2025 BMW 3 Series Review

Refinements ensure the 2025 3 Series remains the definitive sports sedan.

Christian Wardlaw | 

May 12, 2025 | 7 min read

Christian Wardlaw

Driving enthusiasts made the BMW 3 Series a legend, but Hollywood popularized it. That pop culture validation arguably helped make the car a favorite among the young and upwardly mobile (yuppies), fueling a sales boom that made the fourth-generation (1999 - 2006 E46) 3 Series the bestselling BMW model ever.

Today, 48 years after the first 3 Series went on sale in the United States, Americans have moved on. In 2024, the bestselling BMWs were the X5 and X3 SUVs, pushing the current 3 Series into fourth place behind the 4 Series. Nevertheless, it remains a popular choice among compact luxury sedans, and for good reason.

To help ensure its continued success, the 2025 BMW 3 Series receives minor styling updates, new infotainment system software, and dynamic enhancements. Most of the changes are welcome, demonstrating BMW's commitment to building a definitive sports sedan that is practical, rewarding to drive, and technologically advanced.

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About the 2025 BMW 3 Series Review Vehicle

The 2025 3 Series lineup includes the 330i, M340i, and M3, and base prices range from just above $47,000 to almost $78,000, including the destination charge. BMW has discontinued the 330e plug-in hybrid model.

For this 3 Series review, BMW provided a 330i for testing in Southern California. It had the M Sport, Premium, Parking Assistance, and Driving Assistance Professional option packages. Additional extras included Vegas Red Metallic paint, Black leather upholstery, a Harman Kardon audio system, and a Drive Recorder.

The manufacturer's suggested retail price was $57,200, including the $1,175 destination charge for shipping the car from the San Luis Potosi, Mexico, assembly plant to a dealership.

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Quality Oozes From the 2025 BMW 3 Series Cabin

BMW avoids risk with the 3 Series, which is one reason this car looks conservative compared with numerous BMW models. Another reason is that BMW hasn't redesigned it since 2019. However, the 2025 3 Series gets new paint colors, wheels, and an updated interior.

Open the front door, get in, and when it closes, there's a satisfying thunk. That sets the stage for quality expectations, and the 3 Series delivers with materials that look and feel undeniably premium. It isn't fancy, though. You can dress it up with different trim panels, metallic switchgear, and brighter upholstery colors, but it remains businesslike.

A BMW Curved Display dominates the dashboard, containing a 12.3-inch digital instrumentation screen and a 14.9-inch infotainment screen with embedded climate controls. You operate the infotainment system by touchscreen, voice, or the center console iDrive controls. The tech is approachable and relatively easy to use.

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Heated, power-adjustable front seats are standard, wrapped in SensaTec or optional leather. They include manually adjustable thigh-support bolsters, but I had trouble finding a satisfying mix of cushion height and leg support, causing discomfort on longer drives. Also, ventilated front seats are unavailable on the 330i, something to remember if you live in a warm climate.

Rear passengers sit inboard, so three adults are unlikely to fit. A third climate zone gives occupants control over their temperature, and BMW provides air-conditioning vents and USB ports. The rear seat cushion and backrest angles offer optimum comfort and support, and robust outboard seatback bolsters hold passengers in place. However, exiting the car is less graceful because of them.

Interior storage is generous, and many spots are covered to hide items from prying eyes. According to BMW, the trunk measures a generous 16.9 cubic-feet. You can place full-size suitcases on their side and pack the cargo area full because BMW encloses the trunk lid hinges, so you won't crush your luggage when closing it.

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Next-Gen Infotainment Tech and Hands-Free Driving

New for 2025, BMW Operating System 8.5 upgrades the 3 Series with a revised infotainment interface and new QuickSelect pages that make finding features and adjusting settings easier.

System highlights include wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, wireless smartphone charging, and several connected-services features. As part of the standard Connected Package Professional, the 3 Series has a navigation system and the Intelligent Personal Assistant that can respond to conversational voice commands. The technology worked better during this evaluation than some recent iterations I've sampled.

Pairing an iPhone 16, running Apple CarPlay, and streaming music were easy. I was also impressed by the optional Harman Kardon audio system.

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In addition to the BMW Curved Display, my test car had the Parking Assistance and Driving Assistance Professional option packages, which added several safety features and driver aids. My favorites included the additional camera views that made parking easier, and the hands-free driving technology that reduced stress during rush hour in Los Angeles.

On its website, BMW calls the hands-free tech Extended Traffic Jam Assistant. In the car, BMW refers to it as Assisted Driving Plus. The system is available at speeds less than 40 mph, and the 3 Series will automatically prompt a driver to use it. Activate it, and green lights illuminate on the steering wheel. Only then can you let go, allowing the technology to steer, brake, and accelerate as long as speeds remain below 40 mph.

Assisted Driving Plus worked as expected. It leaves a sizable gap ahead of the car, however, allowing other motorists to cut in. The technology reacts smoothly in such cases, but sometimes brakes unexpectedly to return to the desired following distance. This often aggravates motorists following behind the BMW, especially those who can see over the top of the 3 Series and are eager to reach their destination.

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The 330i's Engine Is Small but Mighty

For 2025, the 330i's turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine adds a 48-volt mild-hybrid system. Power and torque ratings remain the same (255 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque), but the car is more fuel efficient. In 2024, the 330i's EPA fuel-economy rating was 25/34/29 mpg in city/highway/combined driving. In 2025, it jumps to 28/35/31 mpg.

On my testing loop, the rear-wheel-drive 330i averaged 28.1 mpg, despite some enthusiastic mountain driving in the car's Sport and Sport+ modes. During a trip to San Diego, traveling almost exclusively on freeways, the 330i averaged 37 mpg, including a slog through downtown L.A. in thick traffic. That's impressive.

My test car had the M Sport package, which installs a sport suspension, variable sport steering, and 19-inch wheels wrapped in 225/40 front and 255/35 rear Bridgestone Turanza tires. An M-tuned adaptive suspension and more robust M Sport brakes are available, but neither was on the test vehicle.

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That didn't seem to matter, because the 330i M Sport was a thrill to drive on the twisty roads crisscrossing the Santa Monica Mountains. The standard brakes withstood plenty of abuse, and the handling was impeccable except for the tires. They allowed the front end to push too wide in tighter curves and the rear end to slip when exiting corners, dulling my confidence in the car.

The 330i M Sport has a firm ride in the city and communicates every nuance of the road surface. If that's not your idea of a good time, skip the M Sport package. The variable sport steering is quick and precise, but