Hello David
Yes I did seriously consider the current BMW X3.
On paper it will make super tow car.
The performance figures are fantastic, but it would appear that they are even more optomistic than the Land Rover statistics. The BMW forums are full of owners moaning about not being to be able to get anywhere near the official consumption figures.
The 8 speed auto box is a ZF unit similar to that fitted to the LR Discovery 4, it is worth looking at the ZF website to see the advances being made with the current crop of auto boxes. Very impressive!
I also took into consideration my brother in law and sister's experiences with BMW ownership over many years. My brother in law has just moved to Mercedes after owning many BMWs, it was the unpredictable servicing costs/intervals which did it for him. Although my sister still has a Z4.
Again, the BMW forums are revealing, the cars have not got the bullet proof reliablity that their reputations would suggest.
I asked myself, how many X3s (or X5s for that matter) have I seen towing, answer: none.
I suspect average new BMW owner would not dream of hanging a boat or caravan off the back of their car. (On reflection, I can recall seeing a X5 towing a jet-ski).
BMW will know their core customer base and their cars will be designed accordingly, I suspect towing will not be a high priority, but covering big distances at high speed on the autobahn will be.
BMW do not offer an electrically heated windscreen, this is one feature of the LR which I would not want to be without.
At the end of the day I concluded that the X3 could equal (but not surpass) the towing ability of the FL2 SD4. The additional (non towing) performance that the X3 offered I would never utilise (the 120 mph of the FL2 is adequate for me!).
Finally, I just could not see me owning a BMW, although I do not know why. I just know that I am happier with a JLR product standing in the drive than one of Munich's finest.