BMW X3

Developed from their much-loved BMW 3 series of cars, the X3 began being marketed by the German manufacturer in 2003. BMW sells the car as a sort of crossover, designed for road use, sports and utilities. The xDrive four-wheel drive system that BMW have used in the X3 affords excellent traction in a wide range of terrains, particularly on mountain roads that are steep as well as twisting and turning. Now in its second generation, BMW make the X3 at their Spartanburg factory in South Carolina.

The X3 has a choice of engines and the BMW straight six cylinder diesel option delivers plenty of power. It can achieve 258 horsepower as well as an impressive rate of acceleration which means you can get to 60 miles per hour in just a little over 6 seconds. This engine option reaches maximum torque at only 2,000 revs per minute and produces carbon emissions at 159 grams per kilometre travelled. By comparison, four cylinder diesel engine in the xDrive20d has the ability to accelerate from 0 to 62mph in eight and a half seconds. This one offers drivers an average fuel consumption of 50.4 miles per gallon.

All of the X3s that are sold in the US market have with eight speed automatic transmissions. In other markets across the globe a variety of engine combinations are offered with either eight speed automatic or a six speed manual gearboxes being fitted. In 2012, BMW sold just under 150,000 X3s worldwide with over one fifth of these sales being made in America.