UK Specification BMW X3 SAV - In Depth

Press Release

Market

???????????????????????????????????Starting at under thirty thousand pounds, the new BMW X3 is set to continue the X success story. Demand is phenomenal, it is tempting more women and a younger audience towards the BMW brand, residuals are expected to be market-leading and it is unrivalled in its abilities.???????????????????????????????? Jim O??????????????????????????????????????Donnell, BMW Great Britain??????????????????????????????????????s managing director. The launch of the X3 sees BMW continuing its drive to supply premium vehicles in all market segments where customers desire high quality products. At the same time, BMW expands its X range of Sports Activity Vehicles ??????????????????????????????????????? cars that offer an unrivalled balance of fine on-road dynamics matched by impressive all-terrain ability. Following the January 2004 launch of the re-styled X5 with its new engines, gearboxes and the debut of xDrive, the X3 2.5i and 3.0i petrol models arrive at UK dealerships in May 2004. Both petrol variants were launched in the EU and USA in early 2004, with a 3.0-litre diesel model also available in Europe. A 2.0-litre diesel will arrive later in 2004 for all European markets with the UK expected to take delivery of the 3.0-litre diesel in 2005, a wait imposed by the worldwide demand for BMW??????????????????????????????????????s outstanding 3.0-litre diesel unit across the company??????????????????????????????????????s range of 3 Series, 5 Series, 7 Series and X5 models. Early indications from the dealerships suggest that BMW??????????????????????????????????????s decision to take a lead with a premium vehicle in the small/medium 4x4 market was a sound one with over 3,000 X3s pre-ordered in the UK before the end of 2003. When the car goes on sale in May, all of 2004??????????????????????????????????????s allocation of over 5,000 cars will be accounted for. In a full year with diesel models incorporated into the range over 10,000 X3s will take to UK roads. The launch of the X3 could not have been timed better ??????????????????????????????????????? BMW predicts a worldwide sales increase of 50 per cent in the SUV/SAV market over the next ten years. This popularity is reflected in the UK where, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, the Dual Purpose segment of the market, which includes all 4x4s and SUVs, has almost tripled in numbers over the last ten years to 159,000 sales in 2003 and doubled its market share to 6.2 per cent of the UK car market. Purchasing an X3 should be a sound financial decision, with CAP and Glass??????????????????????????????????????s Guide predicting typically high residuals for a BMW. According to CAP??????????????????????????????????????s March 2004 figures, the X3 immediately goes to the head of the SUV/SAV pack for its 3 years/60,000 miles value. The X3 2.5i SE will retain 54 per cent of its on-the-road price of ????????????????????28,715, an impressive figure when compared to the residual values of potential petrol competitors such as the Land Rover Freelander 2.5i V6 SE (37%) and the Lexus RX300 SE (47%). Glass??????????????????????????????????????s Guide is expecting a similarly strong performance, predicting that the X3 3.0i SE will retain 52 per cent of its value over 3 years or 60,000 miles. Strong residual values and the X3??????????????????????????????????????s relative rarity will make it an important car for user choosers in the fleet market. Retail sales are expected to dominate however, with a 70 per cent bias towards the private purchaser. More than 40 per cent of X3s are expected to be owned by women, an increase over the X5 which shows 20 per cent female ownership. Graeme Grieve, sales director, BMW Great Britain said, ???????????????????????????????????The X3 offers the BMW dealer network the opportunity to achieve a high level of conquest activity and to welcome new customers to the BMW brand. All reports indicate that our dealers have taken on that challenge successfully, proving that the X3 fills a niche in BMW??????????????????????????????????????s product line-up.???????????????????????????????? First indications are that the X3 appeals to many non-BMW owners with BMW dealers reporting major interest from owners of competitor SUVs, 4x4s and estates, including the Land Rover Freelander, Lexus RX300 and a number of owners looking to trade up from less expensive SUVs such as Honda??????????????????????????????????????s CR-V and Toyota??????????????????????????????????????s RAV4. The styling, combined on- and off-road ability and renowned BMW quality are cited as major factors in many of the orders taken from non-BMW owners. With the launch of the X3, BMW now offers four premium vehicles capable of transporting loads and providing thrilling on-road dynamic appeal ??????????????????????????????????????? BMW 3 Series and new 5 Series Touring, X3 and X5. Each model displays proven BMW traits, but equally each provides bespoke features and a distinct choice within the market. The phrases ?????????????????????????????????choice?????????????????????????????????????? or ?????????????????????????????????lifestyle?????????????????????????????????????? are all too often bandied about, but with the introduction of the X3, customers can select from the BMW range a car which offers a distinct solution to their own lifestyles. Equally, conquests will be made from rival marques where, historically, customers felt that the BMW Touring models or the X5 just did not suit their requirements. As with the launch of the X5 in 2000, there are no direct competitors for the premium-positioned X3 in the UK market. However, a number of manufacturers are expected to follow in the X3??????????????????????????????????????s tracks and launch small/medium 4x4s.

