3.0-litre si model is one of the big guns. The X3 didn’t have the easiest start in life. Derided as being built down to a price and offering poor value compared to the X5 it was designed to slot in beneath, it even attracted brickbats for the way it drove – inconceivable for a modern BMW product, you’d think. BMW listened to its critics and revised the X3, the USP this time round being massive power with no petrol model exemplifying this better than the 272bhp 3.0si, a thermonuclear response to rival slings and arrows. This engine is based on the world’s lightest production six-cylinder engine and is constructed largely of aluminium and magnesium alloy to keep weight down. The results are suitably apocalyptic, the X3’s all wheel drive system blasting it off the line to 60mph in a mere 7.2 seconds with the shove continuing until 142mph is showing on the clock. What’s so overwhelming about this model is that it lifts the X3 into a sector whereby it now has no real rivals. Ask yourself what’s the next quickest compact 4x4 and you’ll have to scratch your head and move a long way downmarket. Fuel consumption isn’t a standout point in a car which encourages foot to the floor progress like this X3, but driven in a more measured fashion, you’ll average 29.1mpg. A peak torque figure of 315Nm gives some clue as to how much urge is at your disposal. The X3 feels pleasantly nuggety to drive, all of a piece if you like. It drives like it looks, compact and car-like rather than a lumbering 4x4. Yes, it is reasonably useless off road but that’s hardly the point. The X3 appeals to a discrete niche and now it does so very well indeed. BMW has succeeded in turning the problem child of its family into something very special indeed.

"Unilateral power has a lot to answer for"

Along with the featherweight engine, BMW has also tweaked the X3’s styling, giving it a more upmarket look. The old X3 looked fine when specified in M-Sport trim with the body coloured side panelling but rather cheap with black parts, especially if the body was trimmed in a pale colour. As well as SE trim, the 3.0si is also offered in M-Sport guise and features a colour-keyed front spoiler that sits below a redesigned bumper assembly. A bigger kidney grille reflects BMW’s pride in the latest X3 and front fog lights are now incorporated into the main section of the bodywork. Move round to the back and there are LED tail lamps. 18-inch alloy wheels and twin exhausts that poke out beneath a ground hugging rear valance are standard with the option of 19-inch rims. The interior, the source of much of the X3’s reputation for being built down to a price, has also been treated to a nip and tuck. The materials used on the centre console have been uprated and there’s a better-looking three-spoke steering wheel. The anthracite head lining and cool technical finishes of the M-Sport model also lift the cabin, giving the car a properly premium feel. Now that much of the technology that was introduced on the 5 Series has matured, BMW has been able to take a look at what’s worth sticking with, what features will die a quiet death and, at the same time, has also introduced a few new ideas on the X3. The Dynamic Stability Control + system (DCS+) is fitted to an X model for the first time, giving X3 drivers immense confidence as they explore the outer reaches of the car’s handling envelope and acting as a reassuring safety net in the event of an evasive or emergency manoeuvre. The braking system has been given the most attention and the X3 comes with a series of braking functions that are beyond the ken of many cars costing three times as much. Brake Drying scrubs away the film of water on the brake discs that can reduce stopping power, while Brake Pretensioning shortens stopping distances during an emergency stop by priming the brakes to remove any slop in the system should the driver come sharply off the throttle pedal. Hill Start Assistant holds the brakes on a manual car until the driver can accelerate away while Brake Fade Compensation ramps up calliper pressure if the system detects that heat build up is causing brake fade. Switchable Dynamic Traction Control is also another first for an X model. Let’s be clear about this. BMW has repositioned the X3, lifting it out of the compact 4x4 mainstream and has equipped it with jet heels. It’s different because it’s so much faster and more capable - on road at least - than any conceivable rival. It needed to be though. Land Rover is looking to redefine this sector with the Freelander II and, as you’re probably aware, Land Rover and BMW have a little history. Points are there to be proven and as capable as the Freelander is, it just doesn’t have an engine available to it that will match this X3 3.0si. The BMW X3 3.0si is a very focused vehicle. If you want the elevated seating position and aspirational image of a smart 4x4 but want the power and poise of a decent sports saloon, there is very little to touch it. It initially appears quite eye wateringly expensive with prices opening at £34,745 and an optioned up M Sport nudging £37,000 but when you’re operating in a field of one, charging what the market will bear is only fair. The market will respond appropriately.

