One of the best selling BMW crossover SUVs is entering a new generation. The 2025 BMW X3 has a lot of new changes. Some of which are good but others should have remained the same as the previous generation.
Performance
Engine – A couple of good changes are the updates to the available engines. Standard is a 2.0L turbocharged 4-cylinder which has been given a bump in power. It now produces 255 hp & 295 lb-ft of torque (190 kW & 400 Nm). This engine is also paired with a 48-Volt mild-hybrid system for the first time. Optional is a 3.0L turbocharged inline-6 cylinder engine which is under the hood of this M50 X3. It too sees a bump in power to 393 hp & 428 lb-ft (293 kW & 580 Nm). The 48-Volt mild-hybrid system has been carried over from the previous generation for this engine. The M50 variant can accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 4.6 seconds which is plenty quick for an SUV tipping the scales at 2,057 kg (4,535 lbs).
The inline-6 is a smooth and responsive engine thanks to the low grunt of the turbocharger and the instant torque of the electric motor from the mild-hybrid system. It doesn’t feel as though it’s losing steam as it gets closer to the redline at 6,000 rpms. Should you want a momentary boost in power, you can pull and hold onto the left steering wheel paddle which has “Boost” written on it. This downshifts the transmission, changes the car into its sportiest settings and delivers maximum power from the mild-hybrid system. This feature provides 10 seconds of boost. Sadly, it’s not a particularly loud engine seeing as how this is the sporty trim of the 2025 X3. The engine makes good noises but it sounds stifled.
Fuel Economy – Another good change to the 2025 X3 is its fuel economy. Both the 4-cylinder engine and the inline-6 have improved fuel consumption figures over their respective previous model years. The X3 M50 is rated for 9.3 L/100km (25.3 MPG) in a city and 7.7 L/100km (30.5 MPG) on a highway. I managed to average 8.9 L/100km (26.4 MPG) during my time with the X3. That’s not quite in the middle of its rated numbers, but it’s very impressive considering the power of this engine and the ambient temperature during my test week was hovering around -3 degrees Celsius every day.
The X3 M50 has an Efficient mode which fully utilizes the potential of the mild-hybrid system. When coasting on highways in this mode, the engine will momentarily shut off. This in turn allows the car to travel for a bit longer without any loss in momentum due to engine braking. Then when applying throttle again, the engine immediately starts up. This is a smooth and unobtrusive system.
Transmission – Like many modern BMW vehicles, the 2025 X3 M50 uses an 8-speed automatic to transfer the power to all four wheels. For everyday driving, this transmission is imperceivable. The shifts are buttery smooth. In Sport or Sport Plus modes, the shifts between gears are lightning quick. The car has steering wheel mounted paddle shifters should you want to take over control but the computer knows exactly what gear the transmission needs to be in should you let it do what it wants.
Braking – The M50 receives 4-piston front calipers to provide the bulk of the stopping force. These are strong brakes that require very little actuation of your foot to bring the car to a stop. The pedal feels firm and I found that it had enough movement to allow me to perform smooth stops in everyday traffic situations.
Handling – During my test drive week, it had snowed and the temperatures were at or below the freezing point. Thus, I did not get many chances to explore the driving dynamics of the 2025 BMW X3 M50. From my limited time behind the wheel, the crossover SUV was easy to drive in city traffic and it felt in control whilst I tried driving it on more entertaining roads. As for driving in the snow, the Goodyear snow tires that were equipped on this particular demo vehicle along with the xDrive AWD system kept the car moving at all times. Not once did I get stuck in snow nor did I feel as though I lost control of the X3.
However, were the roads not as icy and the temperatures warmer, I probably would have noticed the suspension changes to this new X3. The chassis is stiffer than before and the rear track has been increased for greater stability when cornering. The variable steering has also been updated to provide easy maneuverability in a city but precision on a twisty mountain road.
Comfort
Ride Comfort – Another good change for the 2025 BMW X3 M50 are its dampers. They’ve been retuned to provide a smoother ride on city streets. This is most noticeable if you option your X3 M50 with the adaptive M suspension. Sadly, this demo vehicle did not have that option equipped. But even so, the ride was firm but not harsh. I was comfortable during my one hour commute to work.
I also found the seats to be comfortable for my body type. They have the traditional adjustments such as height and lumbar in addition to a manual thigh support extension and adjustable bolsters.
