BMW stretches out with bigger X3 SUV

Great tea and great cars are about heritage and innovation, but they are more than that, said BMW Brilliance President and CEO Franz Decker.

"It is also about experience, emotion and keeping true to your values," he said on Thursday in Pu'er, a city known for its namesake tea in Southwest China's Yunnan province.

He was proposing a toast at a dinner with a group of auto reporters, who finished a one-day test drive of the new X3 with an extended wheelbase.

Decker's words were echoed by nods and applause from the reporters.

They knew minutes after putting their hands on the model's steering wheel that the driving pleasure was unmistakably BMW's.

That instant impression did not change a bit when they drove through the challenging, unpaved trails at the Jinuo Mountain in Xishuang Banna Dai autonomous prefecture or the road full of turns leading to a mountaintop destination in Pu'er.

Besides BMW's typical sporting ability, the model has comfort and new features unseen in its predecessor, as it was tailored to meet the exacting expectations of Chinese customers.

For the first time, it has an extended wheelbase — by 111 millimeters. This gives it the same wheelbase as the X5 at 2,975 mm.

This extra spaciousness is particularly noticeable in the rear, with legroom measuring over a meter.

Also, the seats in the second row are longer and softer, to the liking of Chinese customers, and the seats' angles are flatter so long-haul journeys are less tiring for passengers.

Its exterior length of 4,865 mm and width of 1,920 mm mean it has the largest dimensions of any vehicle in its segment.

However, it still has the hallmark proportions of a BMW X model, complete with a long roof-line flowing smoothly into the rear end and a dynamically stretched silhouette.

It also retains the 50:50 weight distribution for which BMW is renowned, which results in almost perfect balance and therefore top-class handling.

The model has two engine variants. Customers can choose from a pair of four-cylinder petrol engines: the xDrive 25L Luxury produces 140 kilowatts and maximum torque of 310 Newton meters.

The more dynamic xDrive 30L generates 190 kW and peak torque of 400 Nm, and sprints from 0-100 kilometers per hour in just 6.6 seconds.

Chinese car buyers, who love fancy onboard features and smart driving, will be pleased by its Curved Display and head-up display, among other things.

Also, it is now faster than before in understanding voice commands from the driver and passengers, even when they speak in Chinese dialects, and it can take more commands at a time.

Driving assist functions at Level 2 plus are available to make driving more pleasant while ensuring safety.

As one of the best-selling BMW models worldwide, more than 3.5 million BMW X3s have been delivered since 2003, with China as its largest market, which Decker said is at the heart of the carmaker's global strategy.

The new X3 with an extended wheelbase is a key part of the carmaker's commitment to China, embodying its promise to "deliver an ultimate driving experience today, tomorrow and for many generations to come", said Decker.