Replacing a best-selling model is a tricky business because you’re effectively changing a winning formula. Despite getting up there in years, the X3 “G01” was BMW’s most popular product in 2023. An impressive 355,000 crossovers were sold, but now that model is dead. Well, the iX3 is still around but you get the point I’m trying to make. The new “G45” is here, along with a first-ever long-wheelbase derivative for the Chinese market.

Today, we’re looking at the standard-wheelbase X3 painted in Brooklyn Grey with the optional M Sport Package. It’s powered by a gasoline engine but you can still get diesels and plug-in hybrids with the revamped model. With the fourth generation, BMW has ditched the “i” at the end of the model’s name, so this is simply an X3 20. This entry-level flavor won’t be available in the United States where the lineup starts with the X3 30.

Although there’s no visible xDrive badge, we know for a fact that all X3 flavors now have xDrive as standard. Yes, the old sDrive-badged models that routed the engine’s power only to the rear wheels are now dead. Speaking of wheels, this European-spec X3 has 19-inch alloys (941 M Style) with a two-tone finish you can also have in the United States. That unconventional grille is installed on all versions, except for the flagship M50 which has sportier-looking kidneys with horizontal slats.

The blue inner accents of the headlights used to denote a laser high-beam but recent BMWs have switched to a non-dazzling matrix LED setup. At the back, there are no visible exhaust tips anymore. You still have them on the M Performance model where there’s now a quad arrangement. Another omission worth pointing out is the demise of the M40d since a direct replacement isn’t coming. However, BMW plans a six-cylinder diesel for 2025.

Although the 2025 X3’s exterior might suggest the previous generation has gone through a Life Cycle Impulse, the cabin is all-new. Minimalism has taken its toll on the dashboard where the two screens dominate. We do like the flat-bottomed steering wheel and how BMW managed to sneak in another M logo. Although the infotainment runs on iDrive 9, you still get a dedicated rotary knob, which has been deleted from compact cars that utilize the newest OS.

Don’t hold your breath for another X3 M because it’s allegedly not happening. Despite rumors of a “G97″ making the Internet rounds, BMW is not engineering another gas-fueled M variant. Instead, we could see a fully electric iX3 from M later this decade.

Source: BMW