BMW X3 2017-2024 review

BMWs of yesteryear were found wanting in ride quality. But the X3 is thoroughly accomplished in this regard.

Normally, we might dissuade you from specifying 19in wheels – as fitted to our M Sport test car – but in this case there’s still a good chunk of Michelin sidewall on offer so the X3’s ability to absorb ruts and coarse surfaces remains unsullied.

Strong, robust handling balance and effective torque vectoring let you open the X3’s taps early in tighter bends

Richard Lane

Deputy road test editor

There’s grip too, meaning the suspension has a solid base on which to operate and can by and large elude the lateral see-sawing sensation you sometimes get when tall but under-tyred SUVs struggle for purchase with the road.

The result is a deep-seated composure that’s impressive even for a marque that, with the first-generation X5, proved SUVs really could do ‘handling’.

An Audi Q5 riding on air suspension isolates its occupants from the road better still, as does a like-for-like Mercedes-Benz GLC, but in doing so, both sacrifice the perception apparent in the BMW that you can barrel into bends as keenly as if you were in a much lower, lighter car.

In short, BMW has struck a good balance with this car. And its optional variable damper control, which alters the suspension characteristics through three modes and was fitted to our test car, adds plenty of dynamic breadth of ability.

For keen drivers, the X3 sits between the class’s more talkative options (think Jaguar F-Pace, Alfa Romeo Stelvio) and the resolutely numb Audi Q5 in how it communicates the road through its steering, although any feel at all is gratefully received.