>> BMW's X5 put an SUV body on the 5 series platform. This X3 does the same thing for the 3 series under pennings. So let's go inside and check the tech.
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Now when it comes to tech inside our X3, the key character in the name is 3. It's a 3 series and it has shall we say that entry level tech package. Which isn't to say it's skimpy, it's just a little odd. Let's start up here at the top of the show. You push this button here to the right and that pops up our display. This is kinda the new idiom for the lower end BMW tech. You might say it's iDrive, but it's not. It is a display based system, but there's no iDrive controller down here and instead, you've got a rather different and somewhat more crude interface. If I wanna get back to my on board computer, there I find my various vehicle fuel consumption numbers and other sorts of things like range and odometer functions. Here under DSP, I will find the settings for my premium audio system. Which our vehicle has and I'll talk about that in just a minute. In general, it's a good looking system, but it's not a great looking system. That map is, it's not bad. You can go full screen also, but it's not, it's not killing me with it's quality. And moving past the navigation system, let's talk about the audio that's behind here. As I mentioned, we've got this DSP function here on the menu, which tips us off that our car has had the premium sound system installed and indeed it has. You get a while variety of controls, both in that DSP as well as on a separate screen here with your traditional balance, fader, treble and bass. It's kind of an odd interface because you've got two different places to go in this information system to adjust your tone. We find that to be kind of fractured. Once your done though, the system sounds good. So the bass is AM, FM, single disc CD with MP3 ability and an auxiliary input jack, which is located on the back of the center console. When you go for the premium system which isn't that much more money, you get better speakers, still eight, better amplification and what they call speed sensitive EQ. So as you drive at higher speeds, it'll recurve the EQ of the audio system. That's new. If you wanna keep pushing the entertainment envelope you can do that. You can also add Sirius Satellite Radio to these cars, a la carte. You can also add HD radio, BMW's very forward on that and there's a rear seat entertainment system that just sorta shows up when you configure one of these. It's kinda pricey, but it is available. You might have to dig for it or talk to your dealer. Let's talk power train. Beginning with the transmission on this car. 6 speed automatic in ours, Steptronic. So you've got the usual PRN deal and you snap it over here to shift manually. No paddles by the way. But you can also get a manual 6 speed and either one is a pick. There's no additional charge for the automatic. That's kind of unusual in the industry. Let's go look at the engine. Now up here in the engine bay, we've got a 3 liter in line 6 with double vanose [assumed spelling] and valvetronic [assume spelling] technology. 260 horsepower. Sort of skimpy 225 foot pounds of torque. It's not a torque motor, that's for sure. Coupling this guy to that sometimes overly thoughtful Steptronic automatic, yields what I feel as kind of a vague driving experience. At least until you get it over on the manual shifting side of the gate. I like to drive one of these with a manual 6, that I think I'd like a lot more. By the way, the power train on this also includes X Drive all-wheel drive out at the wheels and hill descent control is standard. Let's price our '07 X3. One trim level, 3.0 SI. 38,800 with delivery. Now we add some options. 1800 for navigation. 675 for the premium audio. Better speaker, amp and equalization quality. 2140 for rear seat entertainment if you want that. HD radio is 500 from the factory. Now Sirius and a 6 disk changer are pre-wired, but they're dealer installed. So go haggle to get your price on those guys.
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