The new BMW X3 has been widely called a success by most of the media. So far, all the reviews seemed to agree on a couple of essential points and most of them praised the chassis work that went into making this new rendition of the SUV. We sampled it a number of times and, excluding a few minor flaws, found it to be enjoyable and fun to drive. Alas, the time has come for someone to go against the stream and it’s the guys from Auto Express.

Having traveled to Marrakech to sample the new X3, the reviewer found the car to be underwhelming and, ultimately, ‘boring to tears’. Now, there’s no exact mention of what particularly led him to this conclusion but I do have to point out a couple of things that I don’t agree with. First of all, the design of the car may be playing it on the safe side and it is more of an evolution rather than a revolution but that’s the norm in Bavaria and most of the cars the German brand brings out are following an evolutionary trend.

On the other hand, saying that it looks like the rest of the SUVs in the line-up is a bit of a stretch, as is the claim that it resembles the old model by quite a lot. The X3 is without a doubt the one SUV that stands out these days, baring close to no relation to the X5, X6 or the X4 and the X1. It has a completely different front fascia, with the headlights clearly separated from the kidney grilles and a bumper that bares new shapes altogether. The one thing that may be similar are the kidney grilles but then again that’s a big part of what makes a BMW stand out in the crowd as a BMW, a tradition marked by almost 100 years of design.

Then again, I may be biased since I thoroughly enjoyed the car, even though it wasn’t an M40i model, but a more down to earth xDrive20d model. But even in that guise, you could notice the work that went into the chassis and how well balanced it was. Furthermore, even with just 190 HP at the helm, the X3 felt alive and capable, albeit not eye-watering fast and the way a car handles can be noticed at low speeds as well, as long as you know how to feel things out. Now, this may be just my opinion and therefore we’re asking you to chip in. Is the reviewer right in making such a claim or is he far off from the truth?