BMW X3

About

The BMW X3 is a compact luxury crossover SUV manufactured by BMW since 2003, based on the BMW 3 Series platform. BMW markets the car as a Sports Activity Vehicle, the company's proprietary descriptor for its X-line luxury vehicles.

Photo & info: Wikipedia

Specifications

From Wikipedia — confirm against the actual car before purchase.

Body: 5-door SUV
Class: Compact luxury crossover SUV (D)

Generations

E832003–2009

F252010–2016

G012017–2023

G45/NA52024–present

Photos

Real cars from Wikimedia Commons — colours and trims as photographed.

E83 2003–2009

F25 2010–2016

G01 2017–2023

Competition

2019

G45/NA5 2024–present

2024

Photos: Wikimedia Commons — click any for full resolution & licence.

By year

Trims, economy and safety change year to year — pick one (US market).

2004 2005 2006

Trim · engine	Drive	MPG comb (city/hwy)	CO₂ g/mi	Fuel cost
Auto (S5), 6 cyl, 3.0 L	4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive	17 (14/21)	523	$4,800/yr
Man 6-spd, 6 cyl, 3.0 L	4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive	18 (15/23)	494	$4,550/yr

Economy & emissionsSport Utility Vehicle - 4WD

6/10

EPA smog

$10,750

more over 5 yrs vs. avg

16.5

Barrels/yr

Emission standard: BIN 5

Safety — NHTSA crash test

Stability control · StandardCollision warning · NoLane-keep assist · No

Recalls & complaints

Recalls: 2 · Complaints: 345 · Investigations: 10

Air bags
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2006-2010 BMW X3 2.5i, X3 3.0i and X3 xDrive30i Sports Activity Vehicles. The front passenger seat occupant detection mat that determines if, and how, the passenger frontal air bag should deploy in a crash may fatigue and develop cracks which could lead to a system failure.
Air bags
BMW IS RECALLING 200,000 MY 2006 3 SERIES SPORT SEAT, MY 2004-2006 5 SERIES STANDARD AND SPORT SEAT, AND MY 2004-2006 X3 PASSENGER VEHICLES. DEPENDING ON THE MANNER AND FREQUENCY OF THE FRONT PASSENGER'S ENTRY AND EXIT, SMALL CRACKS HAVE DEVELOPED IN THE MAT. IF THIS OCCURS, THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAGS, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE HEAD PROTECTION SYSTEM, WILL BE DEACTIVATED AND THE AIR BAG WARNING LAMP AS WELL AS THE PASSENGER AIR BAG "ON-OFF" LAMP WILL BE ILLUMINATED.

Top recall areas: Air bags

Investigations: Rear Toe Link May Separate · Automated Driving System (ADS) conflict avoidance, driving behavior competence and assertiveness · Front Steering Knuckle Fractures

Trims & economy: fueleconomy.gov · recalls & rating: NHTSA

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Reviews & research

Independent reviews, news and owner communities — off-site.

Video reviews

Road tests & walkarounds on YouTube

Expert reviews

Edmunds, Car and Driver, MotorTrend & more

News

Latest coverage and updates

Owner community

Real-world ownership on Reddit

Full history

The complete Wikipedia entry

For sale

Find one for sale

Search the open market for a BMW X3 now — eBay Motors plus sellers who list directly with rTracer. Live listings land here as the feed goes live.

Market value. No used BMW X3 has one set price — see what they actually sold for recently, then compare with what's on the market now.

Search eBay Motors ↗See sold prices ↗

Maintenance & ownership

Check the BMW X3's recall history, investigations and owner complaints at NHTSA — the best free read on reliability and what tends to go wrong before you buy.

Check at NHTSA ↗

The universe

Coming: a full spec sheet, and a drivable 3D model of the X3 on any road in the rTracer atlas.

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