2005 BMW X3 – A 4-year ownership review

What is it like to own a BMW X3 and use it as a daily driver? We found out from a TopAuto reader, below.

Which model and year car do you own?

I own a 2005 BMW X3 2.0d, with an M-Technik body kit. It has 170,000km on the clock.

When did you get the car?

I bought the car second-hand from BMW Sandton in 2017, when it had done about 130,000km.

What are your three favourite things about the car?

Although it doesn’t have incredible performance, it still has a good amount of power which allows it to maintain 120km/h on uphills.

The X3 has a great storage capacity of 500 litres with the rear seats up, and with them down the boot extends to 1,560 litres.

It also has cruise control which helps to ease highway driving and long journeys.

Which three things do you like least about the car?

The ride is a bit on the harsh side and the equipped 18-inch rims are a part of the problem.

Due to it being a 2005 model, it is also missing a lot of features present on newer cars – such as an infotainment system and smartphone connectivity.

The aircon has an annoying feature, too, where you can select the temperature you want, but the separate temperature dial on the air vents must match the selected temperature or there will be no airflow.

What is it like to drive your car every day?

As it is not full-size SUV, it is easy to drive while still having great functionality.

The fuel efficiency is a bit on the higher side at 8.8l/100km.

What is the hardest journey you have done with your car?

This would have to be the drive back from a camping trip in Pilanesberg during winter.

It was freezing, bucketing down with rain, and the roads were filled with trucks kicking the water back up.

This combination caused the engine to cool down to a point where the car entered “limp mode” – restricting the revs and shutting off the turbo boost.

A quick stop in Pretoria allowed the engine to warm up and the rest of the trip went smoothly.

Would you recommend your car to friends and family?

I definitely would. They are very reliable cars, with many reaching over 250,000km.