We drove a $58,000 BMW X3 to see if it's worth the price tag - here's the verdict

Matthew DeBord/BI

• The BMW X3 is new for its third-generation.
• The popular SUV has been selling well in SUV-mad America.
• We sampled the X3 xDrive 30i, which can get a bit pricey - and might be a little too bimmer for folks who just want a German luxury ute for the family.

BMW sold over 40,000 X3 compact crossover SUVs in the US last year and can look forward to similar numbers in 2018.

This is probably why the X3 is among the bestselling American-made German luxury crossovers: it's built in South Carolina, to be nice and close to its most important market.

BMWs are BMWs - the ultimate driving machines. But while SUVs can be a joy to drive, that's not necessarily their core mission. Thanks to its scale and price-tag, the X3 is meant to satisfy a wide range of bimmer buyers, everybody from folks moving away from the legendary 3-Series sedans to people who don't quite want to jump into the larger X5.

BMW does has the smaller X1 and recently introduced X2 to tempt entry-level customers who wouldn't look twice at a sedan. But the X3 is where many BMW owners and leasers will begin their journey with the Bavarian brand.

We recently spent some time with a 2018 X3 xDrive 30i, in one of its natural environments: the northern New Jersey suburbs, just across the Hudson River from New York City. Here's how it went.