FACTS AT A GLANCE CAR: BMW X3 3.0si PRICES: £34,745-£36,830 - on the road INSURANCE GROUP: 18 CO2 EMISSIONS: 233g/km PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 7.2s/ Max Speed 142mph FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 29.1mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front, side & window airbags, ABS, DSC+, ESP, DTC WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: (length) 4565mm (width) 1,853mm (height) 1,674mm

SMART MONEY
Is The 318d The Thinking Person’s BMW 3 Series? Andy Enright Reports

If the BMW 318d were a pop star, it’d be Jim from The Corrs; the one you don’t tend to look at in an otherwise glamorous line up. The M3 and the more powerful diesel models may make car journalists hearts go pitter-patter and attract the flowery prose but the plain Jane 318d might just be the smartest buy in the whole 3 Series line up.

Costing from £23,760 and priced around £1,100 less, model for model, than the larger-engined 320d, the smaller of the two four-cylinder diesel engines is still capable of putting on quite a show. Although there’s very little in it when it comes to fuel economy or emissions, the 318d scores a decisive advantage over the 320d when it comes to insurance costs, being rated a couple of groups lower at Group 12. There’s not too much in it as regards fuel economy, both cars managing around 60mpg, while the spec sheet says that the 318d will emit just 123 grammes of carbon dioxide per kilometre, putting it on par with some tiny superminis. The bad news is that it won’t save company car buyers much more than the 320d. The 318d’s outstanding economy and emissions figures come courtesy of BMW’s EfficientDynamics technology. While other manufacturers were messing about with hybrids and biofuels in their attempts to go green, BMW developed a programme that enhances a vehicle’s efficiency through a series of small measures that have a big combined effect. Features including Auto Start-Stop, Brake Energy Regeneration, high precision direct injection, active aero dynamics and optimum gear shift indicators go into EfficentDynamics and the results put BMW products near the top of the tree when it comes to environmental considerations.

"The 318d offers a relatively cost effective first step on the diesel 3 Series ladder"

