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My passenger first took note of the symphonic thrum emanating from under the hood while we were zipping down the I-510, the eight-speed transmission in manual-shift mode dancing through the revving ranges with the precision of a prima ballerina executing a pirouette à la seconde. “That engine does sound nice,” said Keith. Ernest Hemingway once said that in Catalan...


View full sizePhoto by James Gaffney/The Times-PicayuneX MARKS THE SPOT: The substantially refreshed 2011 BMW X3 xDrive28i crossover boasts design tweaks to give the five-door hatchback a more contemporary look, as well as the automaker's award-winning 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder powerplant, mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission, under the hood.

My passenger first took note of the symphonic thrum emanating from under the hood while we were zipping down the I-510, the eight-speed transmission in manual-shift mode dancing through the revving ranges with the precision of a prima ballerina executing a pirouette à la seconde.



“That engine does sound nice,” said Keith.



Ernest Hemingway once said that in Catalan Surrealist Joan Miró’s painting, “The Farm,” is everything “you feel about Spain when you are there and all that you feel when you are away and cannot go there.” To paraphrase Papa, in BMW’s award-winning, 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine is everything I love about Bimmers when I’m driving one and everything I miss about the German cars when I’m not.



Like the on-again/off-again paramour whose laugh or perfume has become a powerfully intoxicating sense memory, every time I’m behind the wheel of a BMW, the near-orchestral melody of the inline six makes me feel almost lightheaded with joy. In manual mode the shifting is so quick and responsive, the transmission so torquey and smooth, it almost makes me forget (and forgive) the fact that there is no actual clutch.



The 2011 X3 xDrive28i, my test car for the week, was no exception. But, alas, most people don’t buy cars merely for the sound of the engine.



Redline City

In fact, most car buyers are likely far more interested in what the buzz is all about regarding this recently refreshed crossover SUV — or, as BMW prefers to call it, sports activity vehicle.

View full sizePhoto by James Gaffney/The Times-Picayune

The buzz, quite simply, is this: BMW’s formerly so-so looking X3 has blossomed into quite a beautiful driving machine both inside and out. Simply put, it is head and shoulders above the previous generation’s incarnations, while adding noteworthy bells and whistles likely to sit pretty with those looking for a European crossover with luxury galore and plenty of (sophisticated) gallop. For example, the front fascia has been streamlined for a more powerful and aggressive appearance, the twin kidney grilles tweaked for more visual pop, and the rear hiplines re-sculpted to add a bootylicious allure.



No, it’s not yet a bona fide head-turner. But it does look as if Carson Kressley stopped by the design studios to give the X3 a strategic and long-awaited updo.



Still, the X3 is more than just a prettier face. Polished elegance springs to mind when the five-door hatchback is put to the test on endless ribbons of winding country road. Here the car struts it Teutonic stuff with road manners second to none, coupled with a sporty je ne sais quois, hot-off-the-dime acceleration and what is among the smoothest highway-speed tourer rides in this price range and segment.



Plus, you can take the tach needle all the way to Redline City — 7,000 rpms — because the transmission in manual shift mode doesn’t automatically upshift at 5,000 rpms, as is the case in vehicles of a lesser god.



If the X3 seems supple if not outright brilliant at times, chalk this up to the powerplant’s 240 horses and 221 pound-feet of torque, all under the stewardship of sport and manual-shift modes, speed-sensitive power steering and dynamic stability control (includin

Tags: BMW, is-featured

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X FACTOR: BMW's refreshed 2011 X3 is pure sound machine was originally published by New Orleans Auto Reviews: BMW. Read the full story by clicking here.