2025 BMW X3 M50 Review: Sometimes Brilliant, Always Divisive

You know when a mainstream actor takes a hard turn into indie films? That’s the 2025 BMW X3.

Think Daniel Radcliffe, or Robert Pattinson. Both got their big breaks in a certain wizarding franchise, and have since gone off to build careers out of very different roles. Swiss Army Man? The Lighthouse? Enjoyable, but in far different ways than the typical blockbuster.

The fourth-generation X3 has also swerved away from expectations. This model is a traditional mainstream success story for BMW, and while this new one pulls off some very impressive feats, its off-beat ways might just scare some folks off.

The X3 arrives in just two flavors for now, ushering in BMW’s latest naming convention: X3 30 xDrive and this X3 M50. New names, familiar powertrains: the 30 runs the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, while the M50 employs BMW’s famous inline-six. Both are now only available with xDrive all-wheel drive, and both now feature a mild hybrid setup. There is no X3 M… at least for now.

There also won’t be an X4 this generation. BMW says with the X2 growing, along with this X3 taking on its own look and feel, there’s just no room in the lineup for the middle-child coupe-over.

A good colleague referred to the X3 as a Capybara last year, and it’s stuck since. You see it too, right? The squinty eyes, the big, toothy grille? At least it looks pleased… it’s a Happybara. I’ll see myself out.

That big grille has a light-up frame as standard on the M50. I’ll let you decide whether that’s a good or bad thing: it certainly is distinctive.

With only mild increases in measurements, it’s up to the proportions and surfacing to set this X3 apart from the previous model. The new model is a bit blockier than before, more angular in its character lines. I do really enjoy the rear three-quarter view, with the concave liftgate and sizable rear spoiler giving the X3 a ready-to-play look. I’m not sold on the four exhaust tips, mind you: I maintain that should be only for a pure-M model, but the BMW line is that it signifies a range-topper. So maybe there won’t be an X3 M after all…

I said it before, and I meant it: this is the best powertrain in the class. Not that the six-cylinder X3 was lacking power before, but BMW has upped the ante, the mild-hybrid setup providing 393 horsepower and 428 pound-feet of torque. Read those numbers again: those are the sorts of figures the M4 was making a decade ago. Now it’s the compact—“compact”—regular-strength SUV. Progress.

With the low-speed torque fill from the electric assist and peak torque arriving at 1,900 rpm only to stick around until 4,800 rpm, the X3 is effortlessly quick in day-to-day driving. As ever, the ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic is an ideal partner, kicking down quickly when needed or smoothly slurring between its ratios around town. The signature note is quite muted these days, though you can always choose to have more artificially piped in.

And the fuel economy? Another level. The EPA says the X3 will do 25 mpg city and 30 mpg highway, for a combined figure of 27 mpg—increases of 4 mpg in every measure. (Canadian figures are 9.3, 7.7, and 8.6 L/100 km,respectively.) Throughout our time together, even in the depth of winter on appropriate rubber, the X3 easy hit these numbers.

If this really is the top performance rung of the new X3 family, then the M50 takes on the role with aplomb. This is a dense nugget of a car, the M50 tipping the scales on the wrong side of 4,500 pounds (2,050 kilograms). Yet switch to the sport drive mode and the X3 is game to play, maintaining an eager but controlled balance. The M Sport differential gets the rear axle into the equation too, subtly overdriving the outside wheel to keep lines tight and tidy. On frigid backroads, the X3 becomes an overgrown hot hatch, the sort that could swallow an entire Ikea trip’s worth of stuff.

Is there enough steering feel? No, not quite. The X3 has that modern Bimmer helm alright: quick with consistent weighting once there’s some lock applied, but a dull goopiness around the straight-ahead. More aggressive drive modes just ratchet up the resistance in an unrealistic way, but there’s no more feedback to be found.