So why should you pocket the grand over the 320d and suffer lower performance and a less elevated image? It’s a valid question. The issue is thrown into a different light when you consider that these two cars have much the same engine, with a few electronic tweaks on the ECU being the most effective difference between their respective power outputs. Some customers may be tempted to opt for the 318d and pay £350 at an aftermarket tuner like Superchips to have their motor boosted to generate more power than the 320d. You’d need to have a close look at your warranty small print, not to mention the effect it would have on your insurance premium but it’s certainly a way of circumventing this rather contrived model differentiation on BMW’s part. In case you’re wondering, the software jiggery pokery limits the junior model to 143bhp and credits the 320d with the full 177bhp monty. The upshot of this is that the 318d will feel a little sluggish if you drive it back to back with the 320d, but otherwise it’s an agreeably swift compact executive model, notching off the dash to 60mph in 9.3 seconds and running on to a top speed of 130mph. The excellent six-speed automatic gearbox offered as an option on the 320d sadly isn’t available to 318d buyers. If you are dead set on this automatic, this could be the real deal breaker but otherwise although the heart may say 320d, the head more often than not opts for the 318d. The six-speed manual gearbox fitted to this Three is one of the best in the business, slick, oily, positive and wristy. Coupled with excellent pedal positioning, you’ll be changing gear just for the fun of it. One of the eternal trademarks of the 3 Series is rear wheel drive and although the 318d doesn’t possess tyre-scorching power to capitalise fully, I’ve still noticed the benefits. Deploying the full quota of 300Nm of torque as you accelerate out of a side turning would, in a front-wheel drive car, generate copious torque steer, that raggedy tugging of the steering wheel as the front tyres struggle to put down the power. Even at higher speeds, front-wheel drive cars with a hefty slug of torque can veer rather dramatically when they come ‘on-cam’. There’s none of this corrupting influence with the 318d. About the most extreme thing that ever happens is that in damp conditions the ESP light will give a little blink as it winds the power back slightly. Most of the time it just grips and goes with no drama, no writhing steering wheel or tramping axle. It’s a masterclass in chassis engineering. The E90 generation Three has been with us a while now and buyers are starting to get used to it. Developing an all-new 3-Series was never going to be easy and the latest car shows that the money men and the stylists have gone head to head in the battle between shifting big numbers and continuing the trend for challengingly styled BMWs. It looks like the stylists have blinked first, the 3-Series looking a good deal more conservatively penned than the rest of the BMW line up. Although those wearing the black polo necks may grumble, it’s a wise choice. With the 3-Series accounting for fully 52 per cent of BMW’s UK sales, alienating this bedrock of customers with a wilfully odd looking car was never going to make a sound business case. Although sales of the latest 5-Series have swelled as people became used to its sharky lines, for the first few months that styling was manna from heaven for Mercedes and Audi. Many of the contemporary BMW styling signatures are present, although they have been toned down radically. The sill line is bowed, although nowhere near as radically as in, say, a 1-series. Compare how the rear bootlid is a chamfered and smoothed version of that worn by the 5-Series. Even the flanks betray a less aggressive concave contouring, while the rest of the traditional BMW cues such as the ‘Hofmeister Kink’ at the rear window and the kidney grille are present and correct. Although it’s not what you’d call a striking piece of design, it is nevertheless mature, assured and classy. The 3-Series also has to redefine its place in BMW’s range. For the first time in 29 years, it’s no longer the entry level BMW model, and the range must be planned so that 1-Series buyers can easily migrate to a Three on the way to bigger BMWs. At least that’s what the suits in Munich are hoping. The 318d is a key part of this stepping stone philosophy.

FACTS AT A GLANCE CAR: BMW 318d saloon range PRICES: £23,760-£27,080 - on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 12-13 CO2 EMISSIONS: 123g/km PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 129mph / 0-60mph 10.6s FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 50.4mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front airbags, twin front side airbags, twin ITS side window airbags / ABS /DSC / runflat tyres WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height 4520/1817/1424mm

THREE TO THE FORE
Toning down the radical styling for their volume seller looks to have been a wise move for BMW. Andy Enright takes a look at the latest 3 Series saloon line up….

BMW is evolving. Whereas once there were premium sector cars and mainstream models, the Bavarian company has, through the enormous success of the 3-Series model, blurred these boundaries. While still able to charge premium prices for the Three, BMW have at the same time outsold cars like the Ford Mondeo and the Vauxhall Vectra in the UK. It’s a fine balancing act and one that BMW hope to carry off even more successfully with the latest generation 3-Series.

By all accepted theories of economics, what BMW are doing shouldn’t be possible. Preserving the brand equity and guaranteeing firm residual values ought to prove impossible with the sheer numbers of 3-Series flying off dealer forecourts and although resale values of the old E46 model 3-Series aren’t as strong as they once were, this has as much to do with the car being replaced by the E90 generation model as anything else. There’s always a certain level of hyperbole surrounding new car launches but the 3-Series warrants the superlatives. BMW executives describe the 3-Series as "the defining car of its generation and market sector" and it’s impossible to argue otherwise. As much as Mercedes and Audi would like to disagree, the 3-Series is the benchmark car in the compact executive sector. Always has been and likely always will be.

"The BMW 3-Series is the benchmark car in the compact executive sector. Always has been and likely always will be…."

