BMW X3 long-term test

The car BMW X3 20 xDrive M Sport Run by Steve Huntingford, editor

Why it's here To see if the latest version of this popular SUV is worth a place on your shortlist

Needs to Combine a refined and enjoyable drive with family-friendly practicality and good real-world efficiency

Mileage 840 List price £51,985 Target Price £49,995 Price as tested £61,260 Test economy 36.8mpg Official economy 40.4mpg Options fitted Arctic Race Blue metallic paint (£875), Technology Pack (£2275), Comfort Plus Pack (£1350), panoramic glass sunroof (£1350), 20in M Light Double-spoke Bicolour alloy wheels (£1125), M Sport brakes with dark blue callipers (£625), adaptive suspension (£550), Luxury Instrument Panel (£450) BMW Iconic Glow (£425) and heated steering wheel (£250)

11 April 2025 – The X-factor?

Michael Jordan was famously cut from his high school basketball team before going on to become the NBA’s biggest star, while Thomas Edison is remembered as one of the world’s most prolific inventors, despite being described by his teachers as “too stupid to learn anything”.

Yes, future greatness isn’t always obvious, with the BMW X3 an example from the car world.

When the original version was launched back in 2003, it was probably the worst model in BMW’s line-up, because it felt cheap and cramped inside, and suffered from a punishingly firm ride.

This was all the more disappointing given that it was following hot on the heals of a truly excellent SUV – the bigger BMW X5 . However, all of the X3’s major problems were fixed for its second generation, which came along in 2011; indeed, the transformation was so complete, that this version earned a five-star What Car? rating and won its category at two successive What Car? Car of the Year Awards.

Since then, the X3 has remained an excellent choice for anyone in the market for a family SUV that wears a premium badge. But with competition now fiercer than ever, I’m going to be spending the next few months seeing if the same applies to the new, fourth-generation model.

Specifically, I’ve got the 20 xDrive M Sport version, which means it uses a 205bhp 2.0-litre petrol engine with efficiency-enhancing mild hybrid technology, features four-wheel drive (as indeed do all of the latest X3s) and is in the most popular trim.

The list of standard equipment includes electrically adjustable front sports seats, ambient interior lighting, three-zone climate control, wireless phone charging, a powered tailgate and forward-collision and lane departure warning systems.

I still decided to add several options, though, the most expensive of which is the £2275 Technology Pack; this brings further safety tech (which I’ll look at more closely in a future report), a 360-degree parking camera system, augmented reality sat-nav instructions and a head-up display that projects key information onto the windscreen.

Perhaps even more of a must is the £1350 Comfort Plus Pack, with its heated front and rear seats, ventilated front seats, adjustable lumbar support, adaptive headlights and Harman/Kardon surround sound audio system.

Meanwhile, I reckon my X3’s 20in bicolour alloys (£1125) help to give it a more imposing look. And its adaptive suspension (£550) ensures those big wheels don’t leave you with a brittle ride.

True, it’s still early days with my car, but I already feel confident in saying that it strikes a superb balance between comfort and driving fun. Around town it’s able to take the sting out of pitted and patched-up surfaces; on the motorway it feels supple yet controlled; and when you find a winding road this tall SUV manages to be as agile as it is involving.

As a bonus, wind and road noise are well suppressed, and the engine is impressively refined when you want it to be, yet pleasingly rorty when pushed hard.

As much as the chassis and NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) engineers deserve a bonus, though, I’m afraid the same can’t be said for whoever signed off the interior quality, because this has taken a step backwards compared with the previous X3; the controls on the doors feel particularly flimsy.

Personally, I can live with this, because the dynamics of a car are more important to me, but it’s something to bear in mind – and I’ve got to admit, I'm disappointed to not have both given that the X3 is far from a cheap choice.

More positively, it’s a very spacious car and has loads of handy storage cubbies for stashing the detritus of family life. And while some cheaper BMWs have recently lost the brand’s intuitive iDrive control dial, it’s present and correct here, greatly enhancing the usability of the infotainment system. 

Overall, then, my relationship with the X3 is off to a good start. Let’s just hope it remains on track instead of going the way of Edison’s with Nikola Tesla.

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