Here are three words you’d never hear my old man string together: “luxury,” “compact,” and “crossover.” Harmless on their own, combined—as with the words “leisure” and “suit” and “light” and “beer”—they take on a new meaning, one that delivers visions of compromise and potential disappointment. No wonder Dad spent most of the 1970s in a perpetual state of squinty-eyed contempt. Had BMW’s multi-talented X3 xDrive28i been around back then, though, he might have realized that versatility doesn’t always mean abandoning integrity.
Apples to Apples
We’re not saying that BMW’s feisty four-door compact SUV can climb like a monster truck in the morning and impersonate an M3 on the autobahn that evening, but it can handle both environments competently, and it also admirably mixes luxury with all the utility most buyers will ever need.
Not a lot has changed cosmetically since BMW re-upped the X3 for its second-generation debut in the 2011 model year, but the turbo four tested here is new to the x28i for 2013. And while we’re sad to see BMW’s legendary straight-six get ditched in pursuit of a few mpg (you can still get a turbo six in the pricier X3 xDrive35i), we’re happy to report that the 2.0-liter engine pinched from the parts bin is no slacker. It matches the outgoing 3.0-liter straight-six pony for pony at 240 horsepower, and betters it in the torque department, yielding 260 lb-ft of twist from 1250-4800 rpm. Variable valve and camshaft timing, direct injection, and twin-scroll turbocharging keep the torque curve flatter than a third-grader’s bassoon solo.
Another trick piece of engineering BMW employs to keep the power so accessible is separating spent exhaust gasses, routing them down separate, spiral paths—think bath water circling the drain—en route to the turbine wheel. BMW says it reduces backpressure at low rpm and utilizes exhaust pulses more efficiently. Call us weird, but incremental gains in efficiency and performance earned by clever engineering make us giddy.
Away from CAD files and on the road, the engine pulls strongly at low rpm to redline, and actually seems to enjoy operating in the upper region of the tach. Acceleration is right in line with the segment, with this X3 hitting 60 mph in 6.2 seconds and knocking off the quarter-mile in 14.8 seconds …
Read more: Andrew Wendler, Car and Driver
