30 Days Of 2013 Ram 1500: Heading West
Our 30-Day 2013 Ram 1500 has made its way safely to our Little Rock bureau. If you're following our... Read More
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Around The Web
clearly better ingress and egress
the chassis guys have nailed the ride quality part of the equation
While the rear seat doesn't recline or slide back and forth, it's a pretty comfortable place, with good legroom and very good headroom for near 6-footer
Rear seat passenger room isn't as generous as the X3's size would lead you to believe, and the back seats cannot be moved forward or backward
punishing ride motions are gone
QUALITY | 9 out of 10
Expert Quotes:
clearly better ingress and egress
Edmunds' Inside Line
the chassis guys have nailed the ride quality part of the equation
Car and Driver
While the rear seat doesn't recline or slide back and forth, it's a pretty comfortable place, with good legroom and very good headroom for near 6-footer
Motor Trend
Rear seat passenger room isn't as generous as the X3's size would lead you to believe, and the back seats cannot be moved forward or backward
Autoblog
punishing ride motions are gone
Automobile
Larger inside, on a longer wheelbase, the new X3 can seat five passengers more comfortably than in previous editions. The current model is 3.4 inches longer, 0.5 inches taller, 1.1 inches wider, and clears the road an inch higher than the last-generation crossover.
The upsizing means the X3 is no longer middling in terms of size. The firm, properly angled front seats are surrounded by copious head and leg room. Second-row passengers have even more space--it's where the added length is most noticeable, and where the X3 takes the lead over vehicles like the Q5 and GLK Class. The back seats have room carved out for feet, under the front seat, and head room soars. No theater-style seats here, though--and that makes the X3 a better ride for back-benchers, since the higher ride height can make some other utes less comfortable in sporty driving.
With seating for five, the X3 also now has a large 19-cubic-foot rear storage area that swells to 56.6 cubic feet when the rear seats are folded down. The rear seats split 60:40, or optionally, in 40:20:40 segments for better flexibility. The cargo area itself is lovingly detailed, with rich carpet, some of the most refined seatback latches we've ever seen, and metal cargo rails with zero tolerance for poor fit.Overall, the new X3 is so much more sophisticated in design and execution, especially inside, that it renders the prior X3 generations into early used-car oblivion. Who would want dark, hard, plasticky controls in a two-year-old, off-lease X3 when this version's innards are silky as pate?
Conclusion
Superb details and excellent fit and finish make the X3's larger interior all that.
