Year of BMW X3




Making it's debut the 2004 BMW X3 is available in the following trimlines: 2.5i, and 3.0i. The 3.0i is powered by a 3.0L V6 225-hp engine and the 2.5i is powered by a 2.5L V6 184-hp engine. The 3.0i and 2.5i come coupled to a standard six-speed manual transmission, or an optional five-speed automatic transmission with overdrive.

BMW X3 photos, specs - Car Pictures & Images

The BMW X3 is a compact crossover SUV (BMW advertises it as an SAV, or Sport Activity Vehicle) produced by the German automaker BMW. It is based on the BMW 3-Series E46 automobile platform. The X3 3.0i won the Canadian Car of the Year Best New Sport Utility Vehicle award for 2005.

Along the heels of a successful and ongoing production run of the BMW X5, BMW decided in the early millennium that it wanted to compete with the likes of the Land Rover Freelander and other small SUVs just as the X5 had previously done so well in its respective classes. Thus the X3 (internally known as E83), was born.

Used BMW X3

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What thus emerged was a concept unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show in 2003. Dubbed the xActivity, BMW previewed to the public for the first time what a smaller SAV based on a 3 Series platform would look like. The concept had no windows, for the most part no roof, and a sleek futuristic interior. Only the basic shape of the car would emerge as the BMW X3.

Just as BMW used many parts from the E39 5 Series parts bin in the making of the X5, the same occurred in the X3's development, whereby BMW engineers reused 3 Series parts. In fact, complete sets of parts came straight out of the E46 330xi unchanged in the X3 (e.g. rear suspension).

Austrian automotive contractor Magna Steyr of Graz, Austria performed additional development work and has been contracted to manufacture all first-generation X3s.

Main article: BMW xDrive

When the BMW X3 premiered in late 2003, BMW announced that it would be using a new 4 wheel drive system to power it and its bigger brother - The (refreshed) X5. The two key things about xDrive are, first, it being one of the first technologies used to intervene before the driver was ever aware that the car could be unstable, and second, it being transparent (i.e. unknown) to the driver.

The BMW X3 was initially criticized for its harsh ride, an austere, minimalist interior that relied heavily on obviously plastic components, and limited off-road usage, through its heavily road-biased chassis set-up. Critics also felt the car was overpriced; a basic 2.5i, which lacked cruise control or automatic headlights and had vinyl upholstery, exceeded $30,000 in the U.S. (Vinyl has never been offered in other markets). BMW sought to rectify these complaints in 2005, with various upgrades (see below). The X3 also disappointed some BMW purists by not being assembled at a BMW factory; instead, the car's production was outsourced to Magna Steyr, based in Graz, Austria. However, Magna Steyr has won numerous awards for quality and has been the highest rated car assembly factory in Europe. It has also manufactured - amongst others - European market Chrysler/ Jeep products, the 4-Matic Mercedes E Class derivatives, and even Saab 9-3 convertibles.



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BMW X3 Pictures by Years

2008
2008 bmw x3
2007
2007 bmw x3
2006
2006 bmw x3
2005
2005 bmw x3
2004
2004 bmw x3
2003
2003 bmw x3
2000
2000 bmw x3
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