2018 BMW X3 Reviews

Australians can't get enough SUVs. So it makes sense for BMW to wave its M Performance wand over the compact X3, to produce a quick, capable and entertaining package.

My family and I are heading overseas next week which is very exciting but there is so much to organise. This week I had to sort out all the children's things, finish all my work and get all of the shopping and cleaning and - oh fine - hair appointments done. It's a lot to organise!I was in the BMW X3 sDrive20i for the week, which is the base level in petrol. It's a five-seater mid-size SUV in competition with the Mercedes GLA, Audi Q5 and Alfa Romeo Stelvio. Here's how it did over my super busy week where I spent a lot of time in the car picking things up.

CarsGuide tested the latter over more than 800 kays of hot summer city and country driving. Did the X3 xDrive20d cut it over a torrid Christmas/New Year period?

If SUVs were a horror movie, they'd have to be the 1958 cult-classic The Blob: a drive-in special that told the story of a shapeless mass that grows and grows, eventually consuming everything in its path. A bit like James Packer, then. But also a bit like BMW's range of X-stamped SUVs. Take the X3, for example, which

The xDrive30i is the only (for now) petrol variant on offer in the X3 family, and is sandwiched between the entry-level xDrive20d and the more expensive xDrive30d.

The xDrive30d might be the most expensive choice in the BMW X3 family, but that extra cash is paying for extra engine, and so it's identically equipped to the cheaper xDrive30i.