Bigger new 2025 BMW X3 makes world debut

Be careful when taking your date out in the new 2025 BMW X3 family SUV, because its optional interior camera can now remotely take photos and videos and send them to the owner’s devices…

That’s just one of the tricks up the sleeve of the completely redesigned, fourth-generation BMW X3, which is so into connectivity that it has two (or four as an option) 5G antennas on board.

Longer, wider and lower than its huge-selling predecessor, the 2025 BMW X3 will initially arrive in Australia with four- and six-cylinder petrol power, the latter now a mild-hybrid in the range-topping M Performance M50 xDrive.

Due to roll out of factories in both the US and South Africa later this year, the larger new BMW X3 will go on sale in Australia in the first quarter of 2025.

Other variants are likely to fill the gap over time, but the all-electric iX3 – one of the first BMWs to be built on the brand’s all-new Neue Klasse platform – will join the range later in 2025 or early 2026.

The outgoing third-generation X3 is BMW Australia’s second most popular model behind the smaller X1, which overtook it in 2023, and last year it was outsold in the premium (over $60,000) medium SUV segment by the Tesla Model Y, Lexus NX and Audi Q5.

Behind them is the new Mercedes-Benz GLC, excluding the GLC Coupe – which BMW will also attack with a new X4 later in 2025.

Australian pricing hasn’t been announced yet, but the new X3 is priced from €57,900 ($A93,970) for the base 20 xDrive in Germany, extending to €82,500 ($A133,865) for the sportier M50, and it’s all-wheel drive only for now.

The outgoing X3 is currently priced from $83,100 in rear-drive X3 sDrive 20i from Down Under, but the local entry price is likely to increase now the 20i is all-wheel drive as standard.

The new X3 gains – either as standard or optional equipment – the ability to park autonomously on a remembered 200-metre pathway, 30mm more rear legroom and a wider rear track width, plus more cargo capacity in both combustion and hybrid forms.

In Europe, all of the combustion-powered variants will use 48-volt mild-hybrid power (13kW and 200Nm for the petrols and 8kW/25Nm for the diesel), which helps the range-topping M50 xDrive to gorge itself on 293kW of power.

The M50 xDrive delivers 580Nm of system torque, based around 280kW and 540Nm from the inline six and more urge fed in from the mild-hybrid system.

BMW says it’s capable of 250km/h and reaches 100km/h in 4.6 seconds.

The next most critical variant is the 30e xDrive plug-in hybrid, which finally gets a decent EV range, pushing up to 86km (WLTP) on its electric motor and energy from the 22.7kWh lithium-ion battery.

The combination of the two powerplants gives the 30e a combined 220kW/450Nm, which is enough to drive it to 100km/h in 6.2sec and on to a limited top speed of 215km/h. It can also charge at up to 11kW of AC power.

The 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four delivers 140kW/310Nm (identical to the same power unit in the 20 xDrive) on its own, and the electric motor chimes in with 135kW/400Nm.

The entry-level X3 20 xDrive adds mild-hybrid power to the 2.0-litre four to output 153kW/310Nm, while the 30d xDrive offers 145kW/400Nm from its 2.0-litre turbo-diesel, and it’s 1.6sec slower to 100km/h than the PHEV.

Besides squashing its fuel, the biggest difference with the 20d is the smaller e-motor for its mild-hybrid system, using an 8kW/25Nm unit and taking 0.1sec from its spark-ignition 20 twin to 100km/h.

Locally, however, the X3 30 xDrive will have the milder hybrid assistance of the US model and continue with 140kW/310Nm, hitting 100km/h in a claimed 8.5sec.

Claimed combined fuel consumption is 8.3L/100km (WLTP) for the M50 but we’ll have to wait on local figures for the xDrive 20.

There’s also a six-cylinder turbo-diesel scheduled to slot beneath the new X3’s engine bay, slated for a mid-2025 release in Europe.

All four X3 engines use a combination of eight-speed automatic transmissions and all-wheel drive, with the M50 adding an M Sport mechanical limited-slip differential on the rear axle.

The combustion versions of the 2025 BMW X3 will be built in both the Rosslyn, South Africa and Spartanburg, North Carolina plants, though the PHEV 30e xDrive will only be built in South Africa.

They’ll all have a dizzying array of passive and active safety features, from Level 2+ active cruise control to the option of a parking assistant that can autonomously park and exit along a pre-recognised 200-metre course, with or without the driver inside.

Naturally, standard safety equipment will include front-collision warning and mitigation, side-collision assistant and warnings, lane-keeping and departure warning, and speed-limit information and warnings.

The Mk4 BMW X3 is bigger both inside and out, but it retains relatively fuss-free bodywork, albeit in a more slab-sided, monolithic way.