Unfortunately, the X3 struggles when asked to calm down. Even on the softer drive modes and on winter rubber that is smaller than the 21-inch setup this left the factory with, the M50 has a stiff ride. Traversing over the uneven roads that make up much of the city has heads bobbing and swaying like there’s a big boxing fight coming up. And this has the adaptive suspension?

It’s a shame, because the X3’s seats and the seating position itself is very comfortable. The multi-material front thrones have good contouring and excellent lower-back support, holding folks in place without ever feeling restrictive. The X3’s second row is one of the better ones in the class too, with good seat height, lots of leg support, and plenty of natural light from the big pano roof. Seat heating is present in both rows, though it’s an extra-cost option for the back row.

The X3’s cabin is arguably more of a departure than the exterior design. BMW has made no secret of its desire to rid cabins of physical controls, and the X3 takes that approach to its most dramatic level yet. Beyond the familiar center console controls for drive modes, audio volume and, you know, driving, there are precious few actual controls in here. Seemingly undeterred by the critical bashing Volkswagen has received, BMW has introduced touch-sensitive sliders for the climate controls—though hey, at least they’re illuminated right from the beginning.

The most awkward controls are the large plastic rockers on the door panels, just ahead of the handles. Everything contained within this light-up triangle is cheap-looking plastic, plus a touch-sensitive slider for the vents, with no feedback.

The large expanse of SensaTec on the dashboard fares better, though I’d rather spend the couple hundred to swap in the textural knit, if only because it’s more visually interesting. All the crystal-like plastic doesn’t look fantastic when unlit, but I appreciate how the faceted surfaces enhance the glow at night. Maybe it’s just me, but the typical BMW steering wheel doesn’t feel quite so thick anymore, and the paddles plus six-o’clock spokes are all nice bits of architecture.

While the front center console looks and feels solid, the parts the second-row riders will see look cheap. It contributes to a general feeling that quality has actually taken a step back from what came before.

BMW OS 9 powers the X3’s curved, twin-screen setup. Since the misstep of OS 8, the brand has worked to improve the setup, and the latest result is a good one. Not only can users customize the main menu with their personal lineup of most-used apps, the system has a logical layout with little menu-diving. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto pair up with a quickness, and BMW remains one of the few brands that allows users to stick phone-based nav in the instrument cluster or head-up display. This is great. As is the case in everything except the X1 and X2, an iDrive rotary dial can be used as a redundant input if you’d rather not smudge up those pretty screens.

All that said, climate controls via touchscreen is still a step back. Yes, the voice assistant can handle natural language even better now, but that's not a replacement.

The standard safety suite is reasonable, including the typical automated emergency braking, lane departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert. Adaptive headlights as well as traffic sign recognition are great, too. BMW charges extra for things like adaptive cruise control however, along with parking assistants. A hands-free assist setup is available, but instead of working on pre-mapped highways like most others, this can function just about anywhere but only under 37 mph (60 km/h).

Given its additional power, efficiency, space, and tech, the 2025 X3’s starting price of $51,125 ($62,255 CAD) is reasonable. Is the M50’s wickedly good powertrain and associated extra bits worth the nearly $15,000 (or over $16,000 CAD) extra? I’d like to try both models on non-winter rubber, back-to-back, to get a better bead on that one.

This tester also ladles on the options, including the desirable Premium Package ($5,000 CAD), which includes adaptive cruise control, the upgraded Harman/Kardon sound system, head-up display with augmented navigation, and more. Canada also has a separate rear-seat climate package for an even $1,000 CAD. Final tally? $88,280 CAD including destination.

There is no way to exactly match this spec in America, though you can get close for $72,075, also including destination.

After two weeks with the 2025 BMW X3, I still couldn’t quite gel with it, almost entirely to do with two aspects: the stiff ride and the decontented cabin. The former can almost certainly be fixed with a different spec, but the latter is a tougher ask. I’m not saying I want the X3 to ditch this turn for the weird… I’m just hoping it can still pull off a blockbuster from time to time.

Become an AutoGuide insider. Get the latest from the automotive world first by subscribing to our newsletter here.