The 2021 BMW X3, and this body style X3 is probably still one of the most seen SUV’s on the road today. I fell in love with this car almost instantly. It is very similar to the older X5’s, which were super popular too. I just recently sold mine as we were downsizing…and with my new job I did not need multiple cars anymore.
This awesome compact SUV came with a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 engine producing 248 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. Although the specs are not that high on paper, I never had any complaints with this vehicle as a daily, or even for long trips or transporting small loads. The trunk size was not the best honestly, maybe about the same size as a standard sedan. A lot of times I had the fold the back seats down just to get my golf clubs in the back. Since we do not have any children in the house, it did not bother us too much, however if you have kids sitting in the back the trunk space may be a little small.
On top of the 19″ rims, mine also had most of the bells and whistles, including the 360 view parking camera, which made it that much more convenient. I had mine until just over 60,000 miles on it without any major problems or issues. Aside from regular maintenance, I had my suspension bushings replaced once. I did have a AC blend door issue, where the AC kept making noises, however they replaced my whole AC system under warranty.
Another thing I liked about this vehicle, is something you don’t see too often. The rear seats were adjustable, somewhat. Somewhat meaning the seats reclined slightly. Not that much, but just enough to give an extra level of comfort, and not having to sit completely up right in the rear seats. For people who get carsick, this actually helps out a lot.
Although this is not one of the fastest BMW’s, the fact that you get slightly over 30 miles per gallon makes up for it. And of course, that does not mean you will lack power either. I do wish mine had XDrive, however this was what was available at the time, and although I did want it, it didn’t really bother me too much that I didn’t have Xdrive on this one. This particular body style also came in a Xdrive30E, M40i, and a M version. The E is obviously the Plug In hybrid version of this car. The M40i comes with an inline 6 engine, 382 horses and adaptive sport suspension. And then there is the M, which is a Twin Turbo 6, active dual exhausts….473 HP, and 442 Torque….its an M.
You can still find some lower mileage used ones for 20k or even less these days. But as with any German import, make sure you purchase a extended warranty. Most dealer markups are pretty high when it comes to warranties, so you should be able to talk the dealers down a little bit on the price of a decent warranty. Most people think warranties are expensive, however 1 decent repair on your Euro can cost as much as the whole warranty.
Here is a video clip of me when I was driving to Carmax to sell this vehicle =(