The stand-out front-end feature is a 5 Series-esque butterfly version of BMW’s classic double kidney grille, which gets angled stripes on it for most models, with horizontal stripes for the M50 xDrive. It also hides the radar for the Level 2+ active cruise control.

There is a split in the front splitter, which is more pronounced in the M50 because of its high-gloss M Performance black feature pieces.

BMW is gently moving away from the double-round headlights that were once a “design icon”, and the M50 xDrive’s Matrix LEDs are now in a ‘double L’ design (the rest of the range gets LED headlights).

The range runs to a maximum wheel size of 22 inches as an option, though the European combustion cars all have 18-inch wheels and tyres, the PHEV uses 19-inch rubber and the M50 we photographed was on optional 255/40 R21 tyres.

The biggest visual feature in the bodywork relates to the 45mm stretch for the rear track, pushing it out to 1679mm, while the front track width is 1636mm (16mm wider) and the flanks accommodate flush-fitting (top-hinged) door-handles.

The rear-end has a diffuser down low and new hammer-shaped tail-lights, and the M50 has a pair of twin exhaust outlets at extreme edges of the rear-end, while the rest of the X3 range does away with visible tailpipes altogether.

Overall, the new X3 measures 4755mm long (up 34mm), 1920mm wide (up 29mm) and 1660mm high (25mm lower) and sits on a wheelbase that, at 2865mm, is similar to the outgoing model’s. Only China gets the longer version of the X3, which adds 30cm to the wheelbase.

With a slightly higher bonnet line and a lower hip point for the front seats, there’s a bit more of an enclosed feel to the view through the new BMW X3’s windscreen.

The obvious operating functions include a squircle-shaped (like a rounded-off square) steering wheel, filled with controls, and a very well integrated wide-screen curved digital display.

There’s a 12.3-inch instrument cluster ahead of the driver alongside a 14.9-inch multimedia touch-screen, and they’re both behind the same curved piece of glass built into the high-mounted dashboard, while a head-up display is an option.

Unlike its recently launched i5 Touring siblings (that are luggage-space rivals), the new X3 range will come with the next generation of BMW’s infotainment operating system (OS9, versus OS8.5), which eradicates the ludicrous issue of the screen not reverting to the previous view after a change of driving modes.

It inherits the 5 Series’ technology of in-car gaming through the infotainment system, plus OTA updates and smartphone integration for both Android Auto and Apple products.

There are three illuminated touch-swipe sliders for the air-conditioning controls, including the vents in the doors, and a large inductive charging pad for smartphones.

The standard interior trim is Econeer, made from recycled PET bottles, while similarly man-made Veganza (artificial leather) is an option, though there are two different Merino leather colour options in the M Individual package (and standard on the M50 xDrive).

The dash itself now has a cloth cover on it (recycled polyester, again, rather than moulded plastic) and the theme continues to the rear seats.

Despite the lower hip point on the front seats, BMW claims there is more rear foot room and the X3 also comes standard with heated front seats, three-zone climate control, ambient lighting and acoustic glass.

In Europe, there is an optional fixed-glass Sky roof, and the further option of a roller blind for it.

Another option is a Harmon Kardon sound system, but the two USB-C ports are standard for each row of seating and there are also cup holders in the door pockets as well as the centre console.

The one issue we found in the studio was that the rear-door cup holders were so large they intruded into the egress space for passenger feet, even with wide-opening doors.

The infotainment unit has one-touch My Modes that can be configured by the driver and there is also a one-touch ‘silent’ mode that darkens the screen. There are four full steps to dim the instrument cluster and infotainment lighting, though this can be turned into a one-touch shortcut.

The safety-related cameras can also be used (via subscription) as a looped 30-minute dashcam, too.

The cargo floor of the PHEV version is higher than the combustion cars’ floors, though it’s flat and its 460 litres of cargo capacity is 10L up on the outgoing X3 PHEV.

The rest of the X3 range has 570L of luggage space (up 20L), stretching to 1700L with the 40:20:40-split rear seat folded (or 1600L for the 30e xDrive PHEV).

2025 BMW X3 M50 xDrive at a glance:
Engine: 3.0-litre inline turbo-petrol six-cylinder
Total output: 293kW/580Nm
Combustion power: 280kW/540Nm
Mild-hybrid system: 13kW/200Nm
0-100km/h: 4.6 seconds
Top Speed: 250km/h
Towing capacity: 2500kg

2025 BMW X3 20 xDrive at a glance:
Engine: 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder
Total output: 140kW/310Nm
0-100km/h: 8.5 seconds
Top Speed: 215km/h
Towing capacity: 2400kg

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