2018 BMW X3: A sport activity vehicle built for cruisin' and commutin'

[MUSIC] Well, another virtual of video and yet another luxury crossover SUV. But look, these things have flooded the market. We have to talk about them. And today I'm in the 2018 BMW X3. Does it have the goods? Well, let's go for a drive and find out. [MUSIC] This is the third generation of the popular X3 Crossover, and it's just a little bit bigger than it was last year. Front fascia's been redesigned with new fog lights, some tweaked headlights, and around back, the LED tail lights are streamlined just a bit so they integrate better with the tailgate. It's not a big design departure. But hey the X3 sells really well so why mess with it. And that goes for the engine as well. In my lower spec model here I'm rocking a two liter turbo charged four cylinder engine. Now that is the same as last year but the output has been wiggled just a tiny little bit. Horsepower is up to 248 and torque is down just a smidge to 258 per pounds of it. That has made it to an 8 speed automatic transmission that's getting powered on to all four wheels. The EPA gives it a combined Combined fuel rating of 25 miles per gallon but during my week with it I've gotten 27.3. I know, that never happens. Now if you want just a little bit more power you can go for the M30I version of the X3. That gives you a three liter turbo charged six cylinder engine for 355 horsepower. [BLANK_AUDIO] The good news is that the X-drive all wheel drive system is rear-biased, so it's only going to throw power to the front when you actually need it. And I've got a few driving modes, comfort mode is pretty good. I mean, it gives you a nice, smooth ride. It's great for just toggling around town or longer commute, But when you put it into sport mode, that's where the fun is. That's where it all tightens up. Everything from the adaptive suspension to the steering, the throttle, the transmission parameters, it's all just that much more buttoned up. In fact it's so different from comfort mode that When you put it back in comfort mode, it's kind of a snoozefest. Sport mode is really where this car shines, and the transmission will hold its gears just that much longer, eking out all of the available torque before it quickly upshifts to the next gear. It shifts exactly when I want it to. It reads my mind coming out of corners. In fact, I don't even really need to use the paddle shift. Shifters. I mean, I do cuz it's fun, but I don't need to. As much as I like all those mechanical aspects, this is a really heavy beast, and you feel it. It tips the scales at over 4,150 pounds. I recently got out of the smaller X2, and that's 500 pounds lighter, but it has the same amount of torque. I mean, sure it's down on horsepower, but you do the math and it's pretty much It's the same power-to-weight ratio. The X2 is just a little bit more fun to fling about just due to its lighter weight. But where the X3 wins, of course, is in cargo space. Behind those second row of seats I've got 27 cubic feet of space and when I fold them down, that expands up to 67 plus those rear seats, they can recline back. It takes a little bit of manhandling to get them to do so, but it's pretty cool to have reclining rear seats. BMW's IDrive Infotainment System is housed on a 10 inch touchscreen. I've got a full tech check video, so be sure to watch that, but I did wanna point out the really cool back up camera, it's got this awesome 3D view that you can kinda click through and see exactly where your car is located. There are a lot of luxury crossovers to choose from. You've got offerings from Land Rover, from Volvo, Audi, Mercedes-Benz. It takes a lot to stand out from the crowd. The X3 is fun to drive, and it looks good, but I'm not sure it really has what it takes to bump it up to the top. [BLANK_AUDIO] The 2018 BMW x3 starts at about 42,5, which is a little more than the Audi Q5 but right in line with the Mercedes Benz GLC. Now my tester here is about $57,000 But if you go in and tick all of the options boxes, you're looking at a car that is north of $61,000. The x3 is a good choice just keep those options in check. [MUSIC] [MUSIC] If you're looking for some awesome buying advise, you know we got your back right here at Road Show so click that subscribe button baby.