BMW X3

The second generation X3 is bigger in just about every way—3.4 in. longer, 1.1 in. wider, 0.5 in. taller, 0.5 in. more ground clearance and with a 0.6-in.-longer wheelbase—yet Adcock noted it weighs about 45 lb. less than the outgoing first generation.

Although of course it's big news that the X3 has been restyled inside and out—the exterior, specifically, is far more intriguing than the outgoing X3's rather blocky, boring look—we're more interested in the engines (and that plural part is key, as the current X3 has just one engine choice in the U.S.), the details of which were a bit spotty when Adcock filed his report. The engine in the base X3 xDrive28i will be the familiar magnesium/aluminum 3.0-liter inline-6, known as the N52, putting out 240 bhp and 230 lb.-ft. of torque—down from the current X3 xDrive30i's engine, which puts out 260 bhp. But the X3 xDrive28i comes with BMW's new, quicker-shifting 8-speed automatic transmission, enabling it to hit 60 mph in an estimated 6.7 seconds, about a half second quicker than the current X3