Driving a sports car is a special experience—at least it’s supposed to be. Sports cars are known for their speed, handling, and luxurious look and feel.
If you’re looking for that sports car experience, one expert says you should skip the 2025 BMW X3. In Maximus’ (@_maximusgear) opinion, the latest model of the X3 isn’t worth its nearly $50,000 starting sticker price.
Maximus recently reviewed the vehicle on TikTok. He doesn’t mince words about his assessment.
“I cannot stress to y’all how badly I hate the new X3,” he says.
A new look for an old favorite
BMW launched the X3 in 2003. The German automaker markets the SUV as a “sports activity vehicle.” The BMW X3 was reportedly the first midsize premium SUV.
Over the years, the X3 has won various awards, including the Canadian Car of the Year Best Sports Utility Vehicle and a Top Safety Pick+ award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. With the exception of the Great Recession, BMW has steadily increased production over the years.
This year, BMW launched the fourth generation of the popular model. The company describes the interior of the redesigned X3 as “contemporary yet comfortable with its luxurious finishes and minimalist approach.”
Fourth generation gets mixed reviews
The 2025 BMW X3 has some fans. Last week, it won South African Car of the Year. BMW manufactures some X3s in South Africa.
Maximus says the BMW X3 is garbage.
In a TikTok with 873,000 views as of this writing, he explains why.
After noting that it has ambient lighting throughout, which he says is “cool,” Maximus gets into it.
“The speakers are trash. Genuinely trash,” he says. Gesturing toward the dash, he notes that there’s a mid-range tweeter (treble speaker) there. But unlike the previous X3, there’s no tweeter embedded in the window trim area, he says.
That’s not the end of the X3’s sound system woes in his view. “You’ve got your midrange that’s covered by literal carpet, like thick padding carpet,” he says of a speaker on the door.
“What is this? This feels so cheap,” he adds of the sideview mirror control panel.
Cutting to the exterior of the BMW X3, he gestures at the whole vehicle. “This car is a flop. I don’t know what they did but it’s terrible.”
Maximus didn’t respond to a TikTok comment. His account doesn’t accept messages from people he doesn’t follow.
Survey says the X3 sucks
Other metalheads sounded off in the comments.
“It’s giving Fisher Price,” @arising_phoenix quipped.
“It looks SO cheap. The black plastic door handles??? Like,” @robmrsh said.
Others criticized the giant screen in the dash, the amount of plastic in the interior, and opined that the previous generations are far superior.
Several compared the BMW X3 to a more affordable brands like Mazda and Kia.
“The new X3 and the X1 is like the Kia of BMWs,” wrote one.
Now people are hoping that BMW rolls back these changes in the 2026 X3.
@_maximusgear_ This new X3 is so… #fyp #cars #tech #bmw #unfortunate ♬ original sound – _maximusgear_
One suggested the company “IMMEDIATELY” stop using so much plastic in the interior.
“Mercedes did it then fixed it after their quality perception went diving,” they added.
BMW didn’t respond to an emailed request for comment.
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