BMW unveiled a significant update to its best-selling global model, the X3, which initially launched in 2004, marking what’ll now be the 4th generation of the luxury mid-sized SUV in 20 years.
The changes in the words of BMW are all part of a new design language that’s already receiving a wildly mixed reception among the BMW faithful.
Stateside, only two iterations of the BMW X3 will be available: the standard xDrive30 and the premium M50 xDrive. In case you missed the news, there’s no longer an “i” in the name since BMW announced it would exclusively reserve the letter for its electric vehicles moving forward.
Here’s everything you need to know about them.
THE EXTERIOR: BOLD AND BLOCKY
Like the 2024 X1, the 2025 BMW X3 is blockier than ever, with strong creases and edges running down the sides and across the rear hatch. It’s also slightly longer, wider and lower by roughly an inch across all three dimensions versus the outgoing model. The rear exhaust pipes are also now hidden in the baseline xDrive30.
But the new kidney grille will likely stand out most bystanders, at least on the baseline xDrive30.
The new design combines vertical and diagonal bars in a way that seems visually chaotic, at least at first glance. Going all in on the diagonal lines feels like it would have looked cleaner, but perhaps that was a bridge too far from the past.
Interestingly enough, the more expensive M50 variant grill skips the diagonal line addition in favor of a snaking pattern of horizontal bars shielded by what looks to be a plastic plate.
Overall, it’s also easy to spot the influence of the brand’s all-electric iX lurking in various exterior details, which, while generally acknowledged as being a competent electric SUV, has also been notably lampooned in headlines as “ugly,” “dull” and “weird.”