Design

???????????????????????????????????The fundamental aim of the BMW X3 design process was to create a premium car that, both inside and out, visually communicated its ruggedness, great driving dynamics, exceptional four-wheel-drive abilities and everyday practicality.???????????????????????????????? Chris Bangle, director of BMW Group Design. The design and dimensions of the new X3 offer practical applications for many driving experiences and allow clear differentiation within BMW??????????????????????????????????????s family of SAVs and dynamic Touring models. The X3 stands out from the crowd of mass-market SUVs, but remains clearly part of the expanding BMW family of premium cars.

Exterior

Externally, the X3 features all the design traits of a BMW. Traits that either visually imply, or physically contribute to, superb driving dynamics:

• Double kidney grille and twin headlamps
• Long ridged bonnet
• Flared wheel arches
• Steeply raked A-pillars that allow the driver and passenger cell to be placed well back from the front axle and engine bay
• Short overhangs and a long wheelbase
• Concave and convex surfaces that suggest power and dynamism combined with lightness and agility
• The Hofmeister kink at the base of the C-pillar

The exterior has also been designed to cope with a rugged lifestyle with forays off-road and its design indicates its functional qualities:

• High ground clearance
• Hard-wearing and practical plastic bumpers
• Tailgate opens low to the ground and lifts to a steep angle offering a large aperture and easy loading
• Front and rear Park Distance Control
• Roof rails

Importantly, the exterior also features all the hallmarks of a premium driver??????????????????????????????????????s car:

• Roof spoiler
• Body coloured door mirrors
• Foglights
• Twin stainless steel exhaust pipes
• Brushed aluminium running boards (optional)
• Clear front indicator lights
• 17???????????????????????????????? double-spoke alloys

Dimensionally, the new X3 slots neatly into the X5, 3 Series and 5 Series Touring model line-ups. All four cars offer practicality, style and performance, but all appeal to subtly different customer demands and lifestyles. The X3 offers an even more nimble drive than the X5 and off-road potential lacking in the 3 and 5 Series Touring models. It is shorter by 102mm, narrower by 19mm and lower by 66mm than the X5 and shorter by 278mm, wider by 7mm and taller by 183mm than the 5 Series Touring. Compared to the 3 Series Touring, the X3 is 87mm longer, 114mm wider and 265mm taller, yet can almost match the compact executive class leader dynamically, while offering the safety benefits and practical advantages associated with its size. The X3??????????????????????????????????????s practical abilities are myriad, based on a competitive high ground clearance of 201mm. This ride height allows the X3 to be driven in a range of environments, a flexibility that allows the car to tackle a mix of slopes and surfaces, with an approach angle of 26.1 degrees, a departure angle of 23.6 degrees and a break-over angle of 19 degrees. Finally, a wading depth of 500mm confirms the car??????????????????????????????????????s off-road potential. Far more X3 journeys will be completed on tarmacadam therefore the car must look impressive on-road and behave impeccably. The X3 features typical BMW proportions and details that emphasise the design language of the 7 Series, Z4, 5 Series and 6 Series. Its styling offers a distinct balance of concave and convex body surfaces along the flanks, a raked, ridged bonnet and sharp folds on dramatic rear boot lines. The impression is as coup??????????????????-like as it is possible to achieve in a car of its dimensions. The visual impression of a true driver??????????????????????????????????????s car translates into reality. The X3 is the most aerodynamic car of its size and style. Many hours spent in BMW??????????????????????????????????????s wind tunnels, first with 1:2.5 models and then with full-size models, produced a drag coefficient Cd of just 0.35, contributing to outstanding driving dynamics and fuel efficiency. Lift forces at the front and rear are reduced and both the airflow at the back of the car (which affects lift forces) and drag are optimised by the streamlined rear roof spoiler. Options such as xenon headlights, a 0.65m2 panorama electric sunroof and four optional alloy wheel designs (two 17???????????????????????????????? and two 18????????????????????????????????) add to the car??????????????????????????????????????s visual and practical appeal. The X3 2.5i SE is offered in eight metallic paint colours (a ????????????????????525 option) or in the standard black or white non-metallic body colours. Metallic paint is standard for the 3.0i SE variant.

