2026 BMW X3 Review
2026 BMW X3 Review
Price as Tested: $66,000
Engine Specs (xDrive30e Plug-in Hybrid): Turbocharged 2.0 L inline-four with an integrated electric motor
Combined Horsepower and Torque (xDrive30e): 295 hp / 332 lb-ft
Acceleration (0-60 mph, xDrive30e): 6.0 seconds
MPG as Observed: 25
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Guy who did stuff: Yousef Alvi
The BMW X3 is, as many are aware, the brand's cash cow, selling nearly 69,000 units in the US market last year alone! To say it's "important" for BMW is a massive understatement; it's vital for their survival. Each new generation of the X3 must build upon past successes and forge into the future with compelling improvements. It's a fine balancing act, and one wrong misstep could spell disaster for the brand as a whole.
I'm happy to say that each generation of the X3 since its original launch in 2003 has been an excellent evolution of the nameplate. Each model was blessed with sharper styling, a more luxurious interior, industry-leading drivetrains, and a surprising agility not typically found in its competitors. So, for 2026, the cards were stacked against BMW. How do you possibly build on such monumental success?
Well... they tried? That is genuinely the best way I can describe it, because this new 2026 BMW X3 is such a mixed bag of excellent choices and head-scratching "wtf" moments. To describe it appropriately, I'm bringing back my old methodology: The Great, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.
Let's break it down:
The Great: Handling
Dear God, BMW absolutely nailed it with this new X3. The prior generations were great, but this new generation is lithe, agile, and stunning in the bends. Bear in mind, our test model was just the plain old X3 xDrive30 trim, not the M50 or the full insanity of the X3M! Throw this SUV into any corner, and the X3 executes a beautiful BMW pirouette around your waist, turning in with gusto and grip. It's not just subjective, either; during instrumented testing, the X3 xDrive30e pulled an impressive 0.92 g of lateral acceleration on the skidpad. This figure easily tops the competition, with the Mercedes-Benz GLC300 managing just 0.86 g and the Audi Q5 trailing close behind at 0.85 g, confirming the BMW's dynamic superiority. I’m thoroughly and utterly impressed with the dynamicism of this new X3. I have no hesitation in declaring this the best-handling compact SUV in the entire segment!
The Good: Infotainment and Seats
Infotainment: BMW has absolutely nailed this with the current generation iDrive system. It’s beautifully rendered, lightning-quick, and remarkably easy to understand. It also supports multiple input methods, from the classic scroll wheel to modern touch inputs. It is simplicity at its finest.
The Seats: The seats are superb, period. Comfortable and endlessly adjustable, they afford (again) industry-leading support and contouring. These seats are nothing short of the best in the segment—plush enough to support your behind for hundreds of miles, yet capable of gripping you firmly in the tightest corner. This is the holy grail of automotive seating.
The Bad: Looks
Okay, it can look good from certain angles, but BMW’s Neue Klasse design language is a bit off-putting, especially on this X3. Compare the front end to the prior generation, and it's easy to see why. The new front grille is dominated by shiny plastic, and this high-gloss finish distracts the eye, pulling focus away from the illuminated LED surrounds—an effect BMW surely didn't intend. If that large grille area were finished in a matte black, it would add needed definition and correctly redirect attention to the signature lighting elements. Unfortunately, this aesthetic issue persists at the rear. Maybe it’s all the gloss black plastic or the sheer straight lines in the body, but to me, this new generation doesn't have the cohesive design the old generation had.
The Ugly: Interior
This is where everything completely falls apart for the new X3. It literally starts from the door handles inward. Look at the interior door handle and the electronic gizmo next to it. It’s not made of high-end plastic, aluminum, or metal—or anything else a $66,000 luxury vehicle should possess. Instead, it’s grainy, hollow, flimsy, and scratchy plastic. It feels so hollow that I’m fairly convinced it will develop a crack or two after a few years of yanking. As something you touch, repeatedly, on a daily basis, the door handle absolutely needs to be made of substance, not something they cheaped out on.
Unfortunately, it doesn't stop there. Moving down the door card, the lower part of the door trim is so flimsy and cheap that it feels like BMW found a secret stash of Dodge Neon door cards and plopped them in. Yes, it’s that bad and that cheap. To make things easier and stop myself from ranting for a few hundred more words: the only thing that feels truly premium on the interior of this new X3 is the steering wheel. That’s it. Everything else is woefully, disappointingly, and maddeningly cheap.
It’s not like it was a natural evolution for BMW to wind up at this point. All prior years since the mid-2000s have steadily marched up the interior refinement scale with each and every generation—to the point that the 2015+ models were offering interiors that were Audi-beating! Maybe it was COVID, then the supply chain issues, or maybe BMW got new accountants who are very scary, I don’t know, but this interior is unacceptable for something that costs $66,000.
I’m not done yet. What drives me utterly insane is that instead of spending money on better materials, BMW spent it on something completely unnecessary. The HVAC controls to close or open the vents are needlessly electronic now. Yes, instead of a simple dial or knob, there is now an electric motor along with a swipe touch control. Yay?
Seriously. Who thinks of this stuff? Who sat up during a design committee meeting and went:
"Do you know what we should spend hundreds of thousands of dollars designing and building? Making the vent closing electronic! Consumers are going to LUST after this feature!"
“Why didn’t someone go:
’Günther, you need to sit back down’ ?”
Instead, the lunacy was approved, and I guarantee you whatever money was meant for the interior materials went to the idiotic vents instead. That means it was a deliberate cheapening of the entire interior to placate a useless feature that no one wanted.
The Overall:
The best way I can describe this 2026 BMW X3 is to say the following:
If you want a compact luxury SUV that handles exceptionally well, has a beautiful and luxurious interior with stylish body to wrap it all in…have you looked at the 2024 X3?
It offers everything that made the X3 the leading compact luxury SUV of its segment, along with all the style and substance that is missing from this new generation.
Might I interest you in the lovely 2024 model instead??
Yousef Alvi
