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The exterior of the 2022 BMW X3.

Courtesy photo

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The exterior of the 2022 BMW X3.

Courtesy photo

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The exterior of the 2022 BMW X3.

Courtesy photo

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The interior of the 2022 BMW X3.

Courtesy photo

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The interior of the 2022 BMW X3.

Courtesy photo

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The interior of the 2022 BMW X3.

Courtesy photo

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Christmas came a week early for us this year as we had our first opportunity to get into a BMW X3.

During the past 10 years, we have driven many models in the BMW line, including the i8 when it was first introduced. But for whatever reason, we have never been in the driver’s seat of an X3, which is probably one of the most affordable SUVs in the line and one that empty nesters like ourselves should seriously have on their radar.

At only 185 inches long, we found the X3 to be extremely maneuverable and easy to get around in as we motored about during the week. As it was the week before Christmas, we mostly had just shopping to do, and this vehicle made it easy to get in and out of parking spaces, even some very tight ones.

All the different cameras on the X3 were very helpful when parking, and we loved how the SUV switched to the front camera when we pulled into our garage, making sure we never got all the way to the wall. We found this a much easier way to get in, and we always knew exactly where we were. It’s a much better option than the hanging tennis ball hitting the front windshield method of the olden days.

There was 28 cubic feet of space behind the rear seats and over 62 cubic feet with the seats down. Again, this proved to be a huge help while we were out shopping. We purchased a 7-foot-long rug and a standing mirror for our daughter, and both fit into the back with ease.

The xDrive30i is considered almost an entry-level SUV for BMW, if that really is a thing with the luxury automaker. Ours came equipped with a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine. This may not sound like much, but it produced a whopping 248 horsepower and 258 foot-pounds of torque!

All this power is encouraged by BMW’s TwinPower Turbo technology with a TwinScoll turbocharger that has a computer-controlled, direct-injection model for the highest performance possible. And yes, it was a joy to drive. Never did we feel underpowered in the more than 4,000-pound SUV.

If that’s not enough power for you, there are options with the X3. It can be had with a 3-liter inline, six-cylinder engine that increases power to 382 horsepower and 369 foot-pounds of torque. This will propel the SUV to 60 in a mere 4.4 seconds!

Our hats are off to BMW as, no matter the model, there always seems to be a faster option for those of use with that need for speed. Of course, as the “Ultimate Driving Machine,” they always handle quite well.

This is all coupled to the drive line with a very smooth eight-speed Steptronic transmission that is matched to each engine and its specific characteristics, thus allowing for the best fuel economy possible along with reduced emissions. After a week and almost 400 miles of mostly city driving, we came up with a very respectable 25.5 mpg in the X3.

The xDrive system is an all-wheel drive setup, and we found the X3 to have little to no difficulty handing the snowstorm that came to the valley on our second day of driving. Other than getting the beautiful Tanzanite Blue Metallic paint dirty, Mother Nature could not throw enough at the X3 to hold it back, even in 8 inches of snow.

Of course, technology is also a huge factor with any BMW as the company was the first to integrate wireless Apple CarPlay into their cars. So far, it still has the advantage in that department as our phones hooked up and ran throughout the week without even a hiccup.

Having it happen without a wire is awesome. Getting into the vehicle and just having the screen appear on the center cluster with Siri ready to read texts, send texts or navigate to any location with just our voice cannot be beat.

The new X3 can now come with the huge 12.3-inch digital displays that BMW has offered for a couple of years in their other models. The all-digital and configurable driving display can’t be topped, with navigation, audio and other information appearing whenever it is needed.

All this can also appear with an included heads-up display such as we had included in our test drive. It is so cool to scroll through the XM channels as they appear in the windshield instead of having to look at the infotainment screen!

Another great feature that now comes with a BMW is the Intelligent Personal Assistant. With the words “Hey, BMW,” the vehicle will respond to many vocal commands such as, “Hey, BMW. Change the radio to ’80s on 8,” or “Hey, BMW. Change the ambient lighting to red.”

Merely having the option to mess around with the personal assistant was great, but it was also quite useful and kept us from digging through menus to set things up in the car or making changes to things like locking and unlocking all the doors or switching the clock from 24 hour to 12 hour.

The X3 was loaded with all the great safety features we could have wanted with the exception of adaptive cruise control. This seemed a little strange considering the price of the vehicle. Other than having to deal with the cruise during rush hour traffic, the X3 proved to be a joy to drive and, again, to us, is the ultimate driving machine!

Base price: $45,700

Destination charge: $995

Price as driven: $51,390

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