Long Term Update 3: 2011 BMW X3 xDrive28i

Despite near-flawless operation over the past few months, I've noticed odd low-speed behavior in our X3 xDrive28i. While accelerating gently from rest, like on a residential street littered with stop signs, the X3 pauses and then slowly starts moving forward. Then you feel the transmission kick down and, after a jerk, you finally accelerate at a normal pace. It never feels like there's a one-to-one relationship between the pressure you apply on the throttle and what the X3 does. Annoyances are twofold: One, you will spill coffee--whether in the cup holder, on the carpet, leather, or your shirt, something's getting stained. Two, the hesitation between when you ask for throttle and when you actually start moving can confuse other motorists. At stop signs, other drivers have mistaken it for me giving the go ahead, and so when they start driving into the intersection, the delay ends and the X3 zooms straight at them.

I drove over early the next morning to pick up the X3. The official prognosis from the shop foreman contained no faults, deeming that the vehicle is "operating as designed," a nice little phrase that doesn't say, "Everything is working fine." The throttle delay/surge persists. We'll be following up in the coming months, doing testing of our own in hopes of finding out what's causing this wart on an otherwise splendid package.

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