2016 BMW X3

Carvana (opens in a new tab) calls 2016 a light-update year after the more substantial 2015 refresh of the second-generation (F25, 2011 to 2017) X3, with no significant changes to styling, cabin layout, engines, transmission or chassis. The main gains are standard enhanced USB and Bluetooth across the lineup and added standard audio features on the xDrive35i. Kelley Blue Book (opens in a new tab) names Mobile Office, part of the enhanced Bluetooth and USB connectivity, as the big standard-equipment news.

The range runs from the diesel xDrive28d to the six-cylinder xDrive35i; KBB lists fuel economy from 19/27 to 27/34 mpg city and highway, and EPA rates the 2016 X3 at 21 to 30 mpg combined and $3,000 to $3,700 a year in fuel.

NHTSA lists five recall campaigns for the 2016 X3, and three of them are the diesel. 18V755000 and 21V907000 cover an EGR cooler that may leak internally so coolant mixes with diesel engine soot, which can smolder and melt the intake manifold, and 21V586000 covers a high-pressure fuel pump that may fail, which dealers replace free of charge. The others are 16V333000, a child-seat campaign in which dealers weld a reinforcing bracket to the lower anchor bars, and 24V608000, a water pump whose electrical connector was improperly sealed and can short-circuit.

Owners have filed 82 complaints with NHTSA on this model year: electrical system with 23, engine and engine cooling with 18, engine with 13, unknown or other with 12, service brakes with 10 and power train with 9. ProblemsByVin (opens in a new tab) scores the year 6.8 out of 10, around the segment average, and Bimmerboom (opens in a new tab) says the turbocharged four and six are generally reliable but can suffer turbo failure or oil leaks if not maintained properly.

Kelley Blue Book (opens in a new tab) lists used 2016 X3 prices from $9,150 for the xDrive28d diesel to $12,050 for the xDrive35i at a dealership, with trade-in values of about $5,200 to $7,625 and private-party values of about $8,125 to $10,650. The diesel is the cheapest to buy and the one with the most open recall history, so verify the EGR-cooler and fuel-pump work on any xDrive28d.

EPA rates the 2016 X3 at 21 to 30 mpg combined and $3,000 to $3,700 a year in fuel. The 2016 Audi Q5 rates 21 to 26 at $3,000 to $3,700, the Mercedes-Benz GLC 24 at $3,250, the Volvo XC60 20 to 26 at $2,400 to $3,500 and the Lexus NX 24 to 32 at $1,950 to $3,250. On EPA figures the X3's diesel gives it the top of the BMW's range, and the Lexus NX is the cheapest to run of the five.