Arriving late to the plug-in party and overshadowed by more statistically impressive cars like the Chevrolet Volt, the plug-in Prius hasn’t garnered much attention. It’s likely that reason that it also hasn’t sold particularly well.

On paper it fails to excite, preferring instead to deliver results in the real world and for that reason it is likely the best green option on the market.

Perhaps a unique style would have helped set the car apart from its “conventional” hybrid sibling. Instead Toyota used an identical body shape with just a few small tweaks. Those include custom wheels as well as faux-metal door handles and matching trim on the front bumper and rear hatch. Besides that there are blue accented headlights and LED taillights while the obvious give-aways include “plug-in hybrid” badging on the front fenders and an extra “gas” door hiding the electric charge port.

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It’s well known that the BMW 3 Series is a brilliant car. The potpourri of sport, luxury and technology blend perfectly to make a desirable and solid car for anyone shopping in its price point. But those who need more practicality and family friendliness will look at the platform-sharing X3 xDrive28i to fill that void.

Fortunately, there’s hardly a better starting point than the 3 Series sport-sedan, and the X3 really proves this point. It feels solid, yet spritely and feels far more capable than its spec sheet would hint at. For 2013 BMW transplanted the 240-hp turbocharged four-cylinder engine out of the 328i and put it into the bigger utility vehicle.

The engine is still packaged with BMW’s eight-speed automatic transmission like last year’s model, which does double duty to help keep the engine in its sweet-spot and fuel-consumption low. Yes, the older car made more power, but the new engine helps make more twist; a total 49 extra lb-ft of torque helps the X3 stay exciting. In fact, it’s hard to see the need for the more powerful engine in the xDrive35i.

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