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As with all BMWs, even a short drive in the car becomes memorable and a trip to Mahabaleshwar, six hours from Mumbai, reasserted this fact. The missus, my son and small bags were all I took on this trip and I am glad I didn’t do the whole holiday payload, which could have corrupted the handling. Clambering up into the firmly-padded driver’s seat gives the first sense that the X3 is part-SUV and part-saloon, simply because you don’t sit as high up as in the former or as low down as in the latter. But, while the seating gives the impression of SUV and saloon, the drive experience leaves no place for ambiguity – it is sports car all the way.

The 2.5-litre straight six that powers the 325i saloon will also power the X3. And, like the 325i, this too has the same linear power delivery and the same eagerness to rev. However, the X3 is different in the fact that it weighs 370 kilos more than the 325i and so performance isn’t as brilliant. In addition, the thick slug of mid-range torque that a typical modern common-rail diesel belts out was also missing, but that does not mean that this car is slow; certainly not. The fact is that this precious motor is best when worked close to its redline and one really needs to get the revs up to really bring out its best. And, on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, I got the opportunity to do just that. Shifting the six-speed auto box into ‘Sport’ mode, the engine would hold revs till the 6500rpm redline before the gearbox would shift up.

The transmission is incredibly responsive and kicks down in a flash to a lower cog, to make most of the power-band. The result is a seamless surge of power which whisks the X3 to some serious speeds. The strong top-end and unflappable poise make the X3 a fantastic highway muncher and, not surprisingly, the Expressway got over in a flash.

The four-wheel drive system developed by Magna Steyr, which works through a centrally-mounted, multi-plate clutch, gives the X3 some amount of off-road capability, but it’s clear that the setup of the car is clearly directed more at performance on the road than off it. On the Expressway, the flat surface didn’t disturb the X3’s composure and even the odd pothole on the roads leading to the Expressway was dispatched with a muted thud. However, it was the Pali Road (there is a 40km road to Wakan on the Goa Road via Pali that I take as a short-cut and this is ideal to test the chassis of any car; it has a delectable assortment of twists and bends over undulating landscape), that exposed one of the X3’s flaws – a jittery ride, especially for the rear passengers.

On an uneven road, there is too much vertical movement and an unsettling rebound motion from the rear. The aggressively-tuned suspension sacrifices ride comfort to a large extent, in the interest of pin-sharp handling. Another point which undermines the X3’s refinement is a distinct drone, which sounds like it’s coming from the tyres, but is actually from the final drive. This is accentuated by the hushed performance of the silky-smooth and super-refined engine which we have already begun to take for granted.

The final lap to Mahabaleshwar is the 40km ghat from Poladpur. Powering through hairpins, it was easy to get bogged down by the DSC, the warning light flashing away wildly, accompanied by an irritating interruption in power as the system sensed the wheels were breaking traction. The good thing is that you can switch the DSC off completely by holding the button down for a couple of seconds. The X3 comes with amazing brakes and even if you make an emergency stop mid-corner, you are still very much in control.

I only took my eyes off the road and noticed the interiors of the car after I reached my destination. While the hard, shiny finish on the top of the dash and the armrests, front and back, are a touch too crude for a car of this class and price, the buttons and switches feel nice to use. The seats offer amazing comfort and luggage area is generous as well. As far as style quotient is concerned, the X3 does look a bit odd from certain angels. Priced at Rs 43.78 lakh, the X3 isn’t exactly cheap, but for those who can wait, a 3.0-litre diesel engine is on its way later in the year.

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