Long-term report: Analysis is the name of the game with the BMW X3

People love to analyse what they’ve been up to. Whether it’s through a smartwatch, via a phone app or through Google’s Timeline, it’s never been easier to analyse what kind of activities you’ve done, where you’ve travelled to or even how you’ve been sleeping.

BMW isn’t any different in this area, either, as I found out recently. Using the My BMW App, you can see a full breakdown of how you’ve been driving, where you’ve visited and – interestingly – how you compare with other drivers of the same car.

For instance, during the last month, I could see that I managed to travel 622 miles overall, which worked out at 18 hours of time spent behind the wheel of the M50. In fact, that meant that I was driving the X3 for 50 per cent more time than other X3 M50 drivers. Which is nice.

During that time, I managed to average 37.3mpg, which isn’t bad for this performance model. Somehow, that figure is also lower than 86 per cent of other X3 M50 drivers, which means that I must have a lighter foot. It could be just that I don’t fancy spending as much on petrol, though. The best efficiency I achieved was 47.2mpg but, in fairness, that was over a nine-mile route – so I don’t think you could really call it a fair representation.

The function will even give you data about your preferred routes and recent destinations and while it might feel a little ‘Big Brother’, it’s no different from what you experience with the vast majority of smartphones. I quite like seeing where I’ve been each month and it’s nice to see how you compare with other X3 owners, too.

The wider BMW app has been rock-solid, too. On some recent airport trips, it has proved handy for the classic ‘did I lock the car?’ question just as you’re getting ready to board the plane. With the app you can see whether or not the car is secure and if you’ve forgotten, then it’s just one press to lock the car back up again. I even used the app to flash the car’s lights when I couldn’t find it in a dark car park recently, which felt a little bit like a James Bond-esque way of locating your vehicle.

I do find the X3 pulling my thoughts into different directions. I’m a firm estate car fan, but this BMW really does show you why so many people are switching from ‘wagons’ and into SUVs. The high ride height gives you a great view of the road ahead and passengers have mentioned that it’s easy to get into. The large boot of the X3 has also proven invaluable over the last few months, with all manner of jobs and tasks being made easier by this car’s well-sized load area.

Would I be heading to the M50 version if I were choosing my own X3? I’m not quite sure. While I love the smooth performance of the straight-six engine, it’s a thirsty brute and I feel like I’ve been spending quite a lot of time filling it back up again. Someone close to my home has got an X3 with a diesel engine and when you put it and the M50 together, there’s very little to tell the pair apart – but I bet they’re not having to fill up quite as often as I am.

It’s actually not too long until I’ve got to say goodbye to the X3 and I am already dreading the day. As much as I complain about this car’s fuel consumption, it feels like an ideal blend of old and new-school features, tied together in a car which really does turn heads.