BMW X3: Second generation of the compact SUV being tested

D he golden calf of modern automobile development goes by the name dynamics . We want to be sporty, young at heart and fit - the car has to fit that. Which is why every manufacturer, when introducing a new product, swears to have improved the dynamics of driving again.

Does the BMW X3 set the new class benchmark?

At BMW, where you can The sporty element has been cultivating the sportive element with the greatest consistency for half a century, the second generation of the mid-range SUV X3 is consequently certified to represent the new class benchmark in this area. Anyone who knows the old BMW X3 knows that it is no easy task. Because it was such a nimble and handy car that auto motor und sport named it the 'highest sports car in the world' in the first test. The first impression of the new: It has not gotten noticeably better. This is also underlined by the measured values ​​obtained in the various driving tests. In the quick evasive maneuver according to ISO standards, the current test car does not achieve any better results than the previous model, although it competes with more generous tires.

BMW X3 offers very high driving safety

Which is not understood as a criticism because it makes little sense, especially with an SUV, to push the dynamic potential to the extreme - possibly at the expense of other properties. And there is just as little to complain about the precision with which this all-wheel drive BMW X3 sticks around the corners as there is to the driving experience that is like a sporty sedan and the very high level of active driving safety.

You have to do a lot wrong, in order to get to the limit areas that the ESP no longer ironed out with casual ease. A car with off-road vehicle ambitions could not be more predictable by today's standards. The fact that the brakes of the BMW X3 deliver excellent values ​​and digest the highest stress without being impressed is one of the BMW characteristics that go without saying.

BMW X3 with more driving comfort and more space

So far, the BMW X3 is a child of Bayerische Motoren Werke - which also proves very convincingly that it is alien to one-sided emphasis on the sporty element. The predecessor was far less willing to compromise, which it underlined by its deliberately harshly appealing suspension. Now there is a chassis with adaptive shock absorbers, which is subject to a surcharge. The test car owns it and surprises with an increaseSuspension comfort that couldn't be more obvious.

Only a slight stucco inclination on transverse joints disturbs the positive impression in the BMW X3, which is mainly created when the chassis is left in 'Normal' mode. In 'Sport' there is a hint of the old hardness that especially rear seat passengers of the BMW X3 will find unpleasant. They benefit from the body that has grown in all directions. The space in the rear has become considerably better. Four people can now travel really comfortably in the BMW X3, which is also due to the well-shaped seats. The new size is not hidden from the front either; the interior looks more airy and will raise the question of whether it really has to be the larger BMW X5.

BMW X3 can be moved with seven L /100 km

The comfort -The potential of the BMW X3 also promotes the clear design of everything that can be seen and operated. Very easy-to-read instruments are traditionally part of a BMW, but there have been slips in operation in the past. Now everything is fine - regardless of whether it is the figuring of the navigation system or the Bluetooth connection of the mobile phone.

What else do you expect from a new car? Increased efficiency, of course, i.e. lower consumption. Among other things, a start-stop device in the BMW X3 should ensure better vibration behavior of the powerfully appealing and cultivated four-cylinder diesel engine, which allows the driver of the BMW X3 to shift into a higher gear early. A switching display encourages this. If you follow her instructions and put restraint on your right foot, you can move the BMW X3 with seven liters per 100 km. The average is 8.4 liters, which is a small difference to the already economical predecessor (8.7 L).

Motorized appropriately with the two-liter diesel

In the interests of dynamic driving character, BMW has dispensed with exaggerated eco features, such as an extremely long sixth gear, and that's a good thing. The BMW X3 doesn't sleep too much, even on tough motorway inclines, which promotes the impression that this diesel is motorized in a species-appropriate manner. This rounds off the picture and also gets the right frame: five stars from auto motor und sport .