Interior Space – Passenger space has not really changed over the previous generation. Legroom and headroom across both rows of seats remain the same compared to the previous model year. For my 6’4” height, it means that I have plenty of it in the front seats but it is tight behind my tall driving position. I had to keep my legs to the side of the driver’s seat and the only way to prevent my hair from touching the headliner was to tilt my head towards the large panoramic sunroof.
Where you will notice a change is in the trunk. Behind the back seats, the 2025 X3 has 570 L (20.1 cu-ft) of cargo space. Folding down the 40/20/40 rear seats allows for up to 1,700 L (60 cu-ft) of cargo space. Under the trunk floor, there is a small amount of storage if you don’t option the SUV with a compact spare wheel. If you do, the wheel will take up that space.
Noise, Vibration, & Harshness – As I mentioned earlier, the engine is not as loud as it was before. However, you can hear it more prominently from inside the cabin. This is due to the audio speakers enhancing the sound. Sadly, as government regulations become more stringent, this will be the new norm. Otherwise, the engine is smooth, as is the auto start/stop system, there’s no wind noise but there is some road noise on highways from the tires.
Odds and Ends
Pricing – Unfortunately, the 2025 BMW X3 is more expensive than before. The xDrive 30 starts at $59,700 CAD ($49,950 USD) and this M50 xDrive starts at $75,900 CAD ($64,700 USD). This demo vehicle had an as-tested price of $90,550 CAD ($71,800 USD).
Gadgets – The 2025 X3 M50 can be equipped about as well as its bigger X5 brother. That means that it can have various options for seat upholstery including synthetic leather, real leather and alcantara. The front seats can be heated & ventilated. The rear seats can be heated, There’s a large panoramic sunroof, a wireless phone charging pad, dual-zone automatic climate control, a head-up display, power liftgate, Harmon/Kardon sound system and a varying amount of 20” and 21” wheels among other gadgets and features.
The infotainment system is iOS9 which looks similar to iOS8.5 but it has a lightly simplified submenu structure along with large icons for adjusting various parameters of the car. There are also little blurbs about what each function does, should you not want to read the owner’s manual.
What really irked me about this new system is that I had to sign-in to it every time I started up the car. The BMW Canada profile that was created in this system did not recognize the key and always asked me to sign in using the myBMW app. Of course, the car would still drive without signing in but none of my preferences would be loaded upon start up. Now I’m not sure if I was given a key that was not linked to this profile or if it was a glitch, but it was very annoying to do every time.
Interior Design – One change that is not so good is the design of the interior. Visually, it is eye-catching. But it’s not as simple to use as before. The climate control and seat heating/ventilating buttons are gone. They’ve been integrated into the touchscreen. I find touchscreen controls to be much more distracting to use while driving than physical buttons and toggle switches. Furthermore, whatever functions that have not been integrated into the infotainment touchscreen now use touch sensitive controls. These are a bit finicky as they require a touch or three before they actually do what they’re supposed to do. Some of these type of controls include the air vent flow and the hazard signal and front defroster among a few others. Additionally, some of the materials are not the greatest of quality and most certainly should not be in the cabin of such an expensive vehicle. The door release handles are cheap plastic and there’s some gloss black plastic on the center console which won’t look so great after a year or two. So when it comes to functionality, the previous generation X3 was better.
Exterior Design – Much like the interior, the exterior design has been simplified. There are simpler lines across the body. The headlights feature two L-shaped LED daytime lights along with an illuminated kidney grille surround. The rear has taillights that are reminiscent of the X5 and this M50 version has quad exhaust pipes. The X3 30 has hidden exhaust pipes. Additionally, the names have been changed. The lowercase “i” at the end of the model designation has been removed. The M40i has been renamed to this M50.
Safety – Like almost all other BMW vehicles, the X3 M50 is already equipped with almost all safety & driver aids in the BMW catalog. Optioning the M50 with the Premium package in Canada will add additional features such as active cruise control with stop/go function, BMW drive recorder, augmented reality navigation, and steering & lane control.
Warranty – The warranty remains the same as before for the 2025 BMW X3 M50. It is covered by a 4 year / 80,000 km new vehicle warranty in Canada. In the United States, it’s 4 years or 50,000 miles. For more information on Canadian BMW warranty, click here. For information on USA warranty information, click here.
Conclusion – In the end, the 2025 BMW X3 is an expensive luxury SUV and I hate the touchscreen & capacitive touch controls of this new generation. But this new X3 is more efficient, more powerful, and still fun to drive.
Thank you to BMW Canada for providing the vehicle. www.BMW.ca
2025 BMW X3 M50 Gallery
