One of my colleagues, who will remain nameless, called me immediately after picking up a press car. He asked, “why is the screen on this thing so small? My Lexus has a bigger screen! And where is the heated steering wheel button?” I try my damndest to avoid perpetuating the stereotype that automotive journalists can sometimes seem out-of-touch with reality, but that can be tricky when almost every BMW I’m tasked with evaluating has an entire new Honda’s worth of options tacked onto the bottom line. That’s not the case with this 2025 BMW X3 30.
At the risk of this coming across as too inside-baseball for some readers, this base X3 30 is a far cry from the loaded-up BMW sport-utes we usually cover. Ringing in at $65,950 as-tested, it’s a rare, relatively basic spec that reflects what most people will actually buy, as opposed to the decked-out monsters we usually review—though that’s coming soon. Pricking starts at $58,900, and the only options here are Magnolia open-pore wood trim, Skyscraper Grey paint, and a Premium Package that add $250, $900, and $5,000, respectively, to the bottom line. The total spend here for the extras might buy a used Honda, but not a new one, like the last X3 we drove.
Said Premium pack gets you a lot of niceties for the money, like the massive SkyLounge glass roof, power lumbar support, Driving Assistant Plus with Stop-and-Go, Parking Assistant Plus with surround view, an upgraded Harman Kardon sound system, and Digital Cockpit Professional with heads-up display and the fancy augmented reality navigation that used to be reserved for flagships. All told, lots of niceties and well-executed tech that sets the X3 apart and makes this basic BMW feel not-so-basic at all.
The rest of the cabin doesn’t feel basic at all, either. It’s a complete overhaul from the outgoing X3, adopting a similar aesthetic to what’s already been deployed in the new 5 Series. The dashboard is compact and steep, making the ultra-wide curved display feel like it belongs, rather than being tacked onto a flat surface. There are large, illuminated accents extending out from the dash and wrapping around the door handles, and also extending out around a new storage tray that incorporates cup holders and a standard wireless charging pad.
The X3 name is emblazoned between the cupholders, and is printed on the door panels. That and all the sweeping lines are quite dramatic; I honestly wasn’t in love with it at first, and I also don’t love some of the tweaks to iDrive 9—particularly the list of satellite radio stations being buried now, not to mention the deletion of some physical buttons that came with the adoption of this new system—but I guess it’s a necessary evil to keep my colleagues in the business entertained. Either way, it’s a functional space that looks the part, and impressed my family who I ferried over the Christmas break.
They were already impressed before we started rolling, and it only got better. In typical BMW fashion, the new X3 rides very well—if maybe a tiny bit sharp at times, but such is the cost of fabulous body control. Eeven on its winter tire setup, the X3 is remarkably quiet and well-isolated, too. The “Veganza” two-tone black and espresso leather looks great, and the seats are excellent. The panoramic roof does a fantastic job making an already spacious cabin feel even more airy, and visibility is excellent even without the array of cameras and sensors backing you up.
Cargo space is excellent, handily able to swallow a hockey bag and then some without tucking seats away. Fit and finish is impeccable, materials all feel excellent, and the little physical switchgear that remains feels exactly how you’d want in a luxury car. My only gripe with the implementation of technology is the aforementioned absence of easy radio-station tuning, but beyond that, it’s slick, snappy, easy enough to use, and housed on a crisp, responsive display with vibrant colors and deep black levels. The X3’s driving assists are among the best around, and the park assistant is the best there is.
Honestly, I struggle to find a complaint with this new X3 as a nice way to move people. But it’s a BMW—there’s an expectation that comes with that, especially among the dissociated journo crowd that’s no longer impressed by 600 horsepower (except when BMW advertises a car as having a lot less than that; I see what you’re doing). This base, not-even-slightly M-ified X3 is powered by a familiar 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine known as the B48, now making 255 horsepower, 295 pound-feet of torque, and augmented by a clever mild hybrid system.
This base X3 doesn’t simply make do with this engine. It thrives with it. The B48 is every bit as brilliant as its bigger-brother B58 straight-six, in a package that’s perfectly suited to commuter duty. No, it doesn’t sound as cool and it isn’t nearly as fast, but that’s fine. Yes, the B58-powered X3 M50 is pushing nearly 400 horsepower, but do you really need it for schlepping between parents, in-laws, the office, and hockey arenas? [Yes. —Ed, who is a dissociated journo no longer impressed by 600 horsepower.]
BMW has dialed in this turbo-four-and-mild-hybrid setup so carefully that it’s no longer a compromise powertrain. On the flagship 760i, I was annoyed that there wasn’t a button to turn off the auto stop/start function, because it interrupted an otherwise unflappably serene experience. This X3 also has no means of disabling that function, and I didn’t notice until after I’d had it for more than a week. It’s so slick and rivals absolute best Mercedes has to offer—on a base vehicle.
Beyond that, the B48 sounds fine—it’s augmented by the speakers, but they’ve done it properly so it doesn’t sound too fake. It’s also smooth and remarkably frugal, returning an average fuel use of 8.3 L/100 kilometres over two weeks. And best of all, beyond its stealthy operation, it still hustles the X3 from zero to 100 km/h in a sprightly 6.5 seconds. Honest to God, it’s a revelation, with excellent response, a flat torque curve, and imperceptible turbo lag. Not only is it not a compromise, it has no compromise. It performs well, rations fuel, feels fantastic—and this is the base powertrain.
The 2025 X3 doesn’t give up the act when it comes to handling, either. The steering is sharp and responsive, with a strong inclination to return to centre like every BMW, but without the over-eager nature of some of the M vehicles. It feels athletic and confident, but doesn’t demand being manhandled to justify its sporting intentions. Like BMWs past, it doesn’t do—and doesn’t need to do—the Jekyll and Hyde split personality thing to feel alive. It’s just nicely calibrated once, and it works really, really well.
Don’t get me wrong, I like the fully loaded and fire-breathing Bimmers we sometimes play with, but I can honestly say I wouldn’t rather have had one of them here, ferrying family around over the Christmas break. This simple-spec, entry level 2025 BMW X3 30 is anything but basic: it does everything that matters really, really well, and it does so at a price point that’s hard to ignore.
