2025 BMW X3 xDrive30 vs 2024 BMW X3 sDrive30i | What is BMW Thinking With These Changes?

[@FCM415]

No more comfort access for the rear doors, it was great to have as a family car. Loss of buttons and plastic everywhere, no ambient lighting in the back. I prefer the opening sunroof. Exterior is soso, but less sleek, bulkier, and has the beaver bucktooth grills. I can’t get over how much they cheaped out on materials. Why does a Hyundai or Ford have better interior than a BMW. Only improvement is it coming with a spare tire 😮

[@BrosFOURRSpeed]

It's an interesting move to see, hope the rest of the XUV lineup is different!

[@elgjr13894]

Personally, I prefer the looks of the 2024 model over the 2025. Especially the interior!

[@BrosFOURRSpeed]

yeah seems like most people do too

[@oktober-r8i]

For me too, but also the exterior.

[@bensullivan5414]

I just cannot get past the non-opening sunroof and how in-cohesive and cheap the interior (especially door cards) look compared to the classy lines and materials of the old model.

[@BrosFOURRSpeed]

It's an interesting move from BMW!

[@danielcrease5254]

Defo keeping my 2023 M40d

[@CC-bu1uj]

Love my 24 even more after seeing this!

[@BrosFOURRSpeed]

Yeah, I would go with the 24!

[@steveweiskopf2129]

I went to a 25 unveiling. Must more plastic than the 24, which I didn't love.

[@carlosfrano2856]

Ditto, have a LCI, would not change it for this Chinese box looking thing

[@yippie6862]

The quality of the 2024 just appears to be better.

[@BrosFOURRSpeed]

It does!

[@steveweiskopf2129]

Sturdier in the door panels for sure

[@Allanhyde264]

New model is significantly cheaper in terms of quality of materials. People should boycott BMW.

[@BrosFOURRSpeed]

Not too sure what they were thinking for this

[@oleda3]

I just ordered a fully loaded X3, and I love everything about the 2025!

[@BrosFOURRSpeed]

congrats!

[@johnclaeys376]

Beauty is clearly in the eyes of the beholder.😕

[@karthikJ-99]

Awesome work on comparing 24 and the new model . The old one even though it has a little older tech still screams luxury. The new one feels like it was made purely for profits they just don’t care about the customers with so much cost cutting and cheap interior materials that do not belong in a bmw . Will have to see how it performs unless the sales drop drastically they won’t change it . People coming from other brands might be ok with this crap but people who drive bmws from a very long time will instantly see this bs move from bmw . I mean how much do you save by using cloth instead of vegan leather on side bolsters on front seats . And use leather instead of plastic on front seat headrests . That some of 20-30 cost cutting crap they did to this car . They tried to dime and nickel on the new model.

[@BrosFOURRSpeed]

Thanks for sharing!

[@mdino7]

completely agree - i have a 2022 m40i - lease is up in Jan and i am not going for this 2025 - interior looks cheaper and the ambient lighting is a joke compared to 2022-2024 models and the non opening sunroof is a no go for me. I think that was a dumb move on BMW and i believe its more cost cutting vs customers complaining of leaks - have had 4 bmws and never a leak

[@carlosfrano2856]

Looks like a lot of the Chinese SUVs seen in Latin America

[@SamHP85]

The 2025 exterior looks like a bloated version of the 2024 exterior. No opening sunroof and lack of physical buttons is a no for me.

[@BrosFOURRSpeed]

I like the exterior look a bit more, but do like the physical buttons!

[@afterace]

The interior on the old one looks way nicer tbh.

[@BrosFOURRSpeed]

Yeah I agree. Not the biggest fan of the new interior

[@spoiler9112]

If you hadn't seen them on the street before, you'd be hard pressed to know which one is the newer model. I get the new tech, but is it worth the obvious cost cutting and loss of features? Not for me. Door sill graphics gone. Cheaper looking door handles inside and out. Headlight controls on the left stalk?? Much fewer physical buttons people still want. That glossy center console with the giant lighted cartoony "U" will get messed up quick. I do like the volume control there, but that's it. Sunroof as mentioned no longer opens. In the back: Rear windows no longer roll all the way down. Ambient lighting is gone. Rear comfort access gone (big one) Rear seats do not recline (Read this, have not confirmed TBH) The price difference is larger for the M50 (5k). You don't gain as much as you lose. I'm sure the non RF tires help with the ride, but it's just not that big a deal to me. I used to get the newest because it was the coolest. I guess I've evolved. This is my first BMW. Just got the 2024 M40i.

