Until recently, most of my adventures have been human powered. Backpacking through the Grand Canyon was one of my all-time favorite trips. I like rising at 4 A.M. so I can skin up the local hill and ski a lap before work, and I need a multi-hour bike ride each weekend听or I go crazy.
But听I鈥檝e also discovered the power of an engine. I currently have a 2003 Toyota Sequoia that I听turned into an overland rig, and it鈥檚 helped me access some of the most remote and beautiful spots in the western United States. More importantly, it鈥檚听allowed my partner and I to bring our kids along for the ride.
My new favorite adventuremobile, however, is a . For the past several weeks, my family and I have been using a , and it is simply听the most thrilling piece of equipment I鈥檝e ever tested. I鈥檝e skied knee-deep powder in Europe, and this is still more fun by a factor of two.
Case in point:听Last weekend听I loaded my family into the听X3 four-seater and set off to explore the backcountry dirt roads just south of Albuquerque, New Mexico, where we live. As I mashed the pedal, the engine kicked us back in our seats. And that听engine was loud鈥攂ut our screams of excitement easily drowned it out. Stunned by the speed and smoothness of the ride, no one wanted to stop.
We tackled several steep, sandy, technical trails that would have pushed a built-out Jeep to the limit, if not flat-out stumped it. The X3, on the other hand, floated right up and danced听over off-camber sections that would have scared me half to death in any other vehicle. At the top of the hill, my partner looked at me with a huge smile and said, 鈥淲e have to take this thing on some trips!鈥澨
The sense that you can go nearly anywhere听safely and quickly听is what makes the X3 such a fun vehicle. My family has听traveled a lot, and we鈥檝e used our Sequoia to access some pretty remote places. But the insane speed and chart-topping off-road capability of the X3 has听opened up entirely new sections of the world for us to explore.
Why Is the X3 So Badass?
The X3鈥檚 capability is the product of听a few key factors. Suspension is, by far, the most important. The X3 version听I鈥檓 testing has a suspension setup that allows for a whopping 22 inches of fine-tuned up-and-down travel on every wheel鈥攖hat鈥檚 nearly double the amount of travel my colleague Wes Siler has on his upgraded Toyota Land Cruiser, what听he calls one of the most capable overland builds he鈥檚 ever seen.听(This听comparison is not apples to apples; it just gives you a sense of what you鈥檙e working with.)听
All that travel lets the X3 crawl over giant rocks and听off-camber spots while still feeling completely planted. The suspension can chew up hundreds of miles of rutted roads without leaving you feeling like you鈥檝e just exited a washing machine.听
Adding to the X3鈥檚 off-road chops is a wide听72-inch stance, which keeps it听stable while cornering. It comes听standard with 30-inch off-road tires, which can easily be sized up for even more traction. Front and rear lockers create incredible traction, and down below, skid plates run the entire length of the听bottom to keep the X3鈥檚 drivetrain safe should you ever bash against a rock.
It鈥檚 got a 195-horsepower,听turbocharged engine that can听rocket the 1,877-pound vehicle anywhere you want to go. Thanks to fine tuning in the suspension, all that power doesn鈥檛 become overwhelming when you鈥檙e turning or driving fast. An open cockpit with no windshield or windows听makes the speed absolutely exhilarating.
Is a听Side-by-Side for You?
When I asked my friend Walt Wagner,听who owns a nationally known ,听why he鈥檚 a fan of the X3 (he owns the two-seater version), he promptly answered:听鈥淭hose things are made to be insanely capable right off the lot. They can also be driven hard all the time, and you don鈥檛 have to worry about abusing it.鈥
Wagner听owns a听, which he鈥檚 driven on the country鈥檚 hardest trails. But he still purchased an X3 because it created a different experience for him and his family (the two-seater can be modified to have a third, smaller child seat听between the two main seats.)听Instead of taking his truck鈥攚hich is also his daily driver鈥攐ut on rough trails, it鈥檚听easier to just load up the X3 on a trailer. His truck remains his听primary adventure vehicle for large, multi-day camping trips, but the X3 is more convenient,听and frankly more fun, on his half- or full-day excursions.听
Wagner鈥檚听situation is the best-case scenario, because he has both an overlanding truck and an X3. Since I鈥檝e been testing the side-by-side, friends have asked whether I鈥檇 recommend one instead of an overlanding build. The answer is tricky. For my family and I,听the听Sequoia overland build is still the better choice听right now, because it鈥檚 set up for camping, which we all really enjoy. That said, I鈥檝e already started saving for an X3 because I, too, would rather run day trips or tackle rough trails with one, and my kids have a blast听in the open cockpit. Additionally, Wagner听plans to start outfitting X3鈥檚 and other side-by-sides听for longer camping trips sometime soon. For someone who鈥檚 not ready to dive headfirst into overlanding but still wants to see the backcountry, tackle technical trails, and feel the exhilaration of a powerful engine and fine-tuned suspension, the X3 is the听easy pick.
This line of thinking is also true when it comes to cost. The X3 I鈥檓 testing costs听an eye-watering $30,400, which is what you听could easily听pay for a new car. The least expensive version听of the X3 costs听$19,000, which is also a serious chunk of change (for the lower price point, you get a two-seater with less suspension travel, smaller tires, and a narrower stance). But compare those prices to what you鈥檇 have to spend to buy a Tacoma or Jeep, and then the upgrades it鈥檇 require听in an attempt to make it听as fast or capable as an X3,听and the benefits become clear鈥攅ven after factoring听in the cost of the trailer you need to haul the X3. Wagner听says any build that comes close would cost two, three, or even four times more. When you consider that an X3 is perfect for a family (you can squeeze four kids and two adults into the four-seater with a quick ),听the听price makes even more sense.听
Finally, there are those听who will balk at the noise and the gas. I hear you. Engineless adventuring will continue to be important to me, too. But before you write off the X3, ponder听this:听It usually averages听12 to 16 miles per gallon, depending on how much you like to step on the gas. With just a little more than ten听gallons in the tank, you can see 100 miles of backcountry and still have enough gas to tow the vehicle to local trails.听For a day of skiing, I easily burn 12 to 15 gallons of gas getting听my family听to and from the ski area (not to mention the energy used to turn the lifts we all听use). If I want to haul the X3 to Moab, Utah, or up to Colorado to run the state鈥檚 famous 12,000- and 13,000-foot passes, I鈥檒l burn extra gas pulling the vehicle up there. But I鈥檒l then save fuel by using the X3 once I鈥檓 on the trails, as opposed to using my Sequoia.
To be clear,听the X3 is not quiet. But I don鈥檛 want to drive the X3 where people are camping, because those areas are typically pretty boring for driving a vehicle like this.听Thankfully, many of the land-management agencies throughout the United States have done a great job of creating trails for off-road rigs听that are scenic, challenging, and well-placed in the outdoor ecosystem. Here in Albuquerque, we鈥檙e lucky to have hundreds of miles of trails that offer incredible views and puckering terrain and are located far enough from any populated hiking and biking trails听that I don鈥檛 have to worry about disturbing other people.听