The 2024 BMW X3 Is The Hassle-Free Quick SUV Of 2024!

Today we are in the brand new 2024 BMW X3 because this is a very popular SUV from BMW. You do get 3 years, or 36,000 miles, of complimentary maintenance as well, which is definitely pretty nice. and this is essentially the SUV version of the 3 Series sedan.

Let's start with pricing, and as you can imagine, there are a few different configurations for the 2024 X3. The first one being the sDrive30i, starting at $46,900. Then there is the xDrive30i starting at $48,900, the M40i for $61,900, and lastly, the M going for $75,500.

Exterior Has Aged Very Well

The X3 has aged very, very well. This is really still a great-looking compact SUV, in my opinion. It has all the signature BMW elements that you expect. They're actually kind of the more traditional-styled BMW elements versus some of their newer models, and they look nice and aggressive, especially when you have the M Sport package.

So you might be interested in knowing what you get from that. You're going to have a gloss back finish on your signature kidney grills. You're also going to have a more aggressive finish on the lower fascia, which is also finished in gloss black. Headlights are, of course, going to be full LED.

They're also actually adaptive LEDs, and they've got all the signature BMW elements, including that classic kind of daytime running light in the two different pieces.

The rear design still has a very classic BMW look. It's going to have some pretty updated elements that were added in the last refresh in 2022. Really, the biggest part of that updated element would be your tail light design, which is pretty much in line with the most modern BMW products. 

We do have an LED brake light, an LED turn signal, and an LED reverse light. So all three elements are LED, and I really like that this has a three-dimensional shape to it; it really brings it in line with those updated BMW products.

Now, the rear area is going to be a very aggressive diffuser area because this X3 has the M Sport package. We're also going to have dual integrated trapezoidal exhaust outlets. 

Now, just like any BMW, we have a lot of different choices for the wheel options. We have the 19-inch alloy wheels that are included with the M Sport package. If you don't like this design, though, feel free to upgrade to 20 or 21-inch alloy options for something a little bigger.

I think these look pretty good, though, since they have a lot of contrast built into them. 

The side-view mirrors do have some black glass on the lower section of them. They're going to be fully loaded with features, so we have auto-dimming on the driver's side, power-folding blind spot monitoring, and heating.

Now at the side, the overall length of this vehicle remains 186.20 inches. If you choose the M Sport model, you're going to have a few more spicy elements, including blacked-out window surrounds as well as a blacked-out roof rail up top.

Great Interior Quality

The front seats are power-adjustable sport seats that come standard. You have Sensitech upholstery coming standard, but there is a Vernasa leather that goes for $1,500 if you'd rather go that route. As far as seat comfort goes, it was plenty fine.

The lumbar support was plenty adjustable, so there were absolutely no issues when it came to seat comfort in the X3.

In the rear seats of the X3, you're going to continue to find a very nice place to spend time. That's something that has certainly aged very well with this product. You have about 36 inches of legroom and about 39 inches of head room, which does place it right in line with that all-new Mercedes-Benz GLC. 

It's just a good amount of space for this segment. My feet can slide easily up underneath the seat. One thing I want to point out is that we were just in a BMW X5, and there is really no less space in the rear seat area than that model. 

Really Cool Digital Gauge

Once you start up the car, you'll be looking at a 12.3-inch fully digital gauge cluster. I love it because when you adjust the drive modes, it just adjusts the colors a little bit as well. So for Eco you got the blue hues; for Comfort, you kind of got the orange hues; and for Sport, you got the red and white hues, so it definitely looks good. 

I love that they're a little adjustable there. It also shows you how many miles you have left until you empty your outside temperature digital speedometer, and you get the navigation kind of set up right smack dab in the middle of those gauges as well. They definitely look good, in my personal opinion. 

But now let's go ahead and make our way to overall interior quality. Let me start by saying that the panoramic moonroof is massive. It's a $1,350 option for the 30i trim level that we have today, and it does come standard on the M40i, and it goes well into the back seats all the way through the back seats, so you've got to love that. 

