X3AORDINARY

The updated BMW X3 is sharper and nimbler than before. We take the four-cylinder TwinPower Turbo petrol model around the city and into its heart to see how well this update fits in

- Jim Gorde

WHEN I FOUND OUT BMW HAD BROUGHT IN THE NEW X3 with only a petrol engine, I gasped. It's not that their petrol models are remotely unpleasant, but it's that their diesels are so, so good. That was fixed a few days later, thankfully, but back to the car at hand.

The X3, of course, is the mid-size SUV (or Sports Activity Vehicle, as Munich prefers to refer to it). At Rs 65-90 lakh (exshowroom), it may seem like a lot of money, but there has been a slew of updates installed into the new model. This when the competition—the Volvo XC60, Lexus NX, Land Rover Discovery Sport, Range Rover Evoque, Jaguar F-Pace, Audi Q5, and, of course, Mercedes GLC-are all here fighting for a piece of the pie. Can the X3 stand out with much more than its "sheer driving pleasure” and dynamic ability? Let's get to the bottom of it.

The new X3 is extremely refined and quite large. The Goi-generation and this facelift have grown larger than the first-gen X5. It's 4.7 metres long, 1.9 metres wide, and 1.67 metres tall, with a wheelbase 2.86 metres long. The high 204 millimetres of ground clearance is a big factor which, together with its xDrive credentials, makes for greater peace of mind when the road-or the lack of it, presents a challenge. There's a big signature kidney grille, obviously, and new adaptive LED headlamps, and sharper LED tail-lamp clusters, with some snazzy 20-inch wheels shod with mixed rubber-245/45 front and 275/40 rear. All these complete its facelift style. The M Sport trim brings some eye-catching styling elements, including the “M” logo on the front side panels, gloss chrome tailpipe finishers, door-sills with the “M”inscription, M-specific driver pedals, and an M radio remote control with the clasp finished in blue.