It takes alot for something to classified as perfect, so many times journos have gone through the effort of showcasing just how good a car is but often times a there's a car that comes around and just doesn't need any explanation to justify it.
One of BMWs most successful vehicles landed in our garage for a weeks testing and i have to say it was such a good experience that it was so hard to give the keys back.
Meet the all new 2025 BMW X3 and this particular one has a sweet spot which is the diesel engine that has become blasphemous in most markets but i get these are the perks of being the only global producer of the X3
Exterior changes have that now classic BMW thing that make the car look not good in photos but absolutely beautiful in the flesh, our unit was finished in a bright Fire Red color that was complimented by 17 inch alloys surrounded by plenty of rubber which means the ride was nice and soft.
Being a M sport pack this means it gets blacked out elements like Mirror, window seals, more aggressively designed lower bumpers front and back which i personally think make the car look that much better.
The rear quarter of the vehicle has to be my least favourite part of the vehicle since it looks like it was thorn between a sloping roof effect or normal SUV but i think this element was done for clients that preferred the now axed X4 body style.
The cabin is the closest thing to a celestial spaceship straight out of a sci-fi movie and at night it just comes alive literally. The ambient lighting is interactive to music, blind spot monitor when opening a door if a car is approaching, and hazard lights and i must admit i appreciate that since it makes the interior feel more special to be in.
The dashboard is dominated by the joint infotainment and digital driver display which both house vital car information, wireless connectivity, 360 view camera and the list goes on and on and on.
Some good bit of advice for the cabin and usability is that you should spend atleast 10 minutes familiarising yourself with all of buttons, nobs, and switches because it can get intimidating quick.
BMW played it smart by covering most of the cabin with a recycled fabrics on places that would most have your scratchy plastic saving money on production and saving the planet as well.
Infact, the cabin seats consisted of a combination of soft materials and veganza leather which were so comfortable and had a massage function which is fair to say i abused, im only human.
A downside I managed to find was that the door handles seemed a bit to flimsy and like they'd snap if you yanked a tad bit too hard and the that the doors were an absolute work out to open or close.
It features a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder diesel engine with mild hybrid technology with a 85L that gives you 1245km of fuel range on a full tank, and i would like to report that i did not fill up not once simply because I didn't have too..it's that good.
Getting to grips with this car allows one to fully understand why it won the Best Car of the Year award, as it does a good job of blending comfort, luxury, and practicality without losing the typical fun nature that all BMW products should provide to the driver and those being driven.
Sure, no vehicle is perfect, but where it had aspects that let it down, it made up for that with something else you wouldn't have expected. You just can't fault that this is a good car ( although looks still managed to split crowds), and it literally has variants to cater to customers at all ends of the market : a hybrid for the eco-conscious fan, a diesel for the torque lovers, an M Sport for those who seek a bit of excitement when driving, and a regular petrol for someone who just wants an X3.
This car would cost you R1 231 805 meaning a 10% deposit would allow you to pay R16 399 per month of a period of 42 months and an in house purchase would mean your X3 would have a guaranteed value of R742 437.