Information AboutBmw X3 |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT BMW X3 | |
| bmw vehicles | |
| x3 | |
| crossover suvs | |
| luxury suvs | |
| all wheel drive vehicles | |
| 2000s automobiles | |
The BMW X3 is a Compact Luxury Crossover SUV based on the BMW 3-Series automobile platform. The X3 ''3.0i'' won the Canadian Car Of The Year ''Best New Sport Utility Vehicle'' award for 2005. HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT Along the heels of a very successful and ongoing production run of the BMW X5, BMW decided in the early millennium that it wanted to compete with the likes of the Freelander and other small luxury SUV's just as the X5 had previously done so well in its respective classes. Thus the X3 (internally known as E83), was born. What thus emerged was a concept unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show in 2003. Dubbed the xActivity, BMW previewed to the public for the first time what a smaller SAV based on a 3 series platform would look like. The concept had no windows, for the most part no roof, and a sleek futuristic interior. Only the basic shape of the car would emerge as the BMW X3. Just as BMW used many parts from the E39 5 Series parts bin in the making of the X5, the same occurred in the X3's development, whereby BMW engineers reused 3 series parts. In-fact complete sets of parts came straight out of the E46 330xi, emerging unscathed in the X3 (e.g. rear suspension). XDRIVE When the BMW X3 premiered in late 2003, BMW announced that it would be using a new 4 wheel drive system to power it and its bigger brother - The (refreshed) X5. Instead of a 60-40 (rear-front) power split (which all millennium 4 wheel drive BMW's exhibit - 325xi, 330xi, early X5) with power being cut to wheels which lost traction through DSC (Dynamic Stability Control), XDrive allowed both of these vehicles to split power between the front and rear axles through use of a multiplate clutch located between the gearbox and the Cardian shaft. This setup allowed xDrive vehicles to split power in virtually any way it pleased. If the car felt like it was in a threatening situation (note not an unstable one), xDrive would react immediately, often before the driver ever knew of its intervention, to alleviate traction and control of the vehicle. xDrive is also closely knit with DSC. In the case that wheelspin stills occurs while xDrive is or has been shifting power, DSC can brake independent wheels to regain traction. xDrive also helped in cornering. When the vehicle felt it was about to understeer or oversteer the vehicle would cut traction to either of the front wheels or rear wheels to help regain stability and keep the driver on the road. There are two key things about xDrive. The first being that it was one of the first technology used to intervene before the driver was apparent that the car could ever be unstable. The second being that its intervention is '''transparent''' to the driver. REACTION Right from the start, the BMW X3 had been criticized for its harsh ride and poor interior by critics. BMW rectified both in 2005, with a slightly softer ride and by matching plastics and carpeting in the 2005 X5's. It has also been criticized for not being built at a BMW factory. The automotive press however for the most part had mixed views of the X3 ranging all over the spectrum - unusual for BMW, but then again not so unsual for modern BMW's. 2005 MODEL YEAR CHANGES
2006 MODEL YEAR CHANGES
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