New BMW X3 Tops while Range Rover Evoque Flops Consumer Reports' Tests

Just like a Rotten Tomatoes review can make or break a movie’s reputation and its box-office success, Consumer Reports’ road tests have the potential to boost a vehicle's sales or in some cases force a an automaker to run back to the drawing board.

The latest batch of vehicles tested by CR include two SUVs that even though different in size, will compete in the premium segment: the second iteration of the BMW X3 and the brand-new challenger in the category, the Range Rover Evoque.

To sum it up, the BMW X3 xDrive28i scored an 80 in CR's road test and received the “Recommended” tag, while the Range Rover Evoque managed a test score of 60 score and was placed near the bottom of its class.

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Rumors: Cadillac Contemplating BMW X3-Rivaling Compact SUV

A couple of days after the official revealing of the brand-new ATS that will compete in the premium sedan segment against the likes of BMW’s 3-Series, Cadillac is rumored to be going all out against the Germans.

Aside from the development of a diesel version of the ATS, GM’s luxury brand is also said to be considering a smaller SUV to rival the likes of the X3, the Mercedes GLK and the Audi Q5.

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And the North American Car and Truck of the Year Finalists are…

For the past 18 years, a committee of journalists from U.S. and Canadian magazines, radio and TV stations, websites and newspapers meet once a year and vote for the North American Car and Truck of the Year [NACTOY].

You'll have to wait until January to find the winners for the 2012 edition of the North American Car and Truck of the Year, but the three finalists for each category were announced on Thursday in Detroit.

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This is What Happens when You Get Cocky with a BMW X3 at the Beach [Video]

Would you believe us if we told you that the BMW X3 SUV and the sea don't mix? Well, actually, some people need to find that out the hard way.

The owner of a murdered-out, first generation BMW X3 mistook the Bavarian model for a Lada Niva true-blue 4x4 and attempted some show and tell at the beach (possibly somewhere in Poland) by driving the crossover down to the water to pick up his other toy, a jet ski on a trailer.

As you can imagine, things didn't quite work out the way he planned… But at least he and his buddies had some good laughs and at the end, he was able to pull out the bimmer from the sand and the sea with the help of a winch. You can watch the videos for yourself right after the jump.

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Euro NCAP Releases New Crash Test Results, Announces Changes for 2012

As nine out of 10 cars tested this month earned the highest result of 5 starts in Euro NCAP’s crash tests, the safety organization is gearing up for making the 2012 requirements even more demanding.

In alphabetical order, the five-star winners are: the Audi A6, the BMW X3, the Chevrolet Aveo, the Chevrolet Orlando, the Citroen DS5, the Hyundai i40, the Opel Ampera, the VW Golf Cabriolet and the VW Jetta.

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BMW Turbocharges X3 with Two New Engines

A pair of new turbocharged engines will soon be added to the range of the recently-launched BMW X3. These include a base four-cylinder gasoline unit and a flagship straight-six diesel.

The new entry level version of the X3, the xDrive20i, is powered by a 2.0-liter aluminum four cylinder gasoline engine featuring a twin-scroll turbocharger, direct fuel injection, Double Vanos variable camshaft control and Valvetronic variable valve control system. It delivers 184HP at 4,800 rpm and 270 Nm (199 lb-ft) of torque from just 1,250 rpm.

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AC Schnitzer Unwraps New BMW X3 Tuning Package

Available since autumn 2010, the second iteration of the BMW X3 continues to draw the attention of European tuners. Seen here in AC Schnitzer guise, the F25 X3 has been upgraded with a styling package and go-fast modifications.

For starters, AC Schnitzer has upped the performance on the 2.0-liter diesel-powered xDrive20d from 184-horses to 218HP, while the company is also working on a kit for the xDrive30d as well as the 6-cylinder 2.8i and 3.5i petrol models, which will be released later this year.

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BMW and Cundari Produce the World’s Longest Internet Ad

In what’s either a clever bit of marketing or an epic jumping the shark moment, Canadian ad firm Cundari has produced what it claims to be the longest banner ad ever for the BMW X3.

The ad, which measures 300 by 18,000 pixels (!) when fully extended, contains some 5,500 words of text and just goes on and on and on. So much so that I just skimmed through, trying to figure out if there was a point to it. It certainly didn’t make me want to buy an X3, but maybe that’s not what Cundari was trying to achieve.

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