Developing an all-new 3-Series was never going to be easy and the latest car, priced from just over £21,035 in the Saloon bodystyle we look at here, shows that the money men and the stylists have gone head to head in the battle between shifting big numbers and continuing the trend for challengingly styled BMWs. It looks like the stylists have blinked first, the 3-Series looking a good deal more conservatively penned than the rest of the BMW line up. Although those wearing the black polo necks may grumble, it’s a wise choice. With the 3-Series accounting for fully 52 per cent of BMW’s UK sales, alienating this bedrock of customers with a wilfully odd looking car was never going to make a sound business case. Although sales of the latest 5-Series have swelled as people became used to its sharky lines, for the first few months that styling was manna from heaven for Mercedes and Audi. Many of the contemporary BMW styling signatures are present although they have been toned down radically. The sill line is bowed, although nowhere near as radically as in, say, a 1-series. Compare how the rear bootlid is a chamfered and smoothed version of that worn by the 5-Series. Even the flanks betray a less aggressive concave contouring, while the rest of the traditional BMW cues such as the ‘Hofmeister Kink’ at the rear window and the kidney grille are present and correct. Although it’s not what you’d call a striking piece of design, it is nevertheless mature, assured and classy. BMW’s EfficientDynamics technology is now present across the 3-Series range. While other manufacturers were messing about with hybrids and biofuels in their attempts to go green, BMW developed a programme that enhances a vehicle’s efficiency through a series of small measures that have a big combined effect. Features including Auto Start-Stop, Brake Energy Regeneration, high precision direct injection, active aero dynamics and optimum gear shift indicators go into EfficentDynamics and the results put BMW products near the top of the tree when it comes to environmental considerations. Ten main engines are available. The entry-level units are the 318s, with the petrol-powered ‘i’ propping up the diesel-driven ‘d’. The 318i has the same 143bhp engine as the 118i and is capable of 0-60mph in 9.1s. Fuel economy of 47.9mpg is not to be scoffed at but even this looks a little thirsty next to the 318d’s incredible 60.1mpg. The 318d is slightly slower with a 9.3s 0-60mph time. The 320i is an engine based on the architecture of the 318i motor. This engine jumps to a round 170bhp. Capable of covering the sprint to 60mph in 8.2 seconds and able to hit 142mph, the 320i can also manage to eke 46.3 miles from a gallon of unleaded. If you can find just over £2,500 more, the 325i offers 39.8mpg economy but 218bhp and significantly more performance. Also highly capable is the 320d, BMW’s biggest seller in the old E46 generation car. In this instance, power runs to 177bhp. This diesel will take a fraction under eight seconds to get to 60mph and posts a top speed of 143mph. The 58.9mpg fuel economy figure is a real standout. If that’s not fast enough, there are three other diesel variants on offer. First up is the 197bhp 325d, which sits just below the 231bhp 330d in the pecking order. Flagship of the diesel line-up is the 335d which ups the ante to a massive 286bhp – in return for a price tag getting on towards £35,000. In the petrol line-up, pride of place goes to the 330i and 335i models. The 330i features a 3.0-litre Valvetronic engine with technology that does away with conventional throttle butterflies in favour of a complex electrically-powered valve lifting system. Constructed from an aluminium and magnesium composite, this engine sits tucked well back in the car’s cavernous engine bay and gives the car excellent weight distribution. Less weight also equates to better performance, more agile handling and lower fuel consumption and emissions. This engine punches well above its modest weight, knocking out 272bhp at 6,600rpm. On the road this translates into a surprising amount of heft. The sprint to 60mph from rest will disappear in just 6.1 seconds and will run into BMW’s self-imposed electronic limiter at 155mph with plenty to spare. Despite this, the fuel economy figures are better than you might expect at 39.2mpg. The flagship turbocharged 335i model meanwhile, manages 306bhp and demolishes the 0-60mph sprint in just 5.6s. Bigger, quicker, cleaner and more economical – the 3-Series looks set to continue its astounding success. The styling looks spot on and if BMW can continue to maintain the prestige image balanced against huge sales, the E90 3-Series will be just the latest model to promotional sleight of hand. It’s all a question of image and perception. Do we buy it? Looking at the continuingly healthy order bank for the 3-Series, the answer seems to be an unqualified affirmative.

