BMW X3 review: 2025 model looks different and drives delightfully

BMW has rolled out several polarising-looking cars and SUVs over recent years, but the at-times controversial design recipe is clearly working. The Bavarian brand delivered a record total of 2,253,835 vehicles worldwide in 2023, well clear of arch-rivals Mercedes-Benz (2,044,100 units) and Audi (1,895,240 units).

One of the key pillars of BMW’s sales success is the midsized X3 SUV, which notched up 350,000 sales last year, making it the marque’s most popular model – eclipsing even the volume-selling 3 Series sedan.

The X3 has 3.5 million cumulative sales to its credit since the first-gen model launched in 2003, so the new fourth-generation iteration (known as the G45) has some large wheel-tracks to fill.

Numbers and patterns

BMW hasn’t played it safe on the styling front as, once again, the newbie is distinguished by mould-breaking design language that will have some keyboard warriors up in arms. The G45 X3 is also much slipperier through the air than its forerunner, boasting a drag coefficient of 0.27 – exceptionally low for a lofty SUV.

The company describes the new X3’s visuals as “monolithic”, and that seems an apt summation of its looks. With a high bonnet line, upright flanks and sharp edges galore, it is an imposing SUV that comes across better in the metal than it does in images.

The wholesale design makeover extends to the interior, with the centrepiece of the cockpit being BMW’s new Curved Display, which houses the digitised instrument cluster and infotainment screen within an expansive rectangular glass panel that sits on top of the dashboard.

The fourth-gen X3 is 34mm longer and 29mm wider than its predecessor, and the front and rear tracks have also been pushed out marginally, giving it a broader footprint on the tarmac. Sitting 25mm lower than before, the vehicle is underpinned by a carry-over CLAR platform, but BMW’s boffins have sharpened up the steering and suspension kinematics to bolster its dynamism.

Two versions will initially be on offer in the UAE when the new X3 goes on sale locally in December. The entry-level X3 20 xDrive is propelled by a 2.0-litre turbo engine with 48V mild hybrid boost for outputs of 208hp and 330Nm, while the range-topping (until the X3M debuts next year) X3 M50 xDrive punches out a hefty 398hp and 580Nm from its 3.0-litre six-pot turbo motor for a brisk 4.6 sec dash from 0-100 kph.

In the driver’s seat

First impressions on setting off down the road in the X3 M50 xDrive are of impressive refinement, a premium cabin ambience and the solidly planted feel that’s typical of the brand’s offerings. As usual for a contemporary BMW, the steering wheel rim is too thick for my liking, but the rest of the ergonomic package is up to the mark.

The seats are trimmed in material fabricated from recycled PET plastic, but drivers could conceivably be fooled into thinking it’s leather and Alcantara. The front seats are well sculpted, but the rear seats – although immensely roomy – aren’t ideal as the seatbacks are too upright. An enormous glass roof makes for a panoramic view of the sky, as well as boosting the cabin’s airy ambience.

Luggage capacity in the new X3 has been enlarged by 20 litres, to 570 litres, and it’s extendable to a cavernous 1,700 litres by folding down the rear seats.

There are no great surprises in terms of how the X3 drives. Even the entry-level X3 20 xDrive is respectably brisk and well tied down, while the beefy X3 M50 xDrive obviously ups the ante considerably in terms of both outright grunt and cornering grip levels. Even so, the X3 range-topper isn’t as nimble and dynamically crisp as Porsche’s Macan, of which even the latest electrified generation is impressively agile.

For most would-be buyers, the new X3’s drawcards will be the vehicle’s upmarket feel, effortless cruising ability and the undoubted cachet of the blue-and-white roundel badge. The vehicle’s offbeat new visuals will also be a hook for some buyers, although it’s safe to say not everyone will warm to its sharp-edged looks.

The new-gen X3 has its work cut out as it’ll be up against the Mercedes GLC, Range Rover Velar, Lexus RX and upcoming third-gen Audi Q5. Local pricing is yet to be announced, but expect the base model X3 20 xDrive to start at Dh250k and the M50 xDrive to cost an estimated Dh330,000.