Recession? What recession? BMW’s product offensive continues unabated and today we’ve landed new spy photos of the next X3, codenamed F25. It’s due to appear as a 2011 model year car and is again based on a passenger car rather than heavy-duty, drive-where-you-want SUV mechanicals.
This time round, the X3 will be built in Spartanburg, US – switched from Austria where Magna Steyr used to produce the old model. BMW hopes to increase production to around 160,000 units a year, up from around 100,000.
So how big is the new 2011 BMW X3?
The new X3 is built around the next 3-series architecture, but all models are likely to pack four-wheel drive hardware. Being the biggest version of the family, the X3 has a longer wheelbase at around 2900mm – enough to allow the rear row of seats to slide back and forth to juggle space for luggage and limbs.
And this time the X3 will feature a full suite of Efficient Dynamics know-how, including stop-start and disengaging alternators on most models. The expected engine line up is likely to be:
• X3 2.0d, 177bhp
• X3 2.0sd, 204bhp
• X3 3.0d, 245bhp
• X3 3.0sd, 300bhp
• X3 2.5i, 231bhp
• X3 3.0si, 305bhp