FACTS AT A GLANCE CAR: BMW 3 Series Saloon range PRICES: £21,035-£36,350 - on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 13-18 CO2 EMISSIONS: 123-218g/km PERFORMANCE: [330i] Max Speed 155mph / 0-60mph 6.1s FUEL CONSUMPTION: [320d] (combined) 58.9mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front airbags, twin front side airbags, twin ITS side window airbags / ABS /DSC / runflat tyres WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height 4520/1817/1424mm

X3 TAKE TWO
The BMW X3’s most recent revisions make it well worth your attention. Andy Enright reports

As a company, BMW isn’t particularly accustomed to adverse press reaction. Yes, there had been a few grouses about some of their more extravagantly styled cars and the iDrive control system has never been universally liked. Still, by and large the Munich company gorges itself on a glut of fawning press feedback. Imagine their surprise when they read the first reviews of the X3. They were, as my old editor used to say, real ‘marmalade droppers’. Decried as too expensive, too limited and not built well enough, the X3 had a tough start, recovering sufficiently to notch up some respectable sales that provided a platform for the revised version we look at here.

Let’s be clear about this. BMW has now completely repositioned the X3, lifting it out of the compact 4x4 mainstream and equipping it with jet heels. It’s different because it’s so much faster and more capable - on road at least - than any conceivable rival. Which is just as well given that prices start at £29,310. All models offer the choice of SE or M Sport trim. BMW found themselves in a no win situation with the original version of the X3. When they introduced the Z3 roadster, the first cars imported were the entry-level 1.9-litre models after which the Z3 garnered an undeserved reputation as a hairdresser’s car. Anxious to avoid this tag with the X3, BMW brought in powerful 2.5 and 3.0-litre models first, only for the press to moan that it was too expensive and priced too closely to the X5, a model BMW have now replaced with a bigger and more expensive successor. Since then, BMW have fleshed the X3 range out with more affordable models and boosted the value proposition still further. Slowly but surely the X3 has built a following. Emboldened by this, BMW has now really gone to town on the car in recent times. Underwhelmed by the X3’s modest off road abilities? Take a look at the 286bhp 3.0-litre twin turbo diesel engine and you won’t care about mud plugging. Instead you’ll just want to point it at the nearest set of high speed sweepers and let rip. There’s also a 272bhp 3.0-litre petrol engine and a 218bhp 2.5-litre petrol unit that cements the X3’s reputation as the compact 4x4 to choose if you want to go places fast. The 218bhp 3.0-litre diesel carries on much as before and BMW also now offer an improved 177bhp version of the 2.0-litre diesel that most buyers choose. With this car, as with the 3.0-litre diesel models, a programme of what the Bavarians call ‘EfficientDynamics’ has led to improved fuel economy and lower emissions.

"The X3 has, almost overnight, become aspirational. Who’d have thought that?"

With the X3 2.0d, this has also improved performance. A zero to 62mph time of 8.9 seconds compares to 10.2 seconds previously, while top speed has increased from 123mph to 128mph. Yet fuel economy has also improved. The X3 2.0d now records an 11 per cent improvement in fuel consumption, attaining 43.5mpg on the combined cycle. The vehicle’s CO2 emissions also fall 10 per cent from 191g/km to 172g/km seeing it drop into Band E for Vehicle Excise Duty. All of this means that there may now be a more limited market for customers prepared to pay £4,000 more for the 218bhp 3.0d model but the twin turbo 286bhp 3.0sd variant is likely to continue to attract a following. This headliner powerplant merits closer inspection. Borrowed from the 535d, this engine, fitted to the range-topping X3 3.0sd, will slingshot the car to 60mph in just 6.3 seconds and on to a top speed of 149mph. With a combined economy figure of 36.2mpg, it’s not as if you’ll pay the penalty at the pumps either. A clue as to the potency of this engine comes when the torque figure is revealed. Packing 580Nm of torque, the X3 3.0sd has muscles the size of a Porsche 911 Turbo. Only marginally less brawny is the 500Nm generated by the 218bhp 3.0d, a model which hardly hangs around, getting to 60mph in 7.1 seconds and returning 38.2mpg. Both of the petrol engines are respectably quick. The X3 is bigger and heavier than its styling suggests, the internal dimensions actually being more spacious than the X5, so a respectably torquey engine is a must, especially if you’re planning on towing. While the diesel models are better in this regard, the petrol powerplan