BMW X3 review

What do the new BMW X3 and Deadpool & Wolverine have in common? If you identified that they both belong to families with an X in their name, congratulations – you win a gold star. But the real answer is that they’re both unstoppable blockbusters.

By being bold and branching out alone, Deadpool & Wolverine is slicing through box office records with more than a billion dollars earned just this year. Meanwhile, BMW's family SUV superhero, the X3, has sold more than 3.5 million units and counting.

Competition is hotting up though. The latest Mercedes GLC is a fierce competitor (especially in plug-in hybrid form), plus there's also an all-new Audi Q5 around the corner and it's spoiling for a fight. Hence the X3, like its Marvel counterparts, has been forced to mutate.

So while the new fourth-generation X3 sits on the same platform as its predecessor, it's now longer, wider and lower, with a refreshed range of engines. The interior has had a complete overhaul too, and you now get ambient lighting, recycled materials and a huge curved infotainment display. It’s like a mini BMW iX.

Can the 2024 BMW X3 defeat its family SUV arch-enemies, which also include the Land Rover Defender, Lexus NX, Porsche Macan and Volvo XC60? Let’s find out...

There are four engine options for the BMW X3, and they all come with an eight-speed automatic gearbox and four-wheel drive. So far we’ve driven the entry-level xDrive20 four-cylinder petrol and the range-topping M50 xDrive six-cylinder petrol.

The xDrive20 delivers respectable if not scintillating performance, with 0-62mph taking 7.8 seconds officially. That's a tenth of a second slower than the Lexus NX 350h but 1.7 seconds behind the Audi Q5 45 TFSI. You also need to rev it quite hard to make swift progress with peak power (205bhp) produced from 4400-6500rpm, which feels a little at odds with a big luxurious SUV.

We strongly suspect the 194bhp 2.0-litre diesel, the 20d, will be the car to have as the pre-facelift model delivered plenty of low-down grunt. But it’s hard to look past the 393bhp M50 xDrive if you crave maximum performance. With the assistance of a 48V mild-hybrid system, the M50 xDrive gets to 62mph in just 4.6 seconds and delivers impressive performance regardless of where you are in the rev range.

There’s also a petrol plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version called the xDrive30e. Its 19.7kWh (usable capacity) battery provides a range of up to 56 miles on a charge. That's far more than the 32 miles the previous-generation PHEV X3 could manage, but it doesn’t quite match the Mercedes GLC PHEV (76 miles).

To read about the all-electric version, see our BMW iX3 review.

As standard, the X3 rides on passive, non-adjustable suspension. We've yet to try it, but it's likely to be more comfortable than the M Sport trim’s stiffer suspension.

However, unlike the pre-facelift model, all versions of the latest car can have adaptive suspension fitted as an option. It’s not cheap but it lets you switch between different settings, from softer Comfort through to a firmer Sport Plus mode. It delivers a good compromise and is well worth having.

The M50 has its own sports suspension set-up, with a more driver-focused version of the standard car’s adaptive suspension system available as an option. We’ve sampled the adaptive set-up and it has enough adjustment to make it work well on all but the roughest roads.

The range-topping X3 M50 gets the letter M at the beginning of its name because it has been fettled by the BMW Motorsport Division, and its bespoke suspension set-up makes it very nearly the best-handling family SUV on the market. The best remains the petrol Porsche Macan – mainly because of its more communicative steering. The X3’s is still accurate, and in pretty much every other respect has the Macan matched.

In fact, even the regular versions of the X3 are great to drive, feeling very agile with tight body control. The Audi Q5 gets close for driver enjoyment, and both are miles ahead of the more roly-poly Land Rover Discovery Sport, the Lexus NX and the Volvo XC60.

The sporty M50 can play the role of a raucous performance SUV or, if needs be, a relaxing cruiser, all with just a switch of driving mode.

In Sport mode, the exhaust adopts a sonorous, mellifluous tone yet it's almost silent when you flick it to Comfort mode for relaxed motorway travel. In terms of refinement, the xDrive20 is smooth and quiet enough when you’re pottering around, with a more rorty edge when pushed hard.

