• Good fuel economy across the board
• Impressive considering four-wheel drive
• Some recalls to watch out for

What are the running costs?

Unsurprisingly, the best engine for fuel economy is the entry-level two-wheel-drive sDrive 18d. It has an official fuel economy figure of 56.5mpg when teamed with a manual gearbox, or 55.4mpg with the automatic transmission.

The worst performer is the 3.0-litre xDrive 35d with an official figure of 47.1mpg. But even that’s very economical for a big heavy SUV with a large engine.

In terms of emissions, the winner is the sDrive 18d. It emits 131g/km of CO2 (or 133g/km with auto ’box). The highest emitter is the xDrive 35d which, again, isn’t terrible with an official figure of 157g/km.

Servicing costs are expensive, but it’s worth spending the cash because it ensures your car will stay in rude health. Plus, there are plenty of specialists dotted around the country now, which will save you cash compared to a main BMW dealer.

Reliability

• High standard of build quality
• Proper maintenance is a must
• Lots of recalls issued since launch

BMWs from this era are built properly. Quality is top-notch and on par with Audi. However, as the first page of this review shows, there are plenty of mechanical gremlins to watch out for – most stemming from poor maintenance schedules.

There are plenty of recall issues to watch out for, too. The MY2011 X3 has seven recall issues alone, ranging from three separate faults with the exhaust gas recirculation system, to faults with the front passenger airbag, powering steering system and incorrectly fitted Isofix mounts.