BMW to offer rear-wheel drive X3 SUV

By Ollie Kew

First Official Pictures

19 August 2012 23:00

Most BMW X3s spend a negligible amount of time off road - apart from crunching across Middle England's gravel driveways - so BMW has seen fit to release a version that ditches the all-paw capacity and reverts to classic rear-wheel drive.

While it's still going to be some way from a classic rear-drive Ultimate Driving Machine, the X3 sDrive18d is the cheapest and most economical way into X3 ownership. You'll be able to get your hands on one from £28,580 when it arrives in the UK in the autumn of 2012.

As well as being equipped with that clunky name, the X3 sDrive18d employs BMW's four-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine, good for 141bhp and 266lb ft from 1750rpm. Power is channelled - to the rear wheels only, of course - by either a standard six-speed manual gearbox, or by BMW's eight-speed auto transmission as a cost option.

The manual car hits 62mph in 9.9sec, while the self-shifter lags slightly behind with a 10.3sec sprint. The manual car also posts a slightly higher top speed of 121mph, versus the auto's 119mph.

Of course, a modern BMW just wouldn't be worthy of the blue and white roundel if it didn't wear its 'EfficientDynamics' on its sleeve. The rear-drive X3 achieves a claimed 55.4mpg and 135g/km of CO2 (manual), and 52.4mpg/142gkm (automatic).

You can still spec M-Sport trim if a bigger-tyred, bodykitted look suits your taste.

The extra choice should help bolster the successful X3 range even further, hopes BMW. More than 74,000 units of the X3 were sold globally in the first half of 2012, a rise of 38.4% on the same period last year.

Who said the SUV was dead...?

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Jaguar offers all-wheel drive - but not for UK

By Ollie Kew

Motor Industry

16 August 2012 17:00

Jaguar has confirmed four-wheel-drive models will join its range once again, for the first time since the AWD X-type was killed off back in 2009.

The first 4wd Jaguars will be the XJ and XF ranges. They'll be petrol-powered only, and just in saloon form for now, but don't get too excited if you're a UK customer: Jaguar has no plans to bring the all-paw big cats over here any time soon.

To raise the appeal of their models in some of the most lucrative overseas markets. The AWD XJ and XF are expected to see greatest success in the more wintry parts of North America, as well as Russia, China, and Alpine continental Europe.

Jag says the United States is the world's happiest hunting ground for AWD sales; initially more than three-quarters of the AWD models will find homes Stateside. 

Adding AWD opens up Jaguar's ranges to approximately 80% of the luxury saloon market, four times what it contests currently with only rear-drive cars.

Jaguar's all-wheel-drive models will have to play catch up with its bitterest German rivals, who already offer their own 4x4 systems: BMW offers xDrive-fitted models, Mercedes has 4Motion, and Audi has of course built so much of its brand around the security of Quatto drive.

Nope, not during the 2013 model year, at least.

It seems that despite the country grinding to a halt every time there's a sharp frost, Jaguar doesn't think the extra heft and cost of four-wheel-drive Jags are justified in the home market. 'Just 5% of the luxury sector is four-wheel drive in the UK,' said a spokeswoman. 'They have only been engineered for left-hand drive for now.'

Unless that opinion (or the level of demand) changes, we'll just have to wait for the long-rumoured Jag crossover. Or just buy a JLR sister-brand Land Rover instead...

If you're not a UK resident and like the sound of an all-paw Jag, they'll be going into production at Jaguar’s Castle Bromwich factory from October 2012.

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A case study in how not to drive a BMW M3 on a deserted road

Warning: This is not going to end well.

What you're about to see is a young man driving a very fast car – an E46 BMW M3, it appears – down a deserted road in the desert. We can't say for certain where it took place, but it looks a lot like Arizona. There are just enough elevation changes to make the road a bit challenging for the inexperienced.

Judging from the result of this boy's escapades, inexperienced pretty much sums it up. There's a blind corner, a road that drops away before a sweeping left turn and way too much speed. And then there's an airbag. Fortunately, it seems the driver walked away without serious injuries. The car, on the other hand, didn't fare nearly as well.

Scroll down below to watch the video. *Update: Video link fixed.

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