started to appreciate the X3’s
other features.
Features that I thought
were gimmicky and frivolous
have become part of the way I
interact with the car on a daily
basis. I constantly use gesture
control to skip songs and adjust
volume. I’ve gotten so used to
it that I unconsciously try it in
other cars and subsequently
feel dumb when I realize I’m not
in the X3. Comfort Access, which
allows hands-free operation of
the liftgate by kicking your foot
underneath the rear bumper,
has come in handy countless
times. I was skeptical about
Bluetooth-connected AppleL
ike all vehicles assigned
to staff photographers,
miles start piling on as
soon as we take possession.
The X3 is no exception, and
so far we’re averaging almost
3,000 miles a month. During
the last routine trip to the
dealer, my service adviser
gawked after realizing I was
just there two months ago with
8,000 fewer miles. “I drive a
lot for work,” I explained. He
responded, “At least you get to
do it in that sweet X3.”
He was right. Gobbling up
miles of tarmac is a breeze, and
once the kid in me got over
the M40i’s potent powertrain I
CarPlay, convinced USB would
be more reliable (our experi-
ences with other BMWs still says
it is), but my phone consistently
connects as soon as I get in.
Paired with wireless charging,
I can’t even be bothered with
plugging my phone in anymore.
One feature I could do
without is the overeager auto
stop/start system. It often shuts
the engine off while the car
is still slowly rolling, causing
abrupt stops at red lights. That
gets switched off as soon as I
get in, mpg be damned.
A couple of updates back,
we reported our X3 was
suffering from a leaky sunroof,a creaking suspension, and a
busted cargo net. I brought it
in to get all of that sorted and
to take care of routine service.
After the X3 spent a week
in the dealership, the broken
storage net was replaced, not
under warranty but thankfully
out of good will. The sunroof
leak was found to be caused
by a loose connection for
the sunroof drain, which was
resecured. To fix the suspen-
sion creaking, they replaced
both front tension struts. After
a few days, the noise was
back, so spoiler alert: They
didn’t fix it. At least it was
covered under warranty.“I'm becoming spoiled by the X3's
gesture control and wireless phone
charging. Who even plugs their
phone in anymore?” Robin TrajanoService life:
9 mo/22,554 mi • Avg Fuel Econ: 20.4 mpgAvg CO2 0.95 lb/mi Energy cons 169 kW-hr/100 mi
Unresolved problems Creaking suspension Maintenance cost $0
(oil change) Normal-wear cost $0 Base price $55,295
As-tested $68,670 EPA City/Hw y/Comb Fuel Econ 20/27/23 mpg
2019 BMW X 3
UPDATES
88 MOTORTREND.COM FEBRUARY 2020The G70's cool, subdued gray interior is as tranquil
as the multiple trips to the dealership are not.I
t’s almost ironic. When we named the Alfa Romeo Giulia our
2018 Car of the Year winner, the peanut gallery snarked about
how our delicate Italian confection would be spending all
its time in the shop. Except it didn’t. It ran great for a year and
22,000-plus hassle-free miles.
And now, we have a car from Genesis—winner of the J.D. Power
Initial Quality Study over every other brand—that has spent nearly
a month in the shop with serious problems.
It all started in my driveway, where I back uphill to a street and,
Avg CO2 0.98 lb/mi Energy cons 196 kW-hr/100 mi
Unresolved problems None Maintenance cost $0
Normal-wear cost $0 Base price $44,745 As-tested $46,495
EPA City/Hw y/Comb Fuel Econ: 17/26/21 mpg“Wasn’t expecting this. Some serious
teething problems from a carmaker
known for quality.” Mark RechtinService life:
3 mo/2,702 mi • Avg Fuel Econ: 19.8 mpg2019 Genesis G70
once I back out, am then facing
uphill. An interesting task for
any transmission. Except that,
when cold, the Genesis 3.3T
would shift from reverse into
drive with an ominous clunk.
Whereupon, when driving for
the first five minutes, the eight-
speed automatic transmission
would be plagued with random
shift patterns out of context with its duty cycle.
More seriously, when asked for forceful acceleration (necessary
when turning left from my quiet residential street onto a major
artery), the transmission would seemingly slip and fail to deliver
propulsion while engine revs would scream to redline. This would
happen for a terrifying three-Mississippi count as I drifted into
cross traffic until the tranny would sort itself out with another
clunk and finally deliver power.
At the 1,200-mile mark I took it to the local Genesis (read:
Hyundai) dealer. The instant response: Replace the transmission
and the transmission control unit.
Upon return of the car, the G70 still didn’t feel right. It felt
significantly slower than before. Although the transmission was
no longer lurching and performing erratically, it felt like the power
delivery was restricted. So back to the
dealership it went. Diagnosis: a leaking
turbocharger hose.
Now healed, the G70 has been thun-
dering around the South Bay and in all
senses seems to be in fine fettle.
How fine? Check in next time.Water drops from
the leaking sunroof
edge dangerously
close to the
ceiling-mounted
microphone.