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Anyone got an X3 as a tow car?

Interested in the 2.0d for its balance of economy and performance but my only concern is the ability to tow my Burstner at 1500 MPTLW. There is the 3.0d option but with rising fuel costs the smaller the engine I can get away with the better.

Cheers 

I have a BMW X3 2.0d as a towcar. We bought ours second hand from a BMW dealer when it was 3 years old.

It has proven to be an excellent towcar, towing our Bailey Pegasus at just under 1500kg MTPLM. Steady as a rock, it can cruise at 60mph in 6^th gear on the flat. If there’s much of an incline, or conditions dictate a slower speed, it is more comfortable in 5^th gear. Handling wise, slower acceleration is the only clue that the caravan is there. It takes a large vehicle overtaking or a strong gust of wind to briefly pull it off course.

Solo, on motorway driving, it will return over 40mpg. Pulling the caravan, more like 24 -28 mpg. It’s size is perfect for our family of four, not too large to be cumbersome around town, but heavy enough for the caravan – about an 81% match. One drawback is that they are quite expensive to start with but it seems to be very reliable. We have just been to the south of France and back, over 2000 miles towing and it never missed a beat.

Would echo Bobs comments entirely.

My wife has a 2.0SE Diesel X3. Its the newer (facelift post 2007) model. We had a Westfalia removable towbar fitted to it. They are the ones fitted by the BMW dealers at over £1000 but can be fitted at indy fitters for around £500 including the BMW cabling to ensure park sensors are sorted and the TSC (trailer stability control) is activated.

We pull a Swift Challenger which gives us a similar towing experience to Bobs with similar mpg. Best we've had towing is 30mpg and worst 24mpg into a strong headwind on mixed roads. Solo its returning low 40mpgs with mixed journeys and will be upper 40's on longer steady trips.

Quality wise its very good, as is comfort. The cabin is spacey and has penty of room for two adults, two children and whatever we didn't throw in the van!

Tbh I have been very surprised by the X3 and from our experiences think its probably one of BMW's most underated vehicles. We had intended to buy a Freelander 2 but my wife preferred the X3 after an awful Landrover dealer experience. With the Clarkson rant in the back of my mind I expected a harsh drive, bland, poor quality cabin etc. It was and still is quite the opposite and I thoroughly enjoy driving the car either towing or solo whenever I get the chance. Another big plus is its extremely capable in snow or muddy fields. Don't confuse this as me saying its good off road as its not. It doesnt have the clearance, geometry or tyres for anything serious, but living in the Peaks we've had awful snow recently which has left many vehicles stranded whilst the X3 was just a laugh a minute as it got through everything.

I did conside the 3.0 diesel, but in the end the balance of economy and not wanting to pick up points (the 3.0d is very quick) meant the 2.0 diesel was the better choice for us.

The only thing I would recommend would be to get a facelift model post 2007/56 plate onward. They are easy to spot as they stopped fitting the big black plastic bumpers. BMW made a lot of alterations to ride (suspension), interior quality and aesthetics as well as introducing the later engines (efficient dynamics) with lower road tax and better fuel economy. You can get the original 150bhp 2.0 diesel in the facelift though which is higher tax band so worth checking properly.

Also - The SE version has the softer suspension which is more comfortable and, importantly has a piece that clips out of the lower rear bumper to fit the removable towbar. This makes having a towbar installed (if not already fitted) very straightforward.