Road and wind noise are very well suppressed, almost matching the serenity of the Audi Q5 at 70mph, but the bigger wheels fitted to sportier versions add more drone on coarse roads. The fantastic eight-speed automatic gearbox is among the smoothest examples out there in the family SUV class.

"The X3 M50 is a physically big car but I found that it shrinks around you on tight country roads thanks to its sharp steering, superb body control and rear-biased four-wheel drive." – Neil Winn, Deputy Reviews Editor

The traditional lofty SUV driving position is present and correct in the BMW X3. The standard front sports seats are comfortable on long journeys and keep you in place through bends with their supportive side bolsters.

It’s also easy to find your optimum driving position because all X3s come with an electrically operated driver's seat with a memory function. It is frustrating, though, that BMW doesn’t include adjustable lumbar support as standard on any trim. It’s quite expensive to add as it is part of the Comfort Pack, but we'd recommend doing so.

The X3 has a 12.3in driver’s display with digital dials as standard, and a head-up display is an optional extra on all trims as part of the Technology Pack. Both are wonderfully crisp and easy to read, but in something of a retrograde step the previous X3’s physical air-con controls have been ditched in favour of touch-sensitive icons on the infotainment screen, making it distracting to change the temperature while driving.

Seeing out the front of the X3 is pretty easy, thanks to its large windscreen with relatively narrow pillars. It's easy to judge traffic at roundabouts and T-junctions, and looking over your shoulder gives you a decent view of what’s going on behind.

That said, a high bonnet line does make it tricky to judge the front of the car, so to make manoeuvring easier BMW gives you front and rear parking sensors, a rear-view camera and a parking assistant system that can steer the car into spaces as standard. There’s also the option of a 360-degree surround-view camera as part of the Technology Pack. 

Visibility at night is taken care of by bright LED headlights, which you can pay extra to upgrade to adaptive LED headlights that can stay on main beam without dazzling other road users. The adaptive lights are standard on the M50.

Inside, the new X3 takes inspiration from the larger, electric-only BMW iX, with its 12.3in digital instrument panel and 14.9in infotainment screen presented along a curved single panel.

While some of BMW’s smaller models – including the latest BMW 1 Series – have lost the brand’s rotary infotainment controller between the front seats, it’s still there in the X3. That’s a good thing, because we find that using a physical dial is easier than using touch controls. The layout of the system is intuitive and the graphics are top-notch. Our only real complaint is that some functions, such as the drive mode settings, are buried within menus, making it distracting to move from, say, Individual mode to Sport.

A DAB radio, Bluetooth, built-in sat-nav, wireless phone-charging and Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring come as standard. A 15-speaker, 750W 600W Harman Kardon stereo is available as an optional extra as is video streaming and even gaming on demand via a subscription.

You find a suitably luxurious ambience inside the X3, with everything feeling well assembled, lots of soft, padded surfaces on the dashboard and glossy trim finishes throughout. As a result, it's significantly classier inside than the rival Mercedes GLC, which has plenty of initial wow factor, but feels disappointingly flimsy in places once you start touching things.

That said, we suspect the design won’t be to everyone's tastes. The last generation X3’s interior was very understated with a design language closely related to the BMW 3 Series, but this new X3 borrows a number of flashy design elements from the all-electric iX, including ambient lighting, recycled microfibre materials, brushed aluminium trim and contrast stitching. It’s no shrinking violet.

"Admittedly you might pay more for a premium-badged car like the BMW X3, but you'll find it's worth it. I love the interior quality of this car, and the infotainment system is simply one of the best full stop." – Lawrence Cheung, New Cars Editor

The BMW X3 is among the best family SUVs for front seat space. Its high roofline ensures that tall adults will have no problems with head room, and leg room is top-notch too. The wide interior means you and your front passenger won't be invading each other’s personal space.

Each front door has a decent-sized bin and the glovebox is no mere token effort. The front armrest lifts to reveal a generous cubbyhole, while in front of the gear selector you’ll find what BMW calls its "jewellery box". It’s a slightly misleading name as the jewellery bit refers to the LED light strip that surrounds what is essentially a big tray that contains a wireless phone-charger

A couple of tall adults can sit in the back of the X3 in relative comfort, with similar head and leg room to that offered by the Audi Q5. And while we haven’t got our measuring tape out yet, three adults should be able to sit side by side in relative comfort.

