voLvo XC60 TRIPLe TeST

TEST CENTRE BMW X3 vs Land Rover Freelander vs Volvo XC60 SUVs
What are they
like to drive?
BMW
Land Rover
Volvo
IF YOU’Re COnCeRneD about
driving in wintry conditions then
the front-wheel-drive Freelander
and XC60 are significantly better
bets than the rear-wheel-drive X3.
This is because no matter how
clever modern electronic anti-slip
systems may be, there’s no
substitute for having the weight
of the engine over the driven
wheels to maximise traction.
Should you want to venture
farther off piste then the
Freelander’s greater ground
clearance, longer suspension
travel and shorter wheelbase
will definitely pay dividends.
The Freelander’s relatively
soft suspension makes it the
most comfortable car here, too,
but the penalty for this comfort
is rather ill-disciplined body
control. It has a tendency to
roll quite markedly in corners
and it also exhibits a significant
amount of nose dive under
heavy braking.
The focus of both the X3 and
XC60 is far more even handed.
Both cars came with costly
optional chassis-enhancing
adaptive damping control, and
with the Sport buttons pressed
both cars are extremely agile.
The BMW has slightly more
communicative steering, but
the XC60 is just as eager to
change direction and, if
anything, is a slightly more
comfortable car when cruising
on the motorway. It’s certainly
a good deal quieter, producing
less engine, tyre and wind noise
than the X3.
Given its tall body and bluff
front end, it comes as no surprise
that the Freelander produces a lot
more wind noise than the others.
The fact that mechanical clatter is
far more evident is clearly down to
an ageing engine design. Despite
this venerability, though, the
Freelander feels every bit as perky
as the others.
It might not rev as hard or as
freely as the BMW and Volvo,
but the Land Rover’s bigger
engine means it produces more
lower- and mid-range wallop.
While the others are happy to rev
almost as hard as a petrol engine,
you need to resist the temptation
to rev the Freelander beyond
3000rpm and quickly shift
through the gearbox if you want
to make best progress.
BMW X3 BMW X3
Tight body control, but X3 isn’t as accomplished as FWD rivals in the snow Sport button tightens handling
Land Rover Freelander Land Rover Freelander
Gutsy engine is also fairly noisy. ride is comfortable, but the body wallows
Volvo XC60 Volvo XC60
BeSt to dRiVe
XC60 is the best of the three on the motorway and handles very well
Biggest boot with the seats up
Wheelarches intrude into boot
Ventilation knobs are easy to use
longest and widest boot here
intuitive controls for airflow
iDrive
allows you to operate sat-nav,
audio and phone with ease
Touch-screen
Slow to operate and the
icons are difficult to hit
Centre console
angled towards driver,
with storage space behind
CLaSSieSt CaBin
Quality
The cabin gets plenty of
expensive materials
Comfortable, but least headroom
Just beats the Volvo for legroom
High seat, but best for headroom
Driving position
all-round visibility is superb,
thanks to large windows Good view out; poorest legroom
long-legged drivers will love it
Classy feel
aluminium inserts make
the cabin feel extra special Ties with BMW for headroom
What are they
like inside?
april 2013 whatcar.com whatcar.com april 2013
BMW
Land Rover
Volvo
ThIS MIGhT Be the cheapest X3,
but there are no signs of cost
cutting in the BMW. Leather
upholstery is standard, while
dense dashboard and door
coverings, along with BMW’s
famed iDrive infotainment
control, all help the X3 to ooze
sophistication and quality.
The XC60 is pretty special, too,
thanks to superbly supportive
seats, a snazzy ‘floating’ centre
console, dense, high-quality
plastics and smart aluminium
highlights. There are a lot of
similarly sized buttons crammed
onto the centre console, though.
The Freelander’s heating and
ventilation controls are a breeze
to operate on the move, due to big
rotary, rubberised dials, but the
standard touch-screen sat-nav is
frustratingly slow and the icons
are too small to hit with any kind
of confidence.
The kids will love it in the back,
though, because the elevated
theatre-style seating allows them
a great view of the road ahead
as well as good line of sight over
the passing hedgerows.
They’re not likely to be quite
so complimentary about the
amount of legroom they have,
however, because it is far less
than you get in the X3 and XC60.
equally, there’ll be plenty of
moaning when it comes to
loading bags for a weekend away.
It’s a whole lot easier to just
fling everything in and head for
the hills in the X3, thanks to its
additional 55 litres of boot space
over the Freelander. In terms
of outright capacity the XC60’s
boot is not quite as impressive
as the X3’s, but it is longer and
wider. It also comes with a
remotely controlled, electrically
powered tailgate.
‘The kids
will love
the view
from the
Freelander’s
elevated
theatre-style
rear seats’