• Year: 2004
• Make: BMW
• Model: X3
• Trim: 3.0i
• Body style: SUV
• Mileage: 41592
• Engine: 6 Cyl. 3.0
• Trans: 6 Speed Manual
• Exterior Color: BLUE
• Interior Color: Grey
• Stock: 974011
• VIN: WBXPA93424WA30477

Active safety features are impressive and add to driver confidence and enjoyment. The xDrive system uses an electronically controlled array of clutches to disperse the engine's torque among the four wheels the instant it's needed, even to the point of sending 100 percent of the traction to any single wheel. Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) works to rein in the car when it's over-extended in cornering or emergency maneuvers. Electronic throttle control reduces engine power when necessary to regain traction. The antilock brake system (ABS), allows the driver to maintain steering control in a panic braking situation. Electronic brake-force distribution (EBD) improves braking performance by adjusting front/rear brake balance. Dynamic Brake Control, or Brake Assist, recognizes emergency brake application and maintains full braking force even if the driver relaxes pressure on the brake pedal.

That famous grille applied to a smaller SUV.

On first impression, people familiar with BMW interiors will feel right at home in the X3. Controls are where they should be and feel the way they should, with the proper directional movement, resistance and detents. Instruments are easy to read at a glance and communicate the proper and necessary information. The display for the optional navigation system is one of the most thoughtfully positioned of the lot, rotating up out of the top center of the dash so it's visible to driver and navigator but nestled unobtrusively halfway down in the recess where it stows when not in use.

The front seats are supportive and comfortably bolstered. The standard seats are more comfortable than the sport seats and quite adequately restrain the occupants' posteriors when the way turns winding. Seatbelts feel right, properly tensioned. Ranges of seat adjustment are extensive, to the point a six-footer can enjoy major amounts of headroom and actually put the steering wheel and forward footwell wall out of reach; at these extremes, however, rear-seat legroom is seriously diminished.

Dimensionally, the X3's interior compares favorably with its most likely direct competition, the Lexus RX 330 and Infiniti FX35, giving up an inch or so here and gaining the same there. In many measures it bests the more expensive X5. There's almost an inch more legroom in front and about half an inch more in the rear, for instance. Front-seat headroom is about a half inch less than in the X5, but rear-seat headroom is nearly an inch greater. On the downside, the X3's rear seat is quite firm and virtually flat, like a church pew, where the X5 and the others offer more form fit and comfort. The X3's rear center head restraint is fixed, offering no vertical adjustment.

Storage areas are numerous and flexible, many fitted with netting that stretches to accommodate odd shapes and medium-sized water bottles. Rear-door map pockets forfeit several square inches to the Europeans' unabated addiction to ash trays. Cargo area, though, is impressive, exceeding the X5's by 2 cubic feet with the rear seats folded, and slotting in between the RX 330's 84.7 cubic feet and the FX35's 64.5.

So much for the tape measure. Where the X3 disappoints is in the intangible and tactile, how the interior looks and feels. Yes, it's roomy. And yes, the seats do their job, and admirably. The stereo, too, is a quality unit surrounding occupants with balanced sounds.

But textures and materials generally come across as plasticky and low budget. Metallic trim accents remind us of discount wallpaper. There are two front cup holders, but the one mounted on the center console is sized more for soda pop cans than coffee cups or water bottles and looks like an afterthought, something cobbled together and glued in place forward of the armrest/storage bin. German designers cannot understand Americans' fondness of cup holders. The passenger cup holder pops out of the end of the dash by the door, where it gets bumped by knees when the passenger is climbing in or out of the car. Door closings are followed by a hint of a hollow echo, instead of the solid ''thunk'' so common on BMWs.

Owners of the X5 may be forgiven for doing a double take when they see the BMW X3, as the two are nearly perfect images of each other. Only when parked side by side are the differences noticeable, and then only to the extent of mere inches or much less.

There's the traditional twin-kidney grille, of course. From the front, the stance looks much the same, with fenders tautly blistered over wide and widely spaced tires, giving the X3 a BMW-like, road-grabbing face. This is no real surprise, as the X3 is but 0.7 inches narrower than the X5; its track, too, is within an inch and a half of the X5's.

Much the same goes for the side view, with a mild character crease bridging the space between the fender blisters and a relatively low beltline adding openness to the side windows. The trademark dogleg in the rear quarter window has been stretched a bit, however. Physical measurements support the visual similarities. The X3's 110-inch wheelbase is less than 1 inch shy of the X5's, and its overall length comes up short of the X5's 183.7 inches by only 4 inches. The X5 is also but 1.5 inches taller.

From the rear, the only marked difference is the single, double-tipped exhaust exiting on the left side where the X5 sports dual exhausts exiting at the corners.

The BMW X3 is hard to beat for people who want BMW's heritage look, powertrain and packaging, but desire the flexibility a sport-utility vehicle offers, or vice versa.

The xDrive, Dynamic Stability Control and Hill Descent Control combine to offer excellent handling, grip, traction, stability in adverse conditions: on gravel roads, muddy two-tracks and snow-covered backroads.

Overall fit is up to the marque's standards. The interior finish is disappointing, however. Leaving the options boxes unchecked yields an affordable and capable SUV that requires no apology, and judicious checking lets even a cost-conscious shopper have the desired luxuries.

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