[@BrosFOURRSpeed]

Yeah I don't think the 'old' one looks at all out of date. Solid choice to buy a 2024 right now. New one drives great for sure. But I'm not too sold on the design and interior. We'll see how this new generation does

[@mdino7]

agree with you and good choice on the 2024. I have a 2022 M40i - your going to love yours - much nicer interior and exterior look - enjoy it

[@MercOne]

That new interior looks great but it pretty bad in person. Cheapness everywhere and the whole vehicle has bloat disease exterior wise. Hard pass for me. BMW diehard saying this.

[@BrosFOURRSpeed]

It's an interesting move from BMW!

[@bejitar]

Disappointed with the new model, cheap materials, bad implementation of the driving modes going through the the menus, same for adjusting fan speed. Who really thought this was a good idea, another grip is the door handle, if you open the door too far the door handle is inside the door and you have to literally get of the seat to close the door. Getting read of the buttons to make you work on a touch screen is a point of failure for many settings. The car drives smoothly though, but is a bad implementation of the user interface.

[@BrosFOURRSpeed]

It's an interesting take for sure!

[@ericrubin5052]

Wait. So a hybrid system and gets worse gas mileage on the 2025? Am i misunderstanding? Shouldn’t that improve efficiency??

[@BrosFOURRSpeed]

2025 should be 27/33 and the 2024 is 21/28. Don't know why I said what I said

[@jimf7654]

It’s obvious that to keep the 2025 MSRP only +$1000 vs 2024, some cost reductions had to be made. I would rather pay up for the better technology and keep the previous interior.

[@BrosFOURRSpeed]

I agree, that was an interesting move on their part!

[@KennethWangFishing]

I just went into the dealership today having the X1 M35 in mind as a new daily driver, and signed the 2025 X3 30 instead. This just looked so much more of a vehicle than the M lite X1 for roughly the same price. I have a tuned 87 M2 so I don’t really need the extra thrill in my commuter car.

[@BrosFOURRSpeed]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@johnclaeys376]

‘Drove the ‘25…. The only thing I can say about it is it rides nice. the hood is too high for the seating position. I’m not a fan of the disfigured steering wheel. That big catch all tray in front of the console is hideous, as is all the cheap plastic. Good luck, BMW, I think this is going to be a very tough sale.

[@BrosFOURRSpeed]

They seem to be selling at my local dealer!

[@hhanjali]

‘Previous owners did not want sunroof”, Said noone ever

[@BrosFOURRSpeed]

Are you a previous owner? I found info on that..

[@hhanjali]

@@BrosFOURRSpeedyes. Had X3 M40i. That’s the spin BMW is using, they cant make sunroofs well so this is the way they are reducing their liability. It’s unfortunate, it’s one of the key comfort features on the car.

[@BrosFOURRSpeed]

@@hhanjali It definitely neat. I have an X5 and don't remember the last time I even opened up the sunshade for it. So for me, it wouldn't be a big deal, I'd be happy without the glass.

[@caryg4638]

Sunroofs suck. If you’re buying a driver’s car, and something that you really want to drive properly, sunroof actually hurt that experience because it changes the center of gravity by putting 40+ pounds on the roof or what is the equivalent of a 40 count water pack from Costco. If you think that that doesn’t affect handling, you are wrong. However, if you’re buying these cars for luxury items and just for comfortable cruisers, then I understand the sunroof argument. But not all owners buy a BMW for that reason, so I don’t understand your comment.

[@hhanjali]

⁠@@caryg4638agree. I just don’t think X3 is a performance/racing car. It’s a daily driver with some fun with it. I understand this logic for M3/M4 but 99% of SUV drivers buy it for comfort/luxury (or in my case due to bad roads in Chicago) 🙂. It’s a pure cost cutting/liability reduction, spin they are putting that people don’t use sunroofs is just lame.

[@johnclaeys376]

Sorry BMW, for one of you best selling vehicles this ‘25 is a HOT MESS. I’ll keep my 2023 X3. I was at the BMW dealer on Friday, they told me that people were buying the 24 over the 25. It just lacks so much personality inside and out… Really, it’s just a blob in my opinion.

