Introduction
This is the review of the 2025 BMW X3. Now, BMW just redesigned the X3 for 2025 and it’s now in its fourth generation. And this vehicle really sits right in the heart of BMW’s SUV lineup. You have the smaller X1 and X2, then the X3, and then you have the larger X5 and X7, and it goes from there. BMW has been refining the X3 name plate over time, and it’s been getting better and sportier, but this new model, it makes one big departure, and it’s not necessarily for the better, but we’ll get into that.
Exterior Design and Styling
This new X3 definitely looks a lot different than the old one. You know, they really smoothed out the styling. You can tell they’re taking inspiration from their electric models like the EX. And when you come up front, it’s not really my favorite styling, but I am happy to see that they at least showed some restraint with the grill size. It’s not that large. When you get to the side of this X3, you’ll notice that they really took out the big defining character line that was all along the side of the car in the previous version. And there’s still some of it here, but it’s pretty subtle. It’s a lot smoother. And I really think when you get to this rear three quarter view and you start to look down the side of the car, you can really start to see that EX inspiration. It’s got this pinched what they call the tumble home. The way the windows kind of wrap around and come to a pinch at the back of the car and then that smoothly flows down into the wider fenders that they have at least compared to the last generation. Honestly, I think it’s pretty successful.
Platform and Powertrain
Underneath the skin, the redesigned X3 is still on the familiar clar platform. This is BMW’s modular platform that has the building blocks for a lot of their models and the powertrain is also for the most part carryover, but it does have some updates.
Pricing and Specifications
Before we show you all the details of the new X3, here’s what we bought for our test program. We bought a 2025 BMW X330X drive. The base price for this vehicle is $49,500. We paid $3,500 for the premium package. The active driving assistant pro package cost $1,700. Few other options added up to $1,085. The destination fee was $1,175, bringing the total price to $56,860. And the final assembly point for our BMW X3 was Spartanberg, South Carolina. One small detail you might notice is BMW dropped the I from the name. They used to use it all over the place, but instead of our vehicle being called the 30i X drive, it is now just the 30 X drive. So, be mindful of that when you’re shopping.
Interior and Comfort
Getting into the new X3 is generally pretty simple, but you will notice that it has these flush door handles that BMW is putting on a lot of its models. And to be honest, they’re not too bad. You still at least have a cutout down here that you can get your hand under there and and grip the actual handle. You know, it might be a little bit more difficult than you’re used to. Once you get the door open, it’s pretty easy, right? The seat height is really at that hip height position. It just makes it easy to slide in even with those somewhat aggressive bolsters that it has. You just get in. It’s pretty simple. The seats in this car are really, really good. They have a ton of adjustment. BMW’s been doing the thigh adjuster for a while, so you can kind of dial in how much support you have underneath your legs. Included with these seats are adjustable side bolsters. So, there’s a little switch on the side of the seat that lets you essentially dial in how tight these bolsters fit around your sides. Depending on how you fit in the seat, you can tailor it to uh what you need, which is awesome.
Rear Seat and Passenger Experience
The rear entryway and door is on the smaller side. Essentially, the distance here between the pillars is kind of narrow, so getting in, if you’re tall like me, you might have to watch your knees a little bit. But ultimately, the seat is at a pretty good height, and it’s not too too bad. But you will see when I try to get out, the lower SE-pillar here where the cutout for the wheel is starts to make this space down here narrow. And so my legs are really brushing against it on the way out. Once you get back here, it’s a nice place to be. The seat is elevated pretty well from the floor, so you get some support underneath your legs. And thankfully, there’s space underneath this seat to move my feet forward. That’s not always a given these days either. So, there’s no recline ability of this seat back and it’s, as you can see, a little bit upright. I don’t think the posture is too bad, but if you’re back here on a longer trip, you might wish that you could recline the seat.
Cabin Materials and Design
I mentioned before that there’s one big departure for this vehicle, and it’s really here on the interior. The fit and finish, the style, and the materials here are really different than what we’ve seen in the past. Subtlety is really gone, and they’re really focused now on being more trendy, if you will. And honestly, for me, it’s not really my favorite thing. You have some of these elements here with this ambient lighting and this big plastic ambient light strip that surrounds the cup holders. I’ll say it it does catch your eye when you get in this car, but it just doesn’t really hold up to the quality, I guess, that we’d expect to see from BMW.
Infotainment and Controls
The X3 gets BMW’s latest iDrive infotainment system. In this case, it’s iDrive 9. Overall, it’s an amazing piece of software. It’s incredibly smooth, and the way things are laid out when you’re sitting here, it makes sense, but it doesn’t really work that well in a car. There are so many things to wade through just to find what you’re looking for. Thankfully, there are still some physical controls. The iDrive knob remains for those familiar with older BMWs, and the gear selector is compact but functional.
Storage and Practicality
The interior storage options in the X3 are a little bit mixed. Generally, they’re pretty good. Up front here, you have two decent cup holders, a tray for wireless charging with cooling fan, and a compact center console. Door storage is excellent for tall bottles, and a glove box is included. Cargo space is generous, though a spare tire is missing. The rear seats fold 60/40 but don’t lie completely flat.
Driving Experience and Handling
Some of what this X3 does best, frankly, is driving. It handles better than you would expect for an SUV of this size. BMW’s all-wheel-drive system and differential make cornering sharp and controlled. The steering, however, is light and lacks feedback. The 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder engine produces 255 hp and is paired with an excellent 8-speed automatic transmission from ZF. The mild hybrid system smooths out auto start-stop transitions beautifully.
Ride Quality and Comfort
The X3 rides firmly but confidently. You feel bumps, but the suspension prevents excessive body movement. The driving position is nearly perfect with a wide range of steering adjustment, though the seatbelt anchor lacks height adjustment. Visibility is slightly compromised by thick A-pillars and a low windshield, but side and rear views remain decent.
Safety and Technology
We paid extra for the Driving Assist Pro feature, which includes lane centering and adaptive cruise control. The Pro version even allows limited hands-free driving under 40 mph on divided highways.
Conclusion
So, that’s our review of the 2025 BMW X3. This continues to be a really well-driving and pretty refined vehicle, and BMW is continuing to evolve this name plate over time. Now, they’ve taken a few steps back on the interior design and the quality and also the controls are definitely a downgrade in terms of their ease of use compared to the last generation of X3. However, despite that, if I was a betting man, I would say that this vehicle is still going to be one of their bestselling models. For more on our test results and other compact luxury SUVs, visit cr.org.
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