Our 2025 BMW X3 Was a Great Car. It Just Had One Problem We Couldn't Get Past

• What's new: Last year, we bought a 2025 BMW X3 xDrive30 for $56,260, and now, its time in our fleet is coming to an end.
• Why it matters: Over the long haul, we loved the way our BMW drove, but the interior quality never felt up to snuff.
• Edmunds says: The X3 was once the benchmark of its class, but newer competitors like the Genesis GV70 are gaining traction thanks to strong attention to detail — something BMW isn't doing as well anymore.

Great to drive

Our xDrive30 used the X3's base engine, a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 255 horsepower, along with all-wheel drive. There's a more powerful X3 M50 on offer, but to be honest, we never felt like we were missing out.

"Despite the engine's relatively small size, it always makes ample power. From scooting around town to outpacing semi trucks on a deserted highway, our X3 never left me wanting its optional six-cylinder engine. On top of that, it's both super smooth and very fuel-efficient. It's a standout engine in the class, for sure." — Kurt Niebuhr

"Even in an SUV where driving dynamics might not be the focus, if you spend a lot of time behind the wheel of anything in a short time, you will inevitably come to appreciate the things it does well (or doesn't). And while the X3's steering is a bit numb for enthusiastic driving, it handles better than expected and feels quite agile." — Brian Wong

And if you want a little helping hand from behind the wheel, we were also impressed with the X3's driver aids.

"The driver assistance systems are good at maintaining a following gap pretty naturally and staying confidently centered in the lane. It'll follow most curves on the highway too. And maybe my favorite bit is that the well-tuned capacitive sensor in the steering wheel means not once in my week of highway driving did the car tell me to put my hands on the wheel when they were already there, a frequent annoyance in cars with these systems. Thanks, BMW." — Duncan Brady

Where's the luxury?

Most of our complaints about the X3 centered around its cabin. To a lot of us, it just didn't feel premium. 

"I was surprised by the interior quality. Seemed a little hard and plasticky inside, like BMW-lite. Despite the badge centered on the wheel, nothing about the interior felt particularly bespoke or luxurious." — Carrie Kim

"This is where I think the latest X3 falters: There are some common areas that you will touch in everyday driving that do seem, if not cheap, then certainly non-luxury like. The hard plastic piece up by the side mirrors that has the air vent and door lock comes to mind. I was also moving my hand along the interior door panel and found some sharp edges to the plastic. If memory serves, the door bins aren't lined either. Oh, and the hard glossy piano black plastic control for the infotainment system. It's actually kinda hard to press down and is way more 'this feels cheap' than 'oh, this is nice!'" — Brent Romans

"Today, a luxury vehicle is distinguished less by what it has than by how it feels, which is where the X3 falls down. The interior design is handsome enough, the seats are comfy, and the screen has a nice resolution, but some of the plastics feel decidedly mainstream. They’re not terrible, but BMW has sought to save money in areas that are seen and felt by the owner. My family's Genesis GV60 is at a similar price point and size to the BMW but feels like a more premium product." — Alistair Weaver

We also put the X3 into a comparison test against the Genesis GV70, a close luxury rival. The BMW lost narrowly, mostly because of the GV70's advantages in cabin quality and features. On a positive note, however, our X3's interior was durable over the long haul.

"You know, for as much as we've complained about some of the hard plastics and subpar interior materials in the X3, I've gotta say, not many other long-term cars have held up as well after 15K miles. There isn't a single squeak or rattle in the X3. Can't say the same about pretty much any other car in the fleet." — Steven Ewing

A very busy touchscreen

The X3's touchscreen looks fantastic. It's super sharp, very responsive, and when you have Android Auto or Apple CarPlay hooked up, they've never looked better. Being able to mirror the Android/CarPlay navigation directions in the instrument cluster is another big plus. But the control scheme of the X3 relies heavily on that screen, and that's where we ran into some issues.

"Every time I get into one of our BMWs, I have to try to remember where everything is for the infotainment system. Like, if I want to adjust the sound settings for bass and treble. It's a multi-minute task because I can't remember which menu BMW buries those settings inside and I have to scroll through everything. There are just so many different icons!" — Brent Romans

"I hate the menus in the BMW's infotainment, but I love the screens. They're big, but not overwhelmingly big. Enough that you get plenty of real estate for your map, podcast/music app, and any third thing you want to mess with. They're also super crisp and really snappy when you're tapping or scrolling. But finding what you want is a nightmare, as I found myself reading a dozen tiny labels, guessing which one led to the setting I wanted, getting it wrong, and having to start over. Also, you go from a menu with a bunch of individually labeled options into individual settings apps with nested menus where it's not always clear what gives you access to a nested menu and what doesn't, and what settings are in each menu. It's as bad as anything Volvo has ever inflicted on us." — Will Kaufman

Some functions, which are buttons on the steering wheel in pretty much every other vehicle, take a lot longer to find and adjust in the X3.

"If I'm ever on the highway using adaptive cruise control [ACC], I'm cycling through distance control depending on traffic. In heavy traffic, I'm using the setting that maintains the tightest gap possible. This way, my car reacts quickly when I'm in stop-and-go and the car in front of me begins moving forward, and so no other cars try to dodge into my lane at the last minute. When traffic eases up, I switch into an intermediate mode that widens the gap a bit to create a safe distance between me and the car in front. And when I'm on the open road with light traffic, the distance is in its maximum setting, so there's plenty of time for the car to react to conditions at high speeds."

"By burying the distance control settings within the touchscreen menus, BMW is forcing me to navigate through those menus just to do something I can do on the fly with nearly any other car. This is frustrating to a degree that's difficult to articulate. And it's not like BMW didn't have the steering wheel space; there's a blank button that doesn't do anything on the directional pad that governs ACC settings. I cannot fathom why distance control isn't easily accessible, and it's something I use so often on the highway that, for me, it would be a barrier to buying a BMW." — Cameron Rogers

Great driving range but poor fuel economy

Over its time with us, the X3 didn't quite reach its expected fuel economy. Its EPA estimate was 29 mpg combined, but over 15,000 miles we noted 26.8 mpg. However, on specific highway trips, we did see as much as 33 mpg. The X3 seemed to love to eat up highway miles.

"This is something that is often discussed when it comes to electric vehicles, but it remains an important consideration for gas vehicles as well, especially on long drives. The X3 easily gets over 500 miles with its 17.2-gallon tank, and after its last fill-up, the range meter read over 550 miles. That meant I was able to drive from the San Francisco Bay Area back to Los Angeles without stopping, taking advantage of a traffic-free window. And it means you save time on a regular basis because you'll be filling up less frequently, and having one less errand to run is great." — Brian Wong

What's it worth today?

Depreciation is a sticking point for luxury vehicles generally, so we were curious to find out what we could get for the X3 at the end of our year with it. And from its purchase price of $56,520, we were offered $38,000 — a drop in value of around 30%. This is significantly worse than what you'll get out of your run-of-the-mill Toyota or Honda, but for a luxury vehicle, this is actually better than the norm.

Final thoughts

The BMW X3 has some indisputable strengths: It's great to drive, the safety features work well, and it's comfortable with enough interior and cargo room that you can carry four people and their luggage easily.

However, the cabin quality issues are something that you can't really ignore. Compared to the Genesis GV70 and Mercedes-Benz GLC, the BMW just feels a step behind in terms of cabin refinement. Ultimately, that'll be our X3's legacy.