[@BrosFOURRSpeed]

Definitely an interesting move on their part!

[@sahei3763]

Very good (and important) head to head comparison 👍🏼 still not sure how to think about the changes on the 2025MY…

[@BrosFOURRSpeed]

Glad you liked it! It takes some time to get used to!

[@kevinsetayesh4987]

I had the new 5 series loaner and I hated having the volume knob on the center console as opposed to where it usually is. I think besides all the other complaints of the new 3 series thats another one I'd add.

[@BrosFOURRSpeed]

It takes some time to get used to for sure!

[@ferdl7940]

25 has no door sill protection and the door handles are very cheap plastic. These areas will scratch up big time. Major failure!

[@BrosFOURRSpeed]

A lot of cars don't have that. Door handles don't feel cheap, just a different style, the 23 has plastic door handles too.

[@ryansponsler1152]

The exterior of the 25 is fine, but man the interior feels so cheap and boring compared to the 24. We currently own a 2020 and not sure we will swap to a 25 might get a cpo 24 instead

[@BrosFOURRSpeed]

Yeah I can see that. Feels more like an X1 on the inside

[@Christopher-of-Columbus]

My bmw x5 lease is almost up (and I wanted a smaller x3 M model) but will absolutely pass on the bulkier 2025 x3. After owning and leasing several BMWs for over 12 yrs, I will either look at the competition or consider buying a 2022-24 model. Edit: after seeing your 2025 x5 review, I may consider it even though I wanted something similar to the size of the 2022-24 x3 models.

[@BrosFOURRSpeed]

This isn't an X5 though, the 2025 X5 doesn't look anything like this.. Why are you comparing the two? These are X3's in this video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/f2TFiaShmc6Uask

[@Christopher-of-Columbus]

@@BrosFOURRSpeed - true. I didn’t like any of the x5 inventory at my local dealership but do like the one you reviewed in your video. I’ll have to try another dealership.

[@paulhenry913]

25 looks better. E boost from the mild hybrid plus structural improvements to the body. It's slightly bigger making it the perfect size . The sky roof is great. It doesn't open means less to go wrong. Opt for the base 19 inch wheels real leather seating and comfort package and with a BMW discount you can get this car for under 50k .

[@BrosFOURRSpeed]

With those options, I don't think you could do that for a new one. But it has some neat improvements.

[@paulhenry913]

@@BrosFOURRSpeed not the 50. I got a 30 with those options for 48k

[@Christopher-of-Columbus]

Even my grandma’s Kia looks better than the 2025 x3 and x5 models. sadly, Kia even passed up BMW with interior quality which is horrid to say the least. I’ve owned many BMWs over the years but this is the absolute worst design I’ve seen.

[@abpakdeep]

Loss of rear comfort access , the interior door handles are horrible, worse than Nissan- the epitome of cheapness. Sad day for BMW!

[@BrosFOURRSpeed]

What's "rear comfort access"?

[@Mr.Lambert777]

I agree, but actually, the Nissan ( newer models )have much better interiors than this . This is sad.

[@abpakdeep]

@@Mr.Lambert777 true! Check out Kia’s interior- way better!

[@abpakdeep]

@@Mr.Lambert777 I mean BMW is becoming the epitome of cheapness and not luxury which is sad!

[@abpakdeep]

@@BrosFOURRSpeed So in the previous generation X3 and X5 if you have your key fob in your pocket and walk up to any rear door, when you grab the handle it unlocks all doors of the car. Now since it’s removed say you need to open the back door or front passenger side door you will need to go to the driver’s side door open it first and then unlock all doors! This is different from walking to the car and having it unlock and walking away and having it lock!

[@leabhar507]

I think its hideous and no longer befitting as the ultimate driving machine - their branding in Europe. IMO this 2025 x3 cannot be seen as a premium vehicle either with no leather, plastic door pulls (they’ll not last) and plastic everywhere else. So why pay premium when you can get all that plastic with Japanese or Korean for a lot less money. My partner thinks its lovely, so it looks like it designed to appeal to women with all that bling. However I will not be replacing my 2021 x3 with this abomination.

[@BrosFOURRSpeed]

Just a preference, glad you enjoy your X3!

[@eddyvanderstraeten2522]

Love the new

[@BrosFOURRSpeed]

It's neat!