Launched in South Africain 2018, the 3rd-generation X3 has been well received;theExecutive SUVwas a finalist in the 2018/19 Cars.co.za Consumer Awards – powered by WesBank. However, the (G01) X3 is very much a road-biased luxury off-roader– to withstand the rigours of the Namibian landscape, the South African-built X3s utilised for the trip were kitted with special off-road features developed by BMW Driving Experience.
The upgrades to the X3 includea raised overall ride height (by about 50 mm, the manufacturer says), full aluminium underbody protection with an increased departure angle, higher-profile all-terrain tyres (available for customers to order at any BMW Dealer), a pre-air filter (with protective mesh grille) to prevent desert sand from entering the engine inlet, plus a full-sized spare wheel firmly fixed in the vehicle's load bay.
The convoy of BMW Driving Experience South Africa X3s stops to confer during the Namibian journey.
"It was an epic,awesome,adventure. Look, 'epic'and 'awesome'are often used hyperbolically and I'll be the first to admit that I have, in the past,usedexaggerated words to help paint a picture of what was an otherwise memorable, even if relatively ordinary, situation," Ernest told Cars.co.za. "But now, as Ireflecton those 4days in Namibia, I can say without question, they were [expletive] awesome – and, in a word,epic!"
Herewith Ernest's travelogue:
I preparedfor my flight to Windhoek for days…Ipackedafresh new suitcasewith aselection of clean laundry to choose from. You see, it was going to be my first “international” launch and I wasn’t about to blot my copybook by virtue of having a lack of wardrobe options. I knew this media event would be long,intense and involve lots of driving. My naivety left me wondering: “What is there to see in Namibia? Is it really all that special?"
In a countryknown for its protracted droughts and lack of water, a thunderstorm is a spectacular sight.
Well, upon my arrival in the Namibian capital, I was interrogated by its immigration officials for as long as 45 minutes!Once theyfinally let me step into the general area of the arrivals hall, however, I realised that this was going to quiteanadventure.I hugged the BMW PR and we shared a nervous laugh before I jumped aboard aspecially-modified X3 xDrive30d. Our first leg was a 100-km trek towards the rocky outcrops of Ai Aiba lodge.Most of the roads were gravel and even though this was supposed to be a simple 1st leg, storm clouds gatheredominously in the distance.
Suddenly the heavens opened and it felt as thoughour convoy drove into the full mightof the deluge. The roads became perilouslyslippery as deep puddles formed on the sodden clay road surface. Soon puddles became river crossings that even purpose-built off-roaders might find intimidating.
It was good forethought of BMW to modify itsfleet of X3s for harder off-road conditions. The rainwater pooled rather quickly…
Our fearless leader– instructor Bernie Williams – went first, and nervously told us over the "radio" we can go, but progress needed to be slow, so as to prevent water from flooding the cars' engine bays. Most drivers were total novices…so mild panic set in and that meant more speed– not less.
But “when in doubt, go flat out”doesn’t apply to off-roading.The fronts of our X3s looked submerged from the outside and I could feel the BMW's body being pushed sideways by the pulsing currents. Thiswasn't a rehearsed water crossing. Thiswas real life. This was an actual adventure.
Fording was probablynot an activity BMW had in mind when it developed the X3, but the executive SUV coped well withthe water.
Hours later at dinner, we sat around our table and frantically posted social media updates with what little Wifi was available at the venue. We were duly proud of what had achieved in our“softroaders” that day. The route was only going to get tougher, however.
We ended the night with a game drive and I saw animals I had never seen in the wild. Suffice to say Namibia is much wilder than the Western Cape!
The X3 seems a sizeable SUV, until it passes in close proximity of an elephant…
Our road to Swakopmund tookus on some winding and twistygravel roads which, unlike South African routes, are not interrupted by civilization every couple of dozen kilometres.Along the way, we stopped at our lunch venue, where those whoopted to do the full 8-day trip would stay over, but for us, itwas merelya quick pause to refresh, before we hit the road again. There wasn’t much to see along those roads, but what little there was showcasedNamibia's landscape:rich colours,textures and ancient rocks that were placed there many, many thousands of years before.
Namibia's beauty is quite difficult to describe–it's not obviously pretty or easy to explain. Yet, it's something that needs to be experienced first-hand to be believed. Just before arriving in Swakopmund, we drove through a river bed that had been dry for ages;we stopped to see an old, abandoned copper mine;the history of the place was palpable. The suffering too. Again, Namibia managed to paint a vivid picture without saying much at all.
Much lower tyre pressures, intense concentration and all-wheel xDrive make sand dune sojourns possible in an X3!
Talk about a crash course in serious off-roading! On the penultimate day of our trip, weheaded straight into the legendary Namibian desert.
Perhaps it was my own insecurityabout being inexperienced in driving on anything other than hard blacktop, but I could have sworn that the seasonedlocals were sneering at us city slickers in our fancy-pants X3s. A quick tyre pressure drop and some oysters on the beach (yes, really) and we wereoff. But we had a problem… I was already stuck in the sand and we hadn't crested a dune yet. After some clever (read: frantic) back and forth, we managed to get out without needing to callfor help. However, if this was any indication of what to expect I was in deep, deep trouble.
Maintaining momentum is paramount when you traverse loose sand, which, of course, leads to spectacular sand sprays.
Make no mistake: off-road-course dunes and genuine desert dunes are totally different things. There is nothing as far as the eye can see and I guess if one got lost in there (with no cellular signal and little sense of direction to help you), it would be a real problem!But our convoy stayed tight and with guidance over the "radio", I started getting increasingly comfortable behindthe 'wheel. By the end of the "duning", we were really playing!
To kickup giant sand clouds is especially thrilling, but themost important task of all is: do not getstuck. Fortunately, we remained under the "watchful eye"of a pair of tow vehicles, but they were seldom called into action.On the way back, we drove along the Namibian coastline.Our convoy leader regaled tales of how the area had been overfished of late; the irony of "bombing" up and down the coastline wasn’t lost on me.
The rear bumper of the "Namibian adventure" X3 shows the modifications to the standard car (… and a few battle scars).
The BMW Driving Experience SA'sNamibia tour is offered to a maximum of 12 participants per group. According to BMW, the 8-day package includes a 1 300-kmroute incorporating "breathtaking countryside, spectacular wildlife (from Windhoek to the Atlantic Ocean), driving exploration of the magnificent dunes of the Namib desert, a visit to an indigenous village and historic cave paintings, as well as a variety of culinary delights."
Most guests will be Europeans looking for a proper Southern African adventure. At a cost of between R75k to R100k(including flights to Windhoek and back –the trip is tailorable to customers' needs), the programme might be a bit steep for most ZAR-earners, but bear in mind a 4-day tripis also optionally available. The schedule is well thought out and planned, but with so many variables in play, each one of these sojourns will be different.
"For someone who has been on a great many new vehicle launches in a short (3-year) career, this has to rank right up there with the best ones," Ernest concludes.For more info on the BMW X3 adventure, visit: https://www.bmwdrivingexperience.co.za/index.html#/tours
5 Rivals the BMW X3 M Has To Beat
The BMW X3 is proudly South African, but driven by the world
Epic road trip in SA-made X3
BMW X3 xDrive30d M Sport sports-auto (2018) Review
Search for a used BMW X3 here
zpostcode
Recruit
weather
mreligion
Yellowpages
sport
constellation
shopping
name
game
directory
literature
Word
tour
furnish
Lottery
tftnews
lyrics
News
digital
car
dir
Edu
Finance
