2018 BMW X3 Test Drive Review: When Did Boring Get So Good?

The BMW X3 isn't thrilling, but it's just about perfect at doing its thing.

Crossovers are boring, right? White’s a boring color on a car, right? BMWs are just so common these days aren’t they? Short of a beige Corolla, it can’t get much more boring than another compact luxury crossover, can it? Then why did I enjoy the 2018 BMW X3 in ho-hum xDrive30i trim so much? It’s me, isn’t it? I’ve become boring guy (just don’t tell my kids, they still think I’m awesome!). Well, I’m happy in my own skin, so I can live with that, and I sure as hell could live happily ever after with an X3 like this.

The X3 was redesigned for the 2018 model year and has been on the market for about a year now. We finally got a chance to drive the mainstream 30i trim with its 2.0-liter turbo after several stints in the M40i trim. The M40i is good and all, but not necessarily worth the extra scratch. Sure, it handles better and is faster, but it doesn’t suddenly transcend its boring compact luxury crossover niche. So why spend the extra money on the lease and on fuel when you can get all the looks and features with the right option packages? The xDrive30i has everything you want on its options list and more speed than you’ll ever really need.

The X3 starts at $41,000 for a rear-drive sDrive30i, then jumps to $42,650 for the all-wheel drive xDrive30i. It jumps to $47,950 with the M Sport Design Package, but the larger double-spoke wheels, body kit and black trim really turn the X3 into something desirable and sporty over the base or luxury finishes. Add $995 to each of those for destination and handling, and option packages can take it to $60K easily. The X3 30i is powered by BMW’s 2.0-liter turbo, in this generation making 8 more horsepower for a total of 248 and torque holding steady at 258 lb-ft, and readily available at 1,450 rpm for effortless low-speed pull.

Also aiding its quickness, smoothness and efficiency is an eight-speed transmission that was faultless in our week-long test, so the X3 delivers as smooth a driving experience as you would expect. The 2.0-liter turbo is also supposed to be the efficient one, but I guess that’s when you’re not too busy tapping into all that torque. The EPA estimates that it will get you 30 miles to the gallon on the highway and 23 in the city, averaging out to a combined 26 mpg. But that appears to be a little optimistic and we ended up at 21 mpg with our usual suburban routine and no particular heavy-footed driving. I guess my foot’s heavier than I thought.

As with any competitive luxury vehicle these days, it has several drive modes from the efficient Eco Pro, everyday setting of Comfort, to Sport for firmer suspension and heavier, quicker steering and more aggressive powertrain setting. It also has an Adaptive setting that ‘reads’ your driving inputs, car feedback and conditions and adjusts those settings on the fly. The settings are quite distinct, and while I enjoyed the Sport steering and suspension, I was happy to keep the engine and transmission in Comfort most of the time. Then again, those drive modes are appreciated, because below the surface it is still a BMW and has hints of dynamic capability that can make the drive more fun.

To be completely honest, I was more impressed with the supple ride that was always comfortable while remaining composed and in control even when I decided to push its limits a bit. The steering, once set to Sport, feels more responsive and quicker, yet not needlessly heavy for this practical vehicle though it won’t excite anyone looking for a sporty ride and feedback. Most BMWs these days have lost that steering charm, but it’s less relevant here than in something like the M2. To go along with the smooth drive and controlled but comfortable ride, the cabin marries modern design with luxurious materials even if the leather is a bit weird and rubbery.

The design is smart, with all the controls easy to decipher and quickly becoming second nature, with cool tech like full-color head-up display, gesture control, in-car hotspot, Apple CarPlay, adaptive cruise and parking aids that show if your doors would hit a car or object you parked beside. Controlling it all is the iDrive knob that spins and clicks to navigate the menus, with handwriting recognition on the top surface to quickly enter a contact’s name or digits. While driving, you can also scroll though some phone, audio and navigation functions on the head-up display using steering wheel controls.

With the full suite of connected services, the in-car navigation will route you around traffic snarls, and it’ll even give you the weather forecast and other trivial info. The front seats are supremely comfortable, with a wide array of adjustments, but they had great support and a couple of memory positions for a household with drivers of drastically different sizes. The rear seats are just spacious enough for adults to be comfortable and the roof is high enough to easily lean in and install car seats and buckle up younger kids. The rear seatbacks split 40/20/40 allowing for a pass through in the middle or taking the 28.7 cubic feet trunk to a 62.7 cu. ft. cargo hold. It was just big enough for the usual family gear and even big shopping runs.

As much as it’s an anonymous crossover in a sea of luxury SUVs, there is something captivating about this BMW. The creases catch shadows and highlight the subtle sculpted surfaces against the white backdrop, and black accents suggest a hint of sportiness along with the chrome luxury cues. It is the quintessential everyday luxury vehicle, for small families or active couples, ready for any season or any adventure, and ready to tackle it with style.

Awesome Concepts That Became Boring Production Cars

All the excitement of a concept, resulting in one giant let down in production

Concepts can give us an exceptional insight to the future, or just help us celebrate the past with cars like the Miura concept and BMW M1 Homage. While some concepts reach production without much change, all too often they fall flat in production guise. We’ve gone through the concept archives to find ten example that looked incredible in concept form, but became dull and dreary in production format.