Dark oak wood trim definitely looks good and comes standard. Multicolor ambient lighting is coming standard as well, which looks great. You also get a wireless phone charger located just in front of the cup holders here, so that's definitely nice.

There's a decent amount of storage in the armrest, and there's a phone charging port in there as well. You also got some lighting within there; you don't always find that.

Overall, I do love the interior quality on this X3. They did a wonderful job. I liked how they finished the passenger side glove box handle and the aluminum as well, which looks good. So overall, everything is finished, just like you would expect a BMW to be finished. I'll just put it that way. 

But now let's go ahead and take a look at the infotainment screen. You're going to find a 10 and 1/4-inch color touch-screen display. It is a touch-screen, like I said. You can also control it using the circular dialing buttons located just to the right of the shifter, and it is voice-activated if you want it as well. Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, and the factory navigation system are coming standard.

Banger audio system

When it comes to the sound systems, you're going to find a 12-speaker Hi-Fi sound system with 205 Watts that comes standard, but there is an optional Harmon Kardon sound system that is there in the X3 I'm testing, and it sounds great.

BMW I feel like they just always crush it with their sound systems. There's no denying that that is a heck of a sound system. The bass was insane. Clarity was perfectly fine as well. I'm getting so used to saying that literally every single BMW sound system that I am reviewing here is absolutely amazing.

Cargo Space

When it comes to opening that rear tailgate, it is going to be a power tailgate, which does come standard. A hands-free power tailgate is going to be optional, of course, but there is a button on the key fob itself and a button on the tailgate itself as well.

Once opened up, cargo capacity comes in at 28.7 cubic feet. If that was not enough space, of course there is a 40/20/40 split, meaning the rear seats do fall down, bumping that up to 62.7 cubic feet. So they fold down pretty flat; that's essentially what that means. LED cargo lighting does come standard, of course.

There is a cargo cover also coming standard, and grocery bag hooks back there as well. You got some velour carpeting; you got to love that typical BMW fashion. Netted storage is found in the corners; there are tie-down anchors as well, and if you were to lift up underneath that cargo floor, you are going to find a substantial amount of INF floor storage, which I love to see back there.

I don't want to forget to mention there is a 12-volt power outlet as well, so pretty much everything you could possibly want is in the cargo area of the X3.

Refined Engine

So as you can imagine, with all of these different configurations, there are a couple different engine configurations to go along with all of that. To start, the first power plant is going to belong to the 30i trim levels. They are powered by a 2-liter twin-power turbocharged inline 4-cylinder putting out 248 horsepower at 5200 RPM and 258 lbs of torque coming in at around 1,400 RPM. 

Power is sent to the rear wheels or all wheels through an 8-speed automatic with paddle shifters and a launch control. 0 to 60 time coming in at approximately 6 seconds flat, top speed 130 mph. In case you're interested, the MPG numbers come in at 23 in the city, 29 on the highway for the rear-wheel drive, 21 in the city, and 28 on the highway for the all-wheel drive. 

But then there is that next power plant belonging to the M40i. That one is powered by a 3-liter twin-power turbocharged inline 6-cylinder putting out 382 horsepower at 5800 RPM and 369 lb-ft of torque coming in at 1,800 RPM.

Power is sent to all four wheels yet again through an 8-speed automatic with paddle shifters. 0 to 60 time is approximately 4.4 seconds for that one. That's pretty cool. Top speed is still 130 mph, with MPG numbers coming in at 21 in the city and 26 on the highway. 

And of course, the M version is going to be an even more powerful X3, which really is its review in itself, so I'm not going to touch too much on the M version in this particular review.

The X3 has always been a very spunky vehicle. When it comes to how Germans compare to the competition, the three German offerings tend to be quite a bit faster than anything else on the market, and that does continue for 2024. It's very punchy, and this, of course, is the standard model.

