In a nutshell, The X3 is engineered for Ultimate On-Road Performance purpose. Its design requirements include speed, stability, comfort, and safety. This would position it as an on-road star. However, the same design considerations would be a shortcoming for off-road performance.
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The 6 Showstoppers for offroading
The BMW X3 cannot do serious offroading specially on sand dunes for the following points.
Drivetrain & ECU
The Engine, Transmission and the whole Drivetrain controlled by an extremely smart computer (although it misses a transfer case as any 4x4 car) delivered an amazing performance handling the Sand terrain including Soft Sand. With a proper driver skills, it is not easy to get this car stuck in Sand.
Ground Clearance & Angles
The X3 lacks the appropriate Ground Clearance and approach/Break-over/Departure angles to make it cross Sand Dunes (even the simple ones with a smooth climbing angle).
Suspension
The X3 Suspension is engineered for handling on-road high speed, stability and sharp manouvers which act as a big show stopper for off-road handling. The suspension misses the minimum travel distance required for off-road handling and lacks the proper articulation required for off-roading.
Tires
The X3 tires is a run flat / Low Profile tires which is great for on-road performance. However, when it comes to off-road, whether u deflate the tire or not, it does not make in difference, as the deflating the tires have an almost negligible impact on the tire footprint.
Electronics and Sensors
The X3 is a sophisticated car fully equipped with lot of sensors and electronics which make it venerable to lot of errors, as the sensors could easily get exposed to Sand which would lead to countless errors.
Car Build
The X3 is engineered to have a very light weight in order to deliver superior performance for acceleration and speed, which makes it less ruggedised for the harsh off-road terrain.
In conclusion, The X3 is an on-road Beast and Star. For off-roading, The X3 will perform well in simple trails (ex. magic lake) and in open Sand fields ( "Farsha" ). However, the X3 will be extremely challenged to perform any Dune Bashing activity.
BMW X3 models and specs
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