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Road Test

BMW X3 2.5i SE

Test date Tuesday, July 27, 2004  Price as tested £29,725

The X5 might have been BMW’s first SUV, but prior to that the Bavarian firm was already producing four-wheel-drive 3- and 5-series saloons and estates, primarily for the European market. Recognisable by the X suffix on their bootlid badges, their extra traction in slippery conditions was particularly welcome at a time when Audi’s four-wheel-drive saloons were highlighting the dynamic limits of cars like the tail-happy Three. BMW previewed the look of the X3, minus the B- and C-pillars, with the xActivity concept car at the 2003 Detroit Motor Show.

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