CROSSING THE STARRY SKIED GOBI DESERT
2020 BMW X3 Test Drive

(GANSU/QINGHAI) – From September 2 to 8, a fleet of BMW X3 completed a journey under the theme of “Crossing the Starry Skied Gobi Desert” in the vast landscape of the Gansu-Qinghai region. The BMW X3 manifests its adventurous “X family” spirit backed by superior off-roading capability and its unparalleled agile handling, fulfills the yearning for new life possibilities and the desire to live life to the fullest.

Iconic car amidst gorgeous scenery

Dunhuang, a storied place where historical figures and events left their lasting marks. It is here that the BMW X3 fleet set out across the vast desert with a fearless spirit. On the wild Gobi Desert, the energetic and tech-packed BMW X3 raced ahead like the wind. The combination of sculpted lines and larger kidney grille endow the BMW X3 with a badge of strength and masculinity. Its hexagonal adaptive LED headlights illuminated the way as it forged, casting their brilliant rays on the drifting yellow sands. The razor-sharp straight shoulder lines are perfectly matched with the sturdy 19-inch wheels to create an instant visual impact. When galloping across the vast Gobi Desert, the L-shaped all-LED taillights are dazzling and eye-catching, with the red light flitting across the northwestern wildness.

Despite the flying sands outside, the driver and passengers in the BMW X3 found themselves in a space filled with peace and comfort synonymous with their home. The dashboard is covered with Sensatec leather and studded with chromed metallic control buttons and feels perfect to the touch. The rear seats, which have exclusive upholstery raised by an additional 12-15mm for Chinese consumers, are paired with back cushions with three-level 15° backrest adjustment to provide a roomy, indulging and relaxing experience. The 1.12-sq. m. panoramic sunroof takes in the gorgeous sky scenery over the desert. Long journeys across the expansive Gobi desert cannot be completed without camping gear and ample food supply, which can easily be stowed away in the BMW X3’s trunk with a space expandable to 1,600L, augmented by the hidden storage compartment beneath the trunk floor which meets diverse storage needs, making the journey worry-free.

Outstanding maneuverability

The BMW X3 fleet arrived in Aksay, a small city in northwest China’s Gansu Province, and continued westward on the flat highroad, taking in the enchanting, endless and continuously unfolding view of the vast Gobi desert sands, and being greeted by the howling wind and drifting dunes.

The BMW X3 is powered by an upgraded B Series 2.0T supercharged engine and coupled with an 8-speed Automatic Transmission with Steptronic, ensuring efficient and ample power output. Although the unimpeded skyline views are magnificently picturesque, they can easily to cause eye fatigue. The burden on the driver is greatly alleviated by the comprehensive BMW intelligent driver assistance systems, adding to the safety of the desert journey. For instance, the Active Cruise Control system, which is integrated with Lane Keeping Assistant and Traffic Jam Assistant, can keep the car in its lane safety and accurately identify signs like “speed limit”, and the cruise function can adjust speed to the required speed range up to the maximum of 210 km/h. This provides strong protection when driving in high-latitude, high-altitude and high-risk areas in particular. The Adaptive Drive mode, on the other hand, can automatically adjust driving according to the current road conditions and the driver’s driving habits so as to suit the driver’s handling and comfort preferences, and to make driving both pleasurable and safe.

As the fleet moved further westward, the terrain conditions became more challenging. Nonetheless, by leveraging its powerful all-terrain capabilities and class-leading handling, the BMW X3 managed to make it through the Eboliang area, where there are no actual roads for travel, as well as the bumpy Yardang valleys. In particular, the BMW xDrive all-wheel drive system can flexibly adjust power distribution in a way that makes it easy for the luxury SUV to surmount difficult road conditions, be it wet slippery sandy ground or coarse gravel. This all-terrain ability is further enhanced by its highest-in-class ground clearance of 216mm and the largest-in-class approach angle of 25.6°, providing the BMW X3 unrivaled passability. An ideal 50:50 front/rear weight split serves as the solid foundation of the BMW X3’s outstanding dynamic features. Meanwhile, its lightweight body construction gives it enhanced agility. The combination of these awesome capabilities enables the BMW X3 to surmount even the most challenging road conditions that hold other cars at bay and takes it to places commanding splendid scenery unseen by others.

Modern connectivity

As the BMW X3 fleet made its way deep into the Gobi Desert, awe-inspiring sights of the desert carved by powerful wind in the northwestern region kept coming into view, presenting an exquisite roll of Yardang geological formations. The surroundings were so majestic and unlike anything one sees elsewhere and made the participants to feel as if they were on another planet.

The Yardang cluster is often nicknamed “demon town” possibly because the sand ridges stretch across the vast desert and can easily make one to feel disoriented. However, this is nothing to be worried about courtesy of the extensive high-tech features of the BMW X3. The combination of a 12.3-inch full LCD instrument cluster and a 10.25-inch center console touch screen provides driving information visually, in a clear and intuitive way. The full-color head-up display with a 70% larger (compared with previous generation system) projection area can project key driving information and navigation routes without obscuring the driver's vision. As a result, the driver can navigate with confidence even in the disorienting desert. The BMW X3 is also equipped with the all-new ID7 HMI system that can receive and process audio commands from the driver, and which is simply activated by saying “Hey BMW”.

As the setting sun enveloped everything in its golden light, the BMW X3 fleet reached the biggest highlight of the journey – Mars Camp in the Gobi Desert in northwest China’s Qinghai Province. The participants lit a bonfire, holding a desert festival outside high-tech container camps with all the BMW X3 cars set up in an array. A unique drive-in movie theater screened a movie in which figures in uniform slowly appeared with the trumpets of heroes poured from a powerful Harman Kardon system with 16 speakers that can be controlled with hand gestures. At the end of the movie, the participants, still felt something was missing, so they connected a phone to the BMW wireless Apple CarPlay and played a soundtrack of Interstellar, taking the wonderful night in the wilderness to a sublime level beyond time and space.

The long journey from Dunhuang to the Mars Camp was a journey of discovery and revelation. It was about exploring not only the profound historical heritage of ancient places but also the beauty of all things that continuously evolve over time. The BMW X3, with its exceptional maneuverability, outstanding off-roading prowess and comprehensive all-terrain capabilities, turned the otherwise difficult and risky journey through the stark and desolate, yet enchantingly beautiful northwestern Gobi Desert into a series of successful conquests. Although the trails left by the fleet on the desert will sooner or later be erased by wind and sand, the lofty stature and all-round capabilities exhibited by the BMW X3 throughout the journey will continue to amaze and win hearts as the high-performance SAV goes on escapades in other parts of the world.