Test drive: BMW X3 2.5i

We've been talking a lot here on the About Cars blog about the Japanese luxury automakers beating the Germans at their own game. Yet here we have the exact opposite: BMW is attempting to out-Subaru Subaru, and by and large they've done an excellent job. Like the Outback and the similarly-sized Forester, the X3 is a hoot to drive on road and off. It has the moxy to tackle some serious off-road obstacles and the small size and nippy responses needed to traverse the urban jungle. The X3 has two things that the Subarus lack: BMW cachet... and BMW price. It's great, but is it worth this much money? You decide. -- Aaron Gold