BMW isn't in the business of playing it safe with design, and the redesigned 2025 X3 is no exception, with a totally fresh personality and styling that screams "I'm new!" This definitely isn't a car anybody is going to confuse with its much more visually conservative predecessor, but the out-there design is likely to divide opinions.
Beneath the radical new look, the entry-level X3 30 xDrive is powered by a much more efficient, slightly more powerful four-cylinder engine. Impressive technology comes as standard, but so does a disappointingly bland cabin that feels like a letdown for the price. We wish the interior were as exciting as the exterior.
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The Lowdown
The 2025 BMW X3 30 xDrive is packing a heavily updated turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four engine aided by a 48-volt mild-hybrid system. An eight-speed automatic transmission is the only gearbox available, and all-wheel drive comes standard. Engine upgrades include a redesigned combustion chamber and intake ports, a new ignition system, new dual injection, and an improved turbo and intercooler.
Passive dampers are standard, but BMW offers both an M Sport suspension option with adaptive dampers and also a separate Dynamic Damper Control package that brings active shocks with a less aggressive tune to maximize ride comfort. Increased rigidity, a wider track, and suspension kinematic improvements combine to improve handling and ride comfort. We've already tested the range-topping six-cylinder X3 M50 variant, and the 30 offers better value and lower running costs.
- Vehicle tested: 2025 BMW X3 30 xDrive
- Base Price: $50,675
- Price as tested: $57,725
- Location: Greenville, South Carolina
How Does It Drive?
The answer here is down to which suspension package you spring for. Thankfully, the standard suspension and passive dampers do a fine job, providing a supple and quiet ride. Handling takes a lower priority in the X3 30 than the M50, but the M Sport suspension option gives a welcome extra dose of performance without bringing harshness, with little penalty in terms of ride quality for ticking that box.
Sadly, the X3 30's powertrain doesn't do much to encourage harder use, regardless of the suspension package chosen. The engine's four-cylinder thrashing is augmented by sound pumped through the speakers. Note I said augmented, not enhanced. I found myself not wanting to hear much of the fake or natural engine noise.
Both horsepower and torque have increased over the previous-generation X3 30, with a claimed 6.0-second zero-to-60-mph time that's respectable in this segment. The engine feels happiest when plodding between stoplights: The maximum 295 lb-ft of torque is produced at just 1600 rpm, and the 48-volt mild-hybrid system assists with seamless starts and stops of the engine when coasting or pulling away. Driven like this, the X3 30 is quiet and refined, just the way a daily driver should be. Plus, I'm sure owners will love the fuel-economy boost from the hybrid system, with the X3 30's 29 mpg combined figure a 5-mpg improvement over the last version.
But driving hard never feels more than semi-rewarding, despite what is claimed to be a rear-biased all-wheel-drive system. The eight-speed ZF auto that is snappy and enthusiastic in the M50 feels sluggish here, and the X3 30's mushy brake pedal is better suited to easy stops than hard ones. BMW allows an upgrade to an M Sport brake package with larger discs, which is an option I'd definitely spring for alongside the M Sport suspension. Buyers can even specify summer performance tires on 21-inch wheels, although all-season rubber is standard.
What's It Like to Live With?
BMW totally revamped its interior design language for the X3, and while there are some highlights, this interior comes off as an exercise in cost-cutting.As I found in the X3 M50, ambient lighting does the heavy lifting to try and bring the X3's cabin into luxury territory, but my overwhelming impression was that this cabin is lower-rent and less luxurious than before.
The Curved Display housing both the cluster and infotainment system is at least upscale in appearance, and the glass iDrive knob is a nice touchpoint. BMW uses its iDrive 9 software in the X3, this dedicating a section of the display to climate control in place of physical controls. The infotainment delivers acceptable functionality for navigation, media playback, and smartphone projection. But usability has definitely been downgraded over the less ornate system of the outgoing car and its physical HVAC controls.
Behind the novelty of color-changing panels, the dashboard is a large, blank nothing. It tries for minimalism but comes off as a missed opportunity to bring some life into the interior. It is possible to improve matters through the options list, with the "woven textile" dashboard—a $350 option made from recycled polyester—giving the interior some much-needed texture. But it still feels bland for a car carrying this price tag.
Although the new X3's dimensions have expanded, that doesn't translate to massive improvements to utility. It will still comfortably accommodate adults in the rear seats with plenty of leg- and headroom, and the boxy SUV shape gives a respectable amount of cargo space with the rear seats in place.
Should I Buy One?
If you can make the stretch, then my recommendation would be to walk straight by the X3 30 and pony up the extra for the M50. That means finding an extra $15,000, but that brings a much more charismatic six-cylinder engine with genuine performance chops. The 2.0-liter four-banger in this 30 is impressively fuel efficient, but it is also as emotionless as most small turbo engines tend to be. The stock X3 30's ride and handling balance skews strongly in favor of comfort, making it much less enticing to drive than the M-badged version.Broaden the comparison to include other automakers, and the X3's case doesn't get much stronger. The Mercedes-Benz GLC, the Genesis GV70, and the Volvo XC60 all offer much better interiors and don't sacrifice much in entertainment to the four-cylinder BMW. Or, alternatively, stretch a little further for the base four-cylinder gasoline Porsche Macan and concentrate on driving rather than toys and gizmos.
Sad to say, BMW has created a car that doesn't excel at anything. In this ultracompetitive segment, the X3 30 feels like a champion of nothing in particular.
Highlights and Lowlights
We Love:
- It has a smooth, quiet engine that gets excellent fuel economy.
- You can choose your own adventure from a suspension standpoint to dial in the car's personality.
- BMW's Curved Display infotainment looks upscale and features above-average functionality via the iDrive knob.
We Don't:
- The interior is undeniably cheap and low-rent in appearance.
- It's just too expensive for how little performance and fun it delivers.
