BMW X3
Did you know it features a 'Hofmeister Kink'?
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The days of everyone driving ordinary cars must be numbered given the enthusiasm of manufacturers for churning out off roaders, 4x4s, SUVs and all the other butched up nonsense flooding our shores.
The latest to join the party is BMW's X3. Another 'Soft Roader' as some mags call them, the X3 is a road car with off road pretensions.
It's a class of car that is enjoying massive popularity amongst family types. All too often a minor scrape in a traditional saloon is prompting the desire to get something 'bigger and safer'. The irony being of course that many of the 4x4s offer little more in terms of safety than the better saloons, yet have a high centre of gravity introducing a new risk altogether.
BMW's new X3 has the credentials to be a great 'Toff Roader'. The badge alone will get many excited enough to get one over on the Joneses regardless of the mechanical credentials.
Mechanically, it will of course be a sound machine. As standard you get a four wheel drive system that distributes the drive between front and rear axles as required. In the same vein is the Dynamic Stability Control which apportions power to individual wheels as necessary.
Although UK engine line-ups are still to be finalised, performance will come courtesy of a range of petrol and diesel engines. This includes BMW's 3.0-litre petrol which develops maximum output of 231 bhp. The X3 3.0i reaches a top speed of up 130 mph in standard guise, going even further to 139 mph with its optional high-speed set-up - included in the Sports Package.
Recently introduced, the 3.0-litre straight-six turbo diesel with second-generation common rail direct injection, develops a maximum output of 204 bhp and propels the new model to 130 mph, or 135 mph with high-speed set-up (no wing mirrors and ducking down in your seat).
BMW have strived to give the X3 a 'sporty' look to entice people with 'lifestyles' to buy it (that's windsurfers and freestyle basket weavers). Concave and convex surfaces give the X3 a look in keeping with the latest cars in the BMW's range. The X3 also has a pronounced "Hofmeister kink" in the rear side windows. Straight out of the Ladybird Book of Car Styling, the "Hofmeister kink" is just a shape and not a beer induced act of bizarre sex.
The new BMW X3 will be available in the UK from late spring 2004.
FIT INDICATORS TO THIS MODEL FOR F
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