Renault Captur

The Renault Captur is a compact crossover from the French brand that rivals the Nissan Juke and Kia Soul, underpinned by the same chassis as the brand’s compact hatch, the Clio. But when the concept Captur first debuted at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, it was underpinned by the running gear of a Nissan Juke, including the 158 horsepower 1.6-liter turbo engine. The concept had carbon fiber construction and butterfly doors, and looked spectacular. Sadly, the production version that debuted in 2013 had lost the plot. Gone were the Juke underpinnings, the gorgeous curves, carbon fiber construction, and butterfly doors, replaces by a boring, and frankly below par crossover offering.

Subaru WRX Concept

This list could easily have been titled “Subaru Concepts That Failed In Production”, because if we’re honest, the brand lets us down every time they release a production version of a concept. The WRX concept debuted in 2013 to huge praise; it looked incredible with a sleek swept back A-pillar, narrow aggressive headlights, and flared arches front and rear that had us salivating for a production version. When that finally arrived, it had lost a lot of its spectacle. In fact it looked like a bad knock-off of the concept than a derived production model. While the WRX might have extraordinary safety and driving dynamics, it certainly lost the visual flare promised by the concept.

Jaguar C-XF

Jaguar concepts tend to look quite similar to their production counterparts, just look at the C-X16 and C-X17 that spawned the F-Type and F-Pace respectively. But one that didn’t live up to the concept when it reached production is the Jaguar C-XF that spawned the production XF. There can be no denying the XF is thrilling to drive, and in its current iteration it looks stunning too, but the previous generation looked a little dull compared to the sleek concept that predated it. Sleek flowing lines made way for bulbous headlights on the production model, but thankfully in all other aspects the XF lived up to the hype.

Toyota FT-86 Concept

Toyota’s 86, also known as the Scion FRS and Subaru BRZ, set the world ablaze when it launched as a back to basics rear-drive sports coupe that prioritized driving joy over outright pace. It looked the part too, though it could’ve looked even better. Prior to its release, several concepts previewed the sports car, with changes made to gauge public reception before revealing the final thing. The FT-86 (Future Toyota 86) concept and FT-86 II concept looked lower, wider, and vastly more aggressive than the production car, with more aggressive head- and tail-lights and angrier body styling. The 86 on its own isn’t a bad looking car, but compared to the concept, it does seem a little placid.

Pontiac Sunfire

The 1990 Pontiac Sunfire Concept looked incredible. It was a 2+2 sports coupe with sleek, futuristic lines, and suicide doors that we’d later see on the Mazda RX-8. It featured carbon fiber construction, fully independent suspension, and a heads-up display – truly ahead of its time. The production version that debuted just a few years later looked nothing like the concept, and lacked just about all the advanced technologies that the concept previewed. Even with a larger displacement engine in the production car, the lack of a turbo resulted in reduced power outputs. The production Sunfire really was a disappointing follow-up to a superb concept.

Chrysler Pronto Cruizer Concept

The Chrysler PT cruiser sure is a unique – and by that I mean ugly – and interesting vehicle, classified by the NHTSA as a truck, though by all other metrics it’s a car. The styling was said to take influence from hotrods of yesteryear, and if you squint, you can kinda see it. But whilst the production model never inspired anyone, the concept looked pretty badass with clear hotrod influence. The two-door coupe concept looked low and wide, and the cab-back design, paired with massive front arches and a huge front grille definitely exuded performance than the production model just never lived up to.

BMW 8 Series

The new BMW 8 Series is by no means an ugly vehicle, few BMWs are, really. But the new luxury GT coupe from BMW, that replaces the 6 Series and revives a decades old nameplate, has lost a little something special from the concept that previewed it. The shark-like concept was low and sleek, with curves exuding finesse rather than sharp angles. It seemed to almost derive influence from the Z4, and yet the production 8 Series – despite narrow headlamps and aggressive bodywork – looks a little clunky by comparison. It’s a bit disappointing really that BMW would preview a massively important vehicle with a concept whose details would fail to make it to production.

Subaru Legacy

Sleek head and taillights, a strong shoulder line, square front and rear styling and a sleek coupe-like greenhouse all made the 2015 Subaru Legacy Concept look like an absolute winner. It had us salivating, knowing that the all-wheel drive sedan would likely be great to drive and offer top notch safety to boot. But in 2017 when the production model was unveiled, the Legacy had gone from fine concept to frumpy production sedan. Sure, it’s safe, and it’s decent to drive, but Subaru couldn’t have gone any more vanilla if they’d tried. It’s the story of every Subaru concept, really.

Honda Civic Type R Concept II

Honda’s Civic Type R has always been an exceptional hot hatch, but the last two generations elevated its stature by incredible performance, and even more incredible Nurburgring lap times. But in the build-up to the nameplate’s revival – a long, long build-up – concept Type Rs got our hearts racing with their aggressive styling. Properly flared bodywork, rather than bolt-on flares, and an incredible rear wing housing the brake lights looked absolutely stunning. But when the FK2 debuted in production guise, it looked like a cheap origami imitation of the concept that left us all salivating.

Dodge Charger

Back in 1999, Dodge revealed a concept for the new Dodge Charger – the production version of which would only debut some seven years later. A low, wide nose and a sleek body made the coupe-like concept incredibly striking, seeming more like a proper sports coupe than a revival of a muscle car icon. The 2006 production Charger looked nothing like the concept; taller, squarer, and far less imposing. In fact aside from the family grill design, the concept and production Charger were so different you’d swear they were products of different brands altogether.