There is a bit of turbo lag on this, which is expected. You won’t notice that on the M40i version because it has a mild hybrid system, which helps with that.

Like I mentioned before, the 30i models have 248 horsepower and 258 pound feet of torque for this model, which is pretty decent power figures. That is going to be slightly behind some of the other competition when it comes to horsepower and torque. Specifically, something like an Acura RDX is going to have a little bit more horsepower, and the Lexus NX350 will have more power as well. 

When you accelerate, one thing I do want to point out, like I said, is that it has slightly less horsepower than some of those main rivals, but it's a very refined engine note. And that's something that I truly appreciate about this X3 model: that it's not going to be loud and unrefined, which is something that I do find that bothers me about the Lexus NX.

It's going to have a really smooth note to it, regardless of how hard you are accelerating. This version is not going to be electrified in any way. 

Get the M40i if you have the extra money

If you choose the M40i model, that, of course, is going to upgrade the performance quite a bit. It is going to be a mild hybrid at that point, and it's going to be using a six-cylinder engine instead. That's BMW's iconic B-58 engine at that point, so it sounds very, very good as well. 

If you have extra dollars to spend, I would certainly recommend getting the M40i. That car has a very special spot in my heart because that engine and powertrain setup are very good.

As far as the transmission is concerned, you do have an 8-speed automatic transmission. The performance of this transmission is nice and smooth. A good, crisp response, which is nice considering this is a German vehicle even though it is a mainstream vehicle. 

Comfortable Ride Quality

Now, I do want to take a second here and talk about your ride quality with this X3. The standard model doesn’t have an adaptive suspension or anything along those lines, and the ride quality is pretty good. I really don't have any problems with it.

When you hit a bump, you can feel some intrusion inside the cabin, and these seats are going to be a little bit more on the firm side, but certainly not in a bad way.

I think it's actually a very comfortable overall experience, and I think a lot of you guys will appreciate the ride quality that you're going to find here on the X3, especially when you balance it with the driving dynamics of this model. 

BMW is going to make sure that every vehicle they make, even when it's not targeting a sporty audience per se, has a little bit of that German athleticism baked into it. I do think that's the case with this steering. In normal drive mode, it is going to be light but direct and very responsive, and overall body control is nicely done as well. 

Also, there is a dynamic handling package for the 30i trim levels that goes for $1,400 and if you want the smoothest ride, I would recommend you to get that cause its going to be a much smoother ride.

Barely any cabin noise

Then, touching on cabin noise, we're going approximately 10 mph right now, so you can tell there isn't a whole lot of exterior wind noise coming into the cabin, but honestly, even at highway speeds, as far as road noise and wind noise coming into the cabin, it was pretty much non-existent.

BMW typically does a pretty darn good job as far as creating a serene cabin in their vehicles; there are absolutely no issues with the X3 there. 

Lacking In Terms Of Features But Still Plenty Safe

Now, when it comes to your safety systems, let me start by saying IIHS Top Safety Pick Plus. But still, this is going to be one area where it is lacking behind some of those newer competitors because you are going to get two out of your four active safety features as standard equipment, which are forward emergency braking systems and auto high beams. 

However, you can still opt for the more advanced systems through the driver's assistance professional package, which includes lane keep assist and adaptive cruise with traffic jam assist.

Conclusion

Overall, when it comes to my final thoughts on the 2024 X3, I love the interior quality as well. I think our two-tone color options look good in this thing. I also like the wood trim, which definitely makes this thing look a lot more upscale. Digital gauges are great. I like that they change color as well when you change driving modes. You do get 3 years of compliment maintenance; I'm a big fan of that as well. 

As far as the run for improvement goes, there is a little bit of turbo lag. I said that in the acceleration test, it's not a huge deal; just keep it higher up in the RPMs, and you shouldn't have any issues there. and there's so many freakishly wonderful options on the X3, which is a good thing, but at the same time, this X3 can get pretty pricey pretty quick with all of those options.