I have to be honest and say that the original X3 never truly pushed the right buttons for me. Now I adore the 3-series Bimmer range on the whole, who doesn’t? After all, it’s been one of the most successful lineups ever produced, yet the X3 never seemed to mesh in with the rest of the group. To me, it was plain and simply a huge letdown after experiencing the larger X5.

However, BMW has now completely revamped the X3, and so it’s time to give the vehicle another kick at the can! Perhaps they’ve made enough changes to win me over.

Well the exterior certainly looks a lot better. In fact, I’ll admit to being quite impressed with the new look. The X3 now appears worthy of its larger stable mate, and in some ways appears slightly better proportioned than the X5. The vehicle also looks to be bigger, although if one were to pull out the old measuring tape, you’d find that there’s not much in it really, a few millimeters here and there. However, perhaps one of the smartest moves the company made was to lower the appearance of the vehicle’s roof height. For some reason the old X3 always looked a tad tall for its size. The new version appears suitably squat and sporty, which is how it should be if it’s to carry the 3-series nameplate.

The interior has also been dramatically improved. In my opinion, the older model always appeared to be lacking in a few of the niceties of life. In fact, the old model almost bordered on the drab and boring. This has all changed and I’m pleased to report that the new X3 now boasts an interior worthy of its price tag. There’s also considerably more rear legroom as a result of its new dimensions, and that’s going to please a lot of buyers.

Of course, if you’re going to place the number three on any BMW, then it needs to perform well on the road, and this was probably the biggest surprise for me! In truth, I fully expected the new model to be simply a dressed-up version of the old, and I’m pleased to say that it’s not. The wider and more aggressive stance probably helps a great deal with this, but the new model handles much better than the previous version. Many complained of the older X3 being a tad harsh on the road and this has now been rectified. The 2011 X3 rides much softer in many ways, and yet it hugs the road when asked. Yes, this is exactly how a BMW should behave!

Of course, the X3’s 50/50 weight distribution must also play a large part in all this, and is something almost unheard of in vehicles of this type! Then again, BMW has always had a firm grasp on how to set up a vehicle weight-wise.