BMW X3

Whatever the case, “Dreier”, not saloon, but SAV (Sport Activity Vehicle) with “X” badge has always been sidelined. It was produced in Graz, its interior was not striking, it was small, and by no means a car that could be called sexy. The first encounter with the second “Dreier”, planned for the Paris Motor Show in October this year was secondary. Of course, the new 6 Series was catching the eye all the time.

Therefore, it was necessary to come to Marrakesh. The truth is that you have to travel 13 hours, change 4 flights to get there, especially in the organization of our importer, who due to the saving of few hundred euros took away two nights sleep from the reporters. OK, there is a financial crisis, so it is quite normal that “the seventh power” feels the belt-tightening, even without any sleep.

The Desired Combination
Getting up early, while it was still dark outside, I took an X3 with the configuration that I would have liked to buy (not the most rational) if there was not any financial limit, of course. So, I sit in a car with two liter diesel engine and new, eight speed automatic transmission. I must say that I quite consciously discarded manual unit since I was personally in doubt of ability and speed of any human being compared to digital gear changes and fuel savings realized in the process. I wished, among other things, to try the new Stop & Go function, first time installed on an automatic gear box ever.

The color is blue metallic and does not fit into the shabby journalist tricks of composing color of the car with that one in factory materials, but it is a great contrast with colors of honey, sand and yellow soil that dominates the landscape of the Maghreb countries. While cautiously running through the morning traffic of Marrakech, which works by its own rules, heading to the slopes of the Atlas Mountains where an interesting off-road driving is promised, I think about the symbolism of connecting three continents through this promotion – the first presentation has been in Paris, Europe.

Global Action
BMW X3 is now produced in Spartanburg, in the BMW’s factory in South Carolina, USA, where I have been in 1999, at the world premiere of the first X5, when BMW began conquering SUV segment. Now, twelve years later, it represents the second-generation X3, positioned between X1 and X5. Ah, yes, in the mean time showed up X6 – SUV coup! It is pretty much for eleven years, isn’t it?

The first drives are taking place in Africa, in a country that inspires the thoughts about the origins and age. The facts and events on all three continents, in fact, reminds of how small the world is, how new models are made to satisfy all customers, regardless of where they come from, the climate they live in or the culture they belong to.

The recent visit to BMW’s test center in Munich in which have been invested 130 million euros as well as the first empirical kilometers of the new X3 reiterated why the BMW brand is in the top five most valuable in the world, and certainly the most valuable in the automotive industry. They are acting globally across all verticals, levels and geographic areas!

The Favorite Toy
The first few kilometers on wheels on a seemingly endless stony desert, where the road track hardly differs from the environment, provides irrefutable evidence of the traditional BMW seat comfort, for which my spinal discs have become the real “experts”. There are quite few SUVs in this class and the ones above it, in which some sensitive back is “clattering” on African and other bumps with no (pain) sensation. The superior suspension and ergonomics are exactly what we have expected from a premium brand, as well as the ventilation system and air-conditioning. It goes without saying that the closed air system has been activated all the time driving, and that the massive Moroccan dust has had a chance to enter only through open windows and sunroof. I played with the sunroof extensively during the ride. By the way, it is one of my favorite toys on the BMW’s gigantic list of accessories.

The good side of driving in the remote locations is certainly that you can use the cell phone with impunity. The smile on my face has been caused by just received SMS with information that the temperature in our homeland dropped below zero, and I ride below bright sun of North Africa, on 19˚C. If ever comes to your mind to get to this Maghreb country driving a car, running away from the harsh Danube wind, frost and icy December, and for example, checking out the yield of olives and the taste of ripe pomegranate. As a required travelling companion, I recommend the radio station “Luxe”!

Sting’s song “Englishman in New York” in an Arab cover with the sound of nays is a necessary supplement for the full experience of cosmopolitan BMW X3. I must add that I almost fell out of the car in the stony desert when I heard the Il Diva’s song “Hallelujah” at the top of the Atlas. I thought that maybe there was some hidden camera…

The road we follow looks like the surface of the moon. The convoy stops and starts again every minute. This is a common thing in these off-road rides, but this time is pretty convenient for checking the active Stop & Go system which works flawlessly, just like in the city. Although I was alone in the car, I laughed aloud at my distrust towards this technology. That luck of trust is still surviving from „prehistoric“ starters as atavistic fear, deeply embedded since the first „dead bendix“ on the old Diana from my girlish days, or „giunto“ on the Fiat 750 LE („Cinquecento“ for those who can’t remember). I am constantly worried: „But what if the Stop & Go breaks down and stops my car in the middle of nowhere? Sorry BMW, nothing personal, but the old fears are never forgotten…

The driver’s console is still asymmetrical, and in the service of the driver. All others just sit in the car to get to the destination, but even more important, their role is to open a bottle of water for the driver or change the music, even in the X3. This kind of orientation is OK as long as it is consistent with the slogan of “joy riding”. “The navigation Screen” I write with the capital “S” because with its 8.8 inch diameter is the largest in the segment. The screen, combined with iDrive display embellishes central console like a Christmas tree. So, I’m fine with it - give the adrenalin to the driver and comfort to the passengers, especially if they are placed on the back seats, which are surprisingly comfortable, providing more room for your legs than one could imagine regarding this class…

The Donkey “3 in 1”
The volume of cargo space can theoretically rise to 1600 liters. In the surrounding of Amizmiz village, the main mean of transport is donkey. Maybe that is why we have our slang term “donkey” for an SUV. In Amizmiz, they don’t measure cargo volume in liters, but by the poor animal’s endurance. Our “animal” is “dubbed” X3, and certainly more durable due to its permanent xDrive all-wheel drive, and especially to its new two-liter diesel “heart” with 184 hp and 370 Nm of torque. For this SAV weighing 1880 kg (“fattened” 40 kg compared to the previous model), this basic two-liter engine, combined with our “fiscal burdens” is an optimal choice with the “3 in 1” principle. Why so?

Three reasons have overpowered my affection for the “big brother”: 1. it is easier to find sufficient parking place for the “little brother”; 2. the little one can do the same things as the big one; 3. “two liters” can chase this “donkey” pretty “lively”, even without tuning and paying the high tax to our minister for entertaining, but really unnecessary large displacement engine…