There's something enormously gratifying about disproportionate retaliation. Tell me you didn't get a little juiced when Zinedine Zidane floored Marco Materazzi after an innocuous insult or when Robin Cook gave Tony Blair both barrels upon his ministerial resignation. Research has shown that our brains are actually hard wired for it.

Scientists have shown that what begins as a game of soft touches between two people quickly becomes a game of moderate pokes and then hard prods, even though both participants do their level best to respond in kind. Each would be convinced that he was responding with equal force and that for some reason, the other participant was escalating the force being used. Neither realised that the escalation was the natural by-product of a neurological quirk that causes the pain we receive to seem more painful than the pain we produce, so we tend to dish out more pain than we have received. Just lately BMW has been bringing the pain to its rivals in the shape of ever more powerful X3 models and the 3.0-litre si model is one of the big guns.

The X3 didn't have the easiest start in life. Derided as being built down to a price and offering poor value compared to the X5 it was designed to slot in beneath, it even attracted brickbats for the way it drove - inconceivable for a modern BMW product, you'd think. BMW listened to its critics and revised the X3, the USP this time round being massive power with no petrol model exemplifying this better than the 272bhp 3.0si, a thermonuclear response to rival slings and arrows.

This engine is based on the world's lightest production six-cylinder engine and is constructed largely of aluminium and magnesium alloy to keep weight down. The results are suitably apocalyptic, the X3's all wheel drive system blasting it off the line to 60mph in a mere 7.2 seconds with the shove continuing until 142mph is showing on the clock. What's so overwhelming about this model is that it lifts the X3 into a sector whereby it now has no real rivals. Ask yourself what's the next quickest compact 4x4 and you'll have to scratch your head and move a long way downmarket.

Fuel consumption isn't a standout point in a car which encourages foot to the floor progress like this X3, but driven in a more measured fashion, you'll average 29.1mpg. A peak torque figure of 315Nm gives some clue as to how much urge is at your disposal. The X3 feels pleasantly nuggety to drive, all of a piece if you like. It drives like it looks, compact and car-like rather than a lumbering 4x4. Yes, it is reasonably useless off road but that's hardly the point. The X3 appeals to a discrete niche and now it does so very well indeed. BMW has succeeded in turning the problem child of its family into something very special indeed.

"Unilateral power has a lot to answer for"

Along with the featherweight engine, BMW has also tweaked the X3's styling, giving it a more upmarket look. The old X3 looked fine when specified in M-Sport trim with the body coloured side panelling but rather cheap with black parts, especially if the body was trimmed in a pale colour. As well as SE trim, the 3.0si is also offered in M-Sport guise and features a colour-keyed front spoiler that sits below a redesigned bumper assembly. A bigger kidney grille reflects BMW's pride in the latest X3 and front fog lights are now incorporated into the main section of the bodywork. Move round to the back and there are LED tail lamps. 18-inch alloy wheels and twin exhausts that poke out beneath a ground hugging rear valance are standard with the option of 19-inch rims.

The interior, the source of much of the X3's reputation for being built down to a price, has also been treated to a nip and tuck. The materials used on the centre console have been uprated and there's a better-looking three-spoke steering wheel. The anthracite head lining and cool technical finishes of the M-Sport model also lift the cabin, giving the car a properly premium feel. Now that much of the technology that was introduced on the 5 Series has matured, BMW has been able to take a look at what's worth sticking with, what features will die a quiet death and, at the same time, has also introduced a few new ideas on the X3.

The Dynamic Stability Control + system (DCS+) is fitted to an X model for the first time, giving X3 drivers immense confidence as they explore the outer reaches of the car's handling envelope and acting as a reassuring safety net in the event of an evasive or emergency manoeuvre. The braking system has been given the most attention and the X3 comes with a series of braking functions that are beyond the ken of many cars costing three times as much. Brake Drying scrubs away the film of water on the brake discs that can reduce stopping power, while Brake Pretensioning shortens stopping distances during an emergency stop by priming the brakes to remove any slop in the system should the driver come sharply off the throttle pedal. Hill Start Assistant holds the brakes on a manual car until the driver can accelerate away while Brake Fade Compensation ramps up calliper pressure if the system detects that heat build up is causing brake fade. Switchable Dynamic Traction Control is also another first for an X model.

Let's be clear about this. BMW has repositioned the X3, lifting it out of the compact 4x4 mainstream and has equipped it with jet heels. It's different because it's so much faster and more capable - on road at least - than any conceivable rival. It needed to be though. Land Rover is looking to redefine this sector with the Freelander II and, as you're probably aware, Land Rover and BMW have a little history. Points are there to be proven and as capable as the Freelander is, it just doesn't have an engine available to it that will match this X3 3.0si.

The BMW X3 3.0si is a very focused vehicle. If you want the elevated seating position and aspirational image of a smart 4x4 but want the power and poise of a decent sports saloon, there is very little to touch it. It initially appears quite eye wateringly expensive with prices opening at £34,745 and an optioned up M Sport nudging £37,000 but when you're operating in a field of one, charging what the market will bear is only fair. The market will respond appropriately.

TOP 2 X3 DEALS

The results below show the top X3 deals on buyacar

	BMW X3 3.0si SE 5dr Step Auto Off Road
	ETR	Mthly	Saving £2,220	Price £32,720
	BMW X3 3.0si M Sport 5dr Step Auto Off Road
	ETR	Mthly	Saving £2,410	Price £34,615