Long-term test: BMW X3 30e xDrive M Sport

Verdict

First impressions reveal a high-quality, beautifully finished SUV, but one not as spacious or practical as my previous, longer ID.7 test car. Such are the packaging benefits of EVs. Plug-in hybrids are getting some stick for producing greater CO2 emissions than claimed, so it’ll be fascinating to see how our BMW PHEV performs, especially on efficiency. 

• Mileage: 2,710 miles
• Efficiency: 64.8mpg

Plug-in hybrids: the best-of-both worlds or the devil’s work? Given its Fire Red paint and matt black 21-inch alloys, the X3 30e M Sport is a dead-ringer for South Park’s Satan, but fuel efficiency is borderline angelic. 

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We’ve travelled 468 miles so far and there’s still one-third of the first tank remaining. That’s because my home wallbox keeps the 19.7kWh battery topped up, costing about £16 on electricity so far. Fully charged the 30e is good for 50 miles of EV range, quietly undertaking school runs and shopping trips while emitting zero emissions.

The 181bhp motor sandwiched between the engine and eight-speed automatic transmission has plenty enough grunt to hustle the X3 along. And that’s a good thing because there’s little pleasure to be had from the four-cylinder turbo kicking in. It sounds rather wheezy and – like many hybrids – can trigger some indecision about whether the car should engage electric or combustion mode, particularly if you come on and off the throttle swiftly at roundabouts or junctions.

Used - available now

2020 BMW

X3

43,086 milesAutomaticDiesel2.0L

Cash £18,815

View X3

2017 BMW

X3

55,327 milesAutomaticDiesel2.0L

Cash £22,335

View X3

2020 BMW

X3

49,671 milesAutomaticDiesel3.0L

Cash £24,500

View X3

2021 BMW

X3

43,411 milesAutomaticDiesel2.0L

Cash £26,326

View X3

My mission is to avoid using petrol almost as much as I did in my previous long-termer, the all-electric Volkswagen ID.7, and our 64.8mpg average is a good start. One long journey was a weekday cruise to Gaydon’s British Motor Museum. The M Sport suspension has an underlying tautness but comfortably shrugs off potholes and crests, and the car is pretty quiet at motorway speeds. Setting off fully charged, the 30e returned 76.3mpg but drained the battery on the outward leg, leading to 47.8mpg over the 182-mile round trip. 

The standard, figure-hugging M sports seats are plumper than November turkeys but a lot more vegan. The £1,350 glass sunroof lifts the dark cabin, which has a few characterful touches compared with our previous BMW 530e long-termer. There are huge side pods housing the door handle and an air vent with an elaborate slider control, and the big, angled central cubby contains a wireless charging smartphone plinth and two cup-holders. 

The X3 range starts at £51,605 for the 20 petrol xLine, with the diesel only £1,135 more. It’s an almost £6k jump to the plug-in 30e xLine, with our M Sport version costing £59,015 – before a lot of options. The aforementioned paint and wheels are £875 and £2,150 respectively, and we’ve got three option packs. M Sport Pro Pack (£2,300) adds the Iconic Glow kidney grille, red brake calipers and the dechromed, high-gloss black exterior finishes. Completing the external mods are a £1,025 tow bar and £450 sun protection glass.

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The £1,350 Comfort Plus Pack includes rear window blinds, plus heated seats all round, cooled front perches with lumbar support, and Harman Kardon surround sound. The silky M steering wheel gets £250 heating, and while the £450 woven fabric upholstery looks great, I roll elbows-out van driver-style and it’s like resting your arm on a cheese grater.

The £2,275 Technology Pack polishes things off with a driver-monitoring camera, head-up display, automated parking and stop-and-go driver assistance. The total cost of these options is a remarkable £13,975 – almost the price of a new Dacia Sandero. 

The X3 is, of course, BMW’s mid-size SUV and space is adequate: two six-footers can sit in tandem with about an inch of rear kneeroom. The wide, shallow boot has no load lip, but the hybrid battery prevents any proper underfloor stowage, so carrying the charging cable will nibble into its modest 460-litre capacity.

*Insurance quote from AA (0800 107 0680) for a 42-year-old in Banbury, Oxon, with three points.

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