The guys from The Fast Lane Car are known for their ingenious comparisons and mash-up tests. They usually pit two completely different cars against each other, just for the fun of it. At times, though, they do get it together and compare similar cars. This time round, they are looking at the BMW X3 against the Lexus RX, and while the RX might be a bit bigger than the X3, it’s not exactly X5-competing material so you could say they are proper rivals.
If you take a look at the price tags these two have, they are almost dead on, with the Lexus being priced at $60,000 and the BMW being close enough. The biggest difference is the room you get inside. The Lexus is the bigger car here, as I already said, and it does show it. The Teddy bear test the guys shows it, even though I’m sure there would’ve been better ways to prove this point. The Lexus is also quieter inside, which would be welcome by some people looking for more comfort.
But the BMW isn’t exactly here to be comfortable, especially in M40i guise. Instead, the X3 is here to be faster, handles better and provides more adrenaline shots. In this drag race, that became blatantly obvious, even though the Lexus jumped the gun. What’s even more fascinating is that even though it’s faster, the X3 is also more efficient, returning 27.1 mpg in the fuel consumption test compared to Lexus’ 27 mpg. Not a big difference but it’s there.
In the end, there’s no clear winner here as the father and son team has different views as to what an SUV should be like. In that respect, one could agree with Tommy but the thing is, BMW is not making SUVs but SAVs, standing for Sports Activity Vehicle and the X3 is the one most people would go for after seeing the outcome of that drag race.