The outside rear seats each offer a generous door armrest and a decent door bin, and the centre seatback can be folded down to become a central armrest, complete with cupholders. 

You can't have the X3 as a seven-seat SUV – it's strictly a five-seater. The larger BMW X5 and the Land Rover Discovery Sport are available with seven seats, plus there are some excellent non-premium seven-seaters, including the Hyundai Santa Fe.

The front passenger seat in the X3 can be adjusted electrically for height, but lumbar adjustment is merely an option on all variants. Electric seat adjustment with memory settings is standard on all X3s.

The rear seats split in a 40/20/40 configuration and fold flat to open up more space for bulkier items. The back seats don't slide back and forth to allow you to balance leg room against boot space, as they do in the Discovery Sport and on pricier versions of the Q5.

Most versions of the X3 have 570 litres of boot space, which should more than fulfil the needs of an average family. We managed to fit eight carry-on suitcases under the parcel shelf in the pre-facelifted car. That’s one fewer case than the Q5 can take, but the same tally as the Discovery Sport and the Volvo XC60.

The boot is a practical square shape, with very good access and no loading lip, making it easy to lug heavy items in and out. You’ll find hooks, nets and decent under-floor storage to help keep items in place. With no option of a sliding rear bench, you can’t increase the boot’s size without reducing the seating capacity.

The xDrive30e's battery pack raises the boot floor and subtracts about 110 litres from the boot volume.

"What I love about the X3 is that it feels sporty to drive but BMW hasn’t compromised on practicality. It’s a great car for a family holiday.” – Neil Winn, Deputy Reviews Editor

When it comes to buying a BMW X3 with cash, there’s little to separate it on price from its main rivals in the premium family SUV class. You can compare the latest prices using our New Car Deals pages.

The xDrive30e plug-in hybrid (PHEV) is the obvious choice for company car users, with by far the lowest CO2 emissions in the line-up and low BIK tax rates (although not as low as for the all-electric BMW iX3). It can charge at up to 11kW but you’ll need to top up its battery regularly to get close to its official fuel economy figure of 313.9mpg..

Across the X3’s engine line-up, the official fuel economy figures are impressive compared with many of its rivals. Our pick of the range, the xDrive20, for example, will officially return more than 40mpg, while the diesel should return closer to 50mpg.

The entry-level X3 trim, xLine, comes with a reasonable amount of kit, including 18in wheels, LED front headlights, sports seats, a leather steering wheel, three-zone climate control, cruise control, a powered boot lid and touchscreen infotainment.

M Sport trim, which is extremely popular, offers a sportier appearance. We reckon it’s worth ticking the box for the optional Comfort Plus Pack because it introduces adaptive suspension for a plusher ride, adaptive LED headlights and other goodies.

Range-topping M50 models feature even bigger 20in wheels, upgraded brakes, an M Sport differential and a sports exhaust.

BMW as a brand returned a respectable performance in the 2023 What Car? Reliability Survey, finishing in 12th place out the 32 manufacturers that appeared.

The pre-facelift version of the X3 performed less impressively, with the diesel version finishing in 13th place in the large SUV class, and the petrol ranked 17th. That’s behind the Audi Q5 petrol, the Porsche Macan and the Volvo XC60.

Every X3 comes with a three-year, unlimited-mileage warranty to protect you against large unexpected bills. That policy is matched by Land Rover and better than Audi’s 60,000-mile limit.

The latest X3 had yet to be tested by the safety experts at Euro NCAP but it comes with plenty of safety kit to stop you from having an accident in the first place.

We’re talking automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane-departure warning with "active lane return", road-sign identification, a rear crossing traffic warning system and an exit warning function to stop you opening the door on an unseen cyclist.

"The X3 feels impressive from the moment you step inside. It offers plenty of space, a premium feel, and a generous amount of standard features. While it's not cheap, it feels worth the price." – Neil Winn, Deputy Reviews Editor

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