Overview & Reviews

For 2006, BMW has discontinued the base 2.5i model.

• Nimble handling, precise steering, comfortable cabin, solid build quality, good cargo capacity for its size.

• Overly stiff ride, expensive for a compact sport-ute, some economy-grade interior materials.

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 50.00

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  Best in class - 2006 BMW X3
  By Joe Hicks - November 5 - 10:12 pm

  My BMW X3 seems to beg to be driven. It seems to be engineered to perform. The 6 cylinder has been very strong to have 130,000 miles on it. I would recommend anyone in the market for a suv to explore this option.

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  Why had I been driving anything else? - 2006 BMW X3
  By TMA - December 3 - 11:04 pm

  After 130K in a Pathfinder, I was looking for something a little more sporty, solid, fun to drive but still large to haul kids. Looked at a lot of replacement options but fell in love with the X3 about five minutes off the dealer lot in a test drive. Transmission is great. Smooth ride. Its hard to take my foot off the accelerator. Only complaint is the weird/basic radio system and "always on" lighter outlets. Hate to replace the radio with an aftermarket, but I need satellite radio, USB port for I- pod and an AUX port. Just learned today that they have discontinued production on Sirius receivers for the factory radio. Im going to put the Ipod/AUX ports up in the top dash compartment.

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  After 3 year lease, had to buy it! - 2006 BMW X3
  By John in Pittsburgh - February 19 - 10:21 pm

  After 35K miles, my assessment of this well-designed vehicle is you get what you pay for. It is not a sports car, so dont expect it to drive like a 3 series sedan, but then again, it doesnt drive like a truck either. The handling is still more impressive than a lot of cars, especially considering its an SUV (er, sorry BMW marketing guys... "SAV"). Its not a luxury car, so dont buy it if youre looking for a smooth, refined ride. However, if you want something that is truly fun to drive, yet also has a practical side (meaning you can actually give rides to adults and shop at The Home Depot) the X3 is a great choice. I constantly get genuine compliments from friends who own luxury sedans.

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  Love My X3! - 2006 BMW X3
  By J9 - September 15 - 5:31 pm

  This is a great SUV. This is my first BMW but I have driven many other luxury SUVs. By the way I was torn between this and the X5. I am glad that I chose this one. Better pricing and, believe it or not, a lot more cargo space in height area. Smooth ride. People are always amazed when they get in my truck because it is much bigger on the inside than it looks. Very spacious! Just put 18K on my baby. I love to drive this truck!

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  Great ride, but... - 2006 BMW X3
  By Vera - August 16 - 12:39 pm

  I have the X3 now for one year and love the way it handles. It does have a light hesitation, which is rather annoying (automatic transmission). My beef is with the electronics: the in-dash MP3 player is very touchy. My newer MP3 CDs didnt play at all (but they played in another BMW). Now I only get the "CD Check" 1/3 of the time, which means it cant read the CD. I had it looked at but they couldnt find anything wrong with it. Then the telephone function disappeared from my display. Also, the navigation is always off. Sometimes Im 50 feet in the boonies off the road, and the list goes on.

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  Perfection - 2006 BMW X3
  By Justin - June 3 - 8:26 pm

  What a great SAV. BMW hit the nail on the head with this one. The only downside to the car is the fuel efficency. Other than that I wouldnt change a thing.

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  Great SUV... could get a little better mpg - 2006 BMW X3
  By BostonB6 - January 17 - 3:01 pm

  Fantasic automobile. No problems in first 6 months/8k miles of ownership.

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  06 X3 - 2006 BMW X3
  By Tim McMahon - January 8 - 4:10 pm

  First let me say how impressed I was with the handling of this SAV. Coming from an M Coupe I was not expecting a vehicle of this size to handle so well. The only problem is the ride is very stiff- making driving on some roads downright painful. The design is excellent, very solid and additional features- bluetoot and MP3 inputs were a plus. And the heated steering wheel- very nice here in NY.

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  Improvements - 2006 BMW X3
  By Scott - December 8 - 11:34 pm

  Has some improvements over my 04 X3. Servotronic steering is nice in parking lots, but dampens the road feel somewhat. It seems to wander around. Ride is much softer than 04, so it feels like it leans a bit more on corners, but still holds the road. Too many people complained that it drove like a BMW, I guess. This is supposed to be a sports car, not a Benz. Transmission program is better smoother shift to 2nd gear. (Auto Trans.) The 04 would sometimes hold on to 1st gear then slam into 2nd. Overall, I love this vehicle and BMW in general.

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  Over 40? - 2006 BMW X3
  By Al - November 24 - 10:15 am

  This is my 3rd BMW and I would get it all over again I love the bluetooh capability since I am on the phone most of the time. Over 40? Well, this guy would make feel 20 again without driving the typical and larger dads SUV but with big enough cargo space than most SUVs. This guy was built to perform - you will be satisfied.