The new 2025 BMW X3 is an important model for the Bavarian company. While it once made building the Ultimate Driving Machines its core stock in trade, today, it’s a company with a broader portfolio. Conventional wisdom is that brands that build desirable SUVs end up with buckets of money, and the X3’s job is to help BMW score that bag.
Fundamentally, SUVs are core product for most brands these days. Any denial of such became pointless when Lamborghini and Ferrari started getting in on the action. The X3 is one of BMW’s biggest lines in the US market, shifting over 80,000 units in 2022 alone. Where the 3 Series was once the accessible darling of the BMW lineup, that mantle has now shifted.
The third-generation model sold well for BMW in its seven year reign. Now, the new X3 brings new design language, new tech, and new engines, including a hybrid option. The question will be whether it can continue the model’s strong sales momentum into a new era.
All-New
There’s no use hiding from the elephant in the room, nor its giant nostrils. BMW has committed to a design language featuring huge kidney grilles, with only the smaller model lines spared. The new X3 doesn’t change this, but it does make them more eye catching than ever. The grilles feature bold diagonal and vertical strakes that appear akin to some kind of dazzle camouflage from the early 20th century. They also get outlined with glowing contour lights to really draw the eye.
Besides the nose, though, it’s an otherwise modern and clean design. The basic proportions are largely rectangular, with BMW ignoring the temptation to go for a steeply-sloping roof that would unduly cut headroom and cargo space. The X3 almost rides low enough that has you wondering if automakers are flirting with wagons again, but its overall height keeps it in the SUV class.
BMW bills the X3 as suitable for “everyday use, weekend adventures, and cross-country journeys,” though we’re about a decade past anyone pretending they’re buying one for off-road use. Still, in the US, all models will come with BMW’s xDrive AWD system.
Two main models will be available from launch. The X3 30 xDrive starts at $50,675 including destination charges. It will feature a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, good for 255 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. It’s assisted by a 48-volt mild hybrid system, too. It’ll propel the X3 to 60 mph in just six seconds flat.
Cashed-up buyers can go for the X3 M50 xDrive instead, which begins at $64,100. It gets BMW’s 3.0-liter inline-six, complete with turbo and 48-volt mild hybrid system. It offers a mighty 393 horsepower and 428 pound-feet of torque, and is paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission. BMW also claims that new “extremely rigid” model-specific engine mounts provide supreme responsiveness from the drivetrain. All that extra power will rocket the X3 to 60 mph in just 4.4 seconds—a number once the purview of real supercars.
Notably, both trims drop the “i” which BMW formerly used to designate models fuel injection. Going forward, “i” will only be used for BMW’s all-electric models.
BMW is serious about efficiency with the X3, hence the mild-hybrid systems on both engines. Other details include the flaps which block airflow through the grille for better aerodynamic efficiency, and the fact that both engines can use variable valve timing to implement the Miller cycle for better fuel economy.
Inside, BMW has gone for a cutting-edge, futuristic look, with bold lines in contrasting colors. Call it interesting, or call it lurid, but it’s certainly not blending in with any of the competition. The base model is sharp, but not too crazy. However, BMW has chosen to show off the M50 xDrive in wild fashion. It’s, uh…particularly eye catching in the way it proudly displays the M colors, red and blue.
With an interior like that, your friends will certainly remember their first trip in your BMW. It’s a look that would be a bit over the top for a special limited-edition sports model. It’s surprising to see BMW go ham on the M colors in what is fundamentally an SUV, even if it’s a moderately fast one.
The X3 will feature a large touchscreen and a screen for the instrument cluster, with the system running the latest iDrive 9 infotainment software. According to BMW, it’s focused on improving touch and voice controls to allow for a more “driver-focused cockpit” with less buttons and switches. It provides for a clean interior, but fans of bespoke tactile controls may be disappointed. A worthy feature, however, is the Augmented View function when using navigation. It will display a live video stream from the driver’s perspective on the interior display, with animated arrows overlaid to indicate the correct way to progress through difficult junctions.
Another interesting option is BMW’s innovative Parking Assistant Professional with Maneuver Assistant. It goes above and beyond traditional parking assists, allowing the driver to “record” complex parking maneuvers for later use. Using GPS and the recorded trajectory data, the X3 can automatically execute advanced parking maneuvers on command. This can be controlled from either inside the car, or from the outside via a smartphone app. If you’ve got a weird driveway or parking spot that’s a little hard to get to, you might find this feature to be a great tool.
Similarly, if you have a long driveway, Backup Assistant can drive the X3 backwards for up to 650 feet on a route that you formerly drove in forwards. If your nouveau-riche college friend just bought a mansion with a winding one-way driveway, this could pay for itself in no time flat.
Ultimately, the X3 has become a vital pillar of BMW’s lineup in the US. It’s a top seller for the brand, and it will want to see that continue. The engines are competent, the tech should be too. It will thus come down to looks, and whether the model’s intended audience will accept them. With the bold direction the new model is taking, the X3 could really go either way.
Image credits: BMW
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