Interior

The BMW X3??????????????????????????????????????s interior reflects the exterior philosophy: stylish and practical with a focus on the driving experience. The dashboard, instrument panel and door interiors feature strong flowing lines on rugged, two tone surfaces. Controls are placed in a central binnacle that, in typical BMW fashion, looks clean, tidy and integrated within the facia. The form of the dashboard and door interiors is almost skeletal with a purity offered through the bare minimum of extraneous material and unnecessary accoutrements. These simple forms are highlighted on the doors by the large, dramatic slash-like grab handles, appearing almost to cocoon the driver and passengers in the car. The standard interior design offers three different seat cloth colours (anthracite, reed green, grey) on two different interior backgrounds in black or grey. The standard interior trim paint, Slate Grey Dark, is supplemented by three trim options ??????????????????????????????????????? buffed aluminium, a light Birch and a dark Maple. (Trim comprises the inner door handle surrounds and d??????????????????cor surrounding the instrument panel storage compartment and around the five-speed automatic or six-speed manual gear lever housing.) Optional seat and interior materials are black or sand beige Sensatec - a ?????????????????????????????????performance?????????????????????????????????????? material that is hard-wearing and leather-like in its appearance and feel - and Leather Ambiente in grey, black, terracotta, grey blue or sand beige. Standard interior equipment includes automatic air-conditioning, BMW Business radio with CD player and six CD preparation, four-spoke multi-function leather steering wheel with cruise control and Business radio/CD operation control and all-electric windows with anti-trap and comfort closing function. Optional highlights for the interior include Bluetooth and BMW Professional telephone preparation, Business and Professional navigation systems, Minidisc player, climate comfort windscreen, sports seats, seat heating, and fully electric seat adjustment with memory function for driver??????????????????????????????????????s seat, exterior mirrors, and steering column. X3 Sport models offer additional standard interior specification: sports seats and a three-spoke leather sports multi-function steering wheel. Sports seats are upholstered in cloth, Sensatec or leather and feature raised side squabs that offer improved lateral support for the driver and front passenger, further enhancing the driving pleasure. The X3 features all the practical stowage solutions one might expect, including front door stowage nets and pockets, rear door pockets, a large central storage compartment between driver and passenger and a folding armrest in the rear with integrated cupholders and a storage compartment. The X3, however, also offers bespoke features with functional details that add to the car??????????????????????????????????????s versatility. 480 litres of boot space is available with the rear seats in place. This increases to 1560 litres accessible with the 60:40 split-fold rear seats laid flat. These figures are impressive enough in themselves, but a key aim for such vehicles is exploiting the access to that space. The X3 designers have approached this challenge by offering a large one-piece tailgate that opens at the lowest possible shut-line and lifts up to an unusually high angle, offering 1.85 metres of clear space between the raised tailgate and the ground. This allows most people to stand up straight underneath the tailgate when loading/unloading, a key benefit that will take the strain from the users?????????????????????????????????????? backs if a load is heavy or unwieldy. The large tailgate, and easy access with minimal intrusion inside the boot from suspension and wheel mounting covers, makes the X3 a market-leader for practicality amongst small/medium four-wheel-drive vehicles. But BMW??????????????????????????????????????s designers did not stop there. Recognising the fact that the car will be used by owners with active lifestyles, BMW is offering twin mounting units for two mountain bikes as an accessory within the car. The bicycle rack locks into the optional recessed storage rail system on the floor of the boot and extends towards the driver and front passenger with the rear seats folded, keeping bikes secure during transit and safe from theft when parked. The familiar BMW skibag option is also offered and the car is able to tow up to 2000kg. Roof rails also come as standard and are able to support up to 75kg.