Car review: BMW retains the best bits behind the X3’s big grille

SINGAPORE – Has this happened to you? Overnight, your smartphone changes after an operating system update. It may even feel like a new phone, with snazzier graphics, but you also need to relearn how to use some of the features because of the change.

BMW is not about to change the operating system of the existing X3 in your sleep, but it has done a major overhaul of the sport utility vehicle (SUV) from 2017 to create the fourth-generation car. Even though it looks significantly different, the core underpinnings are carried over. Given that the old car has always been an impressive drive, it is not a bad starting point.