Yesterday we witnessed the official launch of the new BMW X3 in India. We shared the price, specifications and other details form the launch event live. You can refer to all those details at the link below-
BMW X3 New Model Launched In India- Specifications, Features, Pictures And Details
We did manage to test drive the SUV for a short distance on the busy roads of Pune city of India. We will our test drive experience and some pictures we clicked during the launch highlighting the exteriors and interior features of the new BMW X3 SUV in India.
image- BMW X3 Exteriors Front Side
New BMW X3 India Test Drive Experience
Although we did drive it on a short distance, we got to know a lot about the quality and handling of the car on the roads. New BMW X3 rides on large and wide 17 inch alloys, so you hardly feel any bump while on a drive unless you put it in sports more and go real off road. The steering wheel of the X3 is very well weighted and does inspire good driver confidence. The handling is very precise, however it takes a few minutes to realize that you are in a large SUV and you need to keep a decent distance from front and sides with the vehicles on your sides and front. Especially in Indian driving conditions where people drive with very less distance between cars, you need to be a little careful.
The acceleration of the BMW X3 xdrive20d 2 litre diesel engine variant we drove was very impressive. The low end torque of the X3 is very impressive and justifies why diesel engine suits more for an SUV character. The automatic transmission is 8 speeds and you don’t even realize the gears switching as its very smooth and tuned very well. The suspension is very well tuned to give it a very planted and controlled handling. The visibility from the driving seat is very good, a minor flaw being small size of the rear windshield giving you very limited view from the inside rear view mirrors, but it is compensated to a large extent by large sized outside rear view mirrors.
There is a large dead pedal for the left feet for driver comfort as its an automatic, its very important, since most of us in India are more used to of the manual transmission cars and tend to press the clutch pedal quite often even in an automatic which may result in accidental pressing of brake pedal with the left foot, which can be fatal at high speeds.
The interiors of the X3 are very attractive and especially the red black trim is very sporty and will appeal a lot to the motor sport enthusiast. The gear knob is also very sport, the all wheel drive with intelligent shift is a great feature and keep the car in control even on bad surfaces. The maneuverability of the car, besides being large in size is quite good, the only issue maybe the turning radius in congested traffic conditions, otherwise its quite good. We also saw the start stop micro hybrid system in action when we stopped at a traffic signal during our road test.
image – BMW X3 Exteriors Rear Side
The side profile of the BMW is very attractive and looks quite aerodynamic and sporty.
image– BMW X3 grille and front bumper
The signature Kidney beans style grille with lower grille integrated in the bumper gives it a smart front fascia.
image – BMW X3 engine badge on the driver side door
The 20d or 30d badge on the driver side door helps you distinguish the two engine variants easily from outside.
image – BMW X3 Steering wheel with multifunction controls
The leather wrapped steering wheel with multi-function control looks sporty.
image – BMW X3 Instrument cluster
The instrument cluster is retro and sporty analog style with two small gauges for fuel and engine temperature. There are two large dials for speed and RPM (tachometer) along with the fuel consumption meter.
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image – BMW X3 Interiors and Door trims
The door trims are high quality and finish with wood inserts. The dashboard trim seems to be wrapped in the front doors when the doors are closed.
image – BMW X3 Driver side window and ORVM controls
Drive has for easy controls for all the windows and outside rear view mirrors on the door.
image – BMW X3 Door mounted speakers
There are integrated speakers and tweeters embedded intelligently into the door trims for a great audio experience without hurting the aesthetics.
image – BMW X3 Door mounted tweeters
image – BMW X3 Central Console
There are large AC vents with dual zone temperature controls. There are also two AC vents for rear passengers as well.
image – BMW X3 Driver side door trim
The front door trim looks very classy and well finished.
image – BMW X3 Driver side electrical seat adjustment controls with memory function
Driver side seats are height adjustable and have lumbar support (front passenger seat also has lumbar support).
Rear seat leg space
There is ample leg room, head room and elbow room at the rear seats.
image – BMW X3 Rear AC vent
image – BMW X3 Rear Seat and trim
The fit, finish and comfort of the rear is very good quality.
image – BMW X3 Rear Door Trim
The rear door trims have been very neatly done with the colour toner of the interiors.
image – BMW X3 Boot
The boot is very large and spacious.
image – BMW X3 Rear View
The rear looks compact and attractive.
image – BMW X3 wraparound Tail lamp
The wraparound tail lamps with a dynamic and modern design give the rear a very attractive look.
image – BMW X3 Alloy wheel
image – BMW X3 gear knob and iDrive controls with cup holders
image – BMW X3 Front View
image – BMW X3 daytime running lights
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BMW India News
BMW X3 New Model Launched In India- Specifications, Features, Pictures And Details
