IT'S X3-MELEY GOOD WORK...

WITH THE X5 having reached gargantuan proportions in both price and size in its latest beautiful guise, many eyes are turning to its little brother - who in family style ain't so little anymore.

- WITH JOHN MITCHELL

This is the new BMW X3, the midsize SUV that's been rebuilt from the ground up into a modern, uber-stylish family car for the upwardly mobile.

My first impression upon seeing the new car in the flesh was that it's one of the most funky family cars you're likely to see outside of the concept cars world.

BMW have taken some risks with a car that's hugely important for them and it's paid off in spades with a chunky, tough-looking exterior that somehow manages to disguise its fairly formidable bulk with its angeld surfaces and swooping shoulder lines.

Their version of the double kidney grille is not as massive as some of its brethren and suits the face of the car well, with the style cues not absent on the nicely sculpted rear end.