2008 BMW X3 Exterior Review [ 2007 ]
Based on analysis of 35 X3 reviews and test drives.
Exterior - What the Auto Press Says
The 2008 BMW X3 is seen by most as a modest freshening of the four-year-old vehicle's basic design, which is beginning to show its age. Automotive.com says it has a "BMW-like, road-grabbing face", but Car and Driver comments that the X3's "wedgy, angular flanks look even more dated."
The most noticeable changes are the black front bumpers with integrated fog lamps, which replace the elaborately contoured body-colored bumpers, a new light cluster with horizontal LED taillights, and the badge on the front-quarter panel which now reads ‘3.0si' instead of ‘3.0i.' In addition, the front-end twin kidney grills are slightly larger and the BMW "corona ring" spectacles headlights have been restyled to be "almost feral, and loaded with personality," according to About.com.
The X3 is very similar to its bigger brother, the X5, with the main difference being that the X3 has a single, chrome exhaust tip on the left side whereas the X5 sports dual oval exhaust tips at the corners. Kelley Blue Book points out that "One clear differentiator from the larger X5 is its kicked-up window behind the rear door on each side." In a commonly held opinion, BusinessWeek sums up that the '07 "just looks a little cleaner and more modern than the model it's replacing."
