BMW India has been moving from strength to strength, and having started with a small series in their first year, the Chennai plant is already being expanded to handle 10,000 units this year. It’s not just luck or a strong brand following that led to this phenomenal growth, because much of the credit goes to strategic planning and deployment of products. BMW India has maintained the momentum by keeping a steady pace of new listings on the market and the latest to join the bandwagon is the BMW X3, which promises to take the game a few notches higher in the category of luxury SUV small.
The last time BMW has the X3, it does not really cut the market because it was too square, the back was not very inspiring and all, it did not seem adequate. It also considered too small for a BMW and it does not have that touch of inspiration that gave you the idea of power, speed and handling. The BMW X3 has not really cut it in terms of appearance and the fact that it was well planned inside and he found no place in the Indian car market. Not yet ready to accept defeat, India, BMW pulled the plug on the X3 and decided to wait for the 2011 edition and that the new version surely had incorporated these missing elements.
They were right. Until the new X3 is a gamble that is intended to reap the benefits. The new BMW X3 is an amazing product. It borrows many of its design cues of its big brother, namely, the X5, but the designers have managed to stretch the sheet metal and cut a slender, elegant SUV that boasts of genes quintessential BMW. It has a strong position muscle, is well on its wheels and wide sports look deliberate. The waistline chiseled, BMW kidney grille, larger 17-inch wheels and headlights signature BMW all come together to create the perfect image. Then there is the back. Fortunately, BMW designers did not look at a cardboard box of inspiration this time, and carved on the back along the lines of the rear end X5. It’s got curves, chiseled edges and a neat rear light cluster that works well with the rest of the vehicle design and summarizes the situation quite well.
The interiors are typical of BMW in terms of supply of high quality materials, impeccable fit and finish and a host of gadgets and gizmos. The dashboard is well designed and finished in a two-tone look that is separated by a wooden insert. Apart from the driver information console which also houses the multifunction display unit, the X3 also comes with state of the art iDrive infotainment. An asymmetric center console tricks, to be a car driver, like most BMW, and the overall feel of the interior remains in line with the philosophy of the brand. The 8.8-inch high resolution screen featuring iDrive in the new BMW X3 also happens to be the largest on-board monitor in its segment.
