BMW X3

For reasons I'm finding difficult to fathom, the X3 has long waiting lists. This despite the fact that there's not so far been the option of the usual 4x4 engine of choice, a diesel. Well now there is, and it gets the two-litre engine that does such a good job in small BMWs. I have to be careful here. The X3 has been given such a slagging off by the press that you might think I'm just giving it a good kicking for the sake of it. So I'll try and give you a fair appraisal of its few virtues and manifold shortcomings.

Right, engine first. BMW's four-cylinder diesel has got better and better over the past few years, taking steady power hikes to 125kW in the 120d. However, in the X3 it gets 150bhp, the same level as the 3-Series. Why? So eventually it will meet EU4, though it doesn't yet. Because emissions from an engine are proportional to the fuel it's using, and as it uses more in a big heavy car, it follows that the X3 needs a fundamentally cleaner engine than a 1-Series. Still, surely 125kW and a big wad of diesel torque should be enough?

Nope. This X3 struggles - in sixth gear on the motorway the powertrain is quiet but pretty well acceleration-free. Change down and it has to work hard, so it gets noisy. Even in fourth it struggles to overtake or climb hills. Still, the handling's decent enough - never agile, but predictable through corners. The penalty is the ride: BMW has used ultra-tight springs to try to contain the rock'n'roll of a high vehicle. And it's especially bad at town speeds... so in the one environment where you're not cursing the limited performance, you notice the quaking ride.

Upsides? Well, the nicely made interior has typically excellent BMW seats and controls - confident gearshift and brakes, accurate if gloopy steering. The boot's big. But then we're back to the drawbacks: the rear seat is low-set, which cuts legroom compared with competitors.

It's been said often enough that this isn't actually an off-roader at all. Mind you, the awful ride makes any smooth road feel like a dirt track... so maybe that's what BMW means by off-roader.

Paul Horrell