I’m an advocate for buying the best car you can, and also the one that sucker-punches the environment the least. So EVs are okay by me, but I have to admit to a sneaking feeling of contentment whenever I get the – increasingly rare – chance to slip behind the wheel of a diesel car these days.
Maybe it’s that I spent so many journalistic years driving around in the diesel-engined cars that we were all told, back in 2009, were the official tax-approved answer to lowering vehicle emissions. That worked out well …
Still, the feeling that one gets from seeing a four-figure distance-to-refuel on the dashboard, combined with the knowledge that the refuel will take no more than five minutes, gives one a warm and fuzzy, if somewhat guilty, feeling.
It’s how I felt late last year when I drove the new BMW X3 for the first time. It was an X3 20d xDrive model, in M-Sport trim, and while I don’t quite love the way it looked, I do love the way it drives (firm, but fun) and I (guiltily) love the way it’s easy to refuel.
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So I approached a test drive of this, the BMW X3 30e plug-in hybrid, assuming that I’d already driven the best of the new X3. I must admit to being distracted, in a good way, by the “Dune Grey” paintwork, which looks a lot like beige to me. Others within my social group hated the colour, but I like it.
Inside, this PHEV X3 is just as mixed a bag as the diesel. The big twin screens look great, but the lack of physical control elicits a “boo!” from the gallery. The seats are great, but while some of the cabin is made of impressive high-quality materials, some are equally not up to par, which jars a bit. Space is good, though, even if the boot in this hybrid version loses more than 100 litres of storage space compared to the diesel model. So work that into your calculations when considering a purchase.
One nice touch is the art setting for the “My Modes” function. This may seem a bit ephemeral, but amid the Sport, Efficiency and other modes for the big screens and the ambient lighting bar, the X3 also includes a “Digital Art Screen”. This splashes, across both infotainment and instrument screens, a vibrant purple, blue, and green design that subtly changes as you drive along.
[ BMW X3 road test: Blocky model finds its edge once againOpens in new window ]
This is no AI-generated slop, but the work of renowned Chinese artist Cao Fei, and, rather brilliantly, there’s a button on the screen which, when pressed, plays an audio recording of Fei talking you through her own in-car work. Cheesy? Yes, a bit, but also a way of bringing BMW’s famed “Art Car” tradition into the cabin, and I rather liked it.
Okay, on to more serious stuff. The X3 PHEV uses the same 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder petrol engine and 135kW electric motor as the 530e saloon and Touring, and promises a combination of up to 90km of electric range, with 299hp, and a reasonably brisk 6.2-second time for getting from 0-100km/h.
And it all works rather well. True, you probably won’t get 90km on a full battery. We managed 70km in mixed conditions, but that’s at least fairly usable. Better is the long-range fuel economy with a flat battery. BMW claims 7.0-litres per 100km for that, and we managed slightly better, at 6.9 litres per 100km. That beats what we got from the rival Mercedes GLC plug-in hybrid, and makes it one of the more frugal SUV PHEVs around. Forget the official WLTP figure of just 1.1 litres per 100km, unless you’re hardly ever using that petrol engine, but mixed economy of around 5.3 litres per 100km seems pretty easy with only a modicum of charging.
It’s also a car that feels quick, with a delicious (digitally-augmented) snarl from that four-cylinder engine when you accelerate, and no lack of performance when you’re running in fully electric mode.
The X3 PHEV is also a sharp drive, with excellent steering, and a broadly similar feeling to the diesel model. Thanks to stiff springs, but with excellent damping, you feel every imperfection in the road while you also feel the car dealing with those imperfections with iron-fisted confidence.
Honestly, I’m starting to think that this might be the better option than the diesel model. It has its limitations, such as it will only charge on AC power so there’s no option for a faster DC charging top-up. But that’s probably a good thing from a running costs point of view.
There is, however, something that absolutely copper-fastens the appeal of this plug-in hybrid X3 compared to its diesel brethren: the price tag. The diesel X3 we tested, in the same sporty M-Sport trim (the one that everyone buys), and with broadly comparable equipment levels, topped €111,000 in the as-tested price category. This PHEV? €80,000. So you could buy this X3 PHEV, and still have enough change from a Renault 5 EV for short hops, compared to the diesel one we drove?
I think I’m finally ready to forego the black pump. Make mine a PHEV (and yes, in beige please).
Lowdown: BMW X3 30e xDrive PHEV
Power: 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with 135kW motor and 19.7kWh lithium-ion battery producing 299hp and 450 of torque and powering the front wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission.
CO2 emissions (annual motor tax): 21-26g/km (€140).
Fuel consumption: 1.1l/100km (WLTP, see text)
0-100km/h: 6.2 secs.
Price: €80,575 as tested, X3 starts from €73,157
Our rating: 4/5.
Verdict: The X3 is an impressive plug-in hybrid, but the price advantage over the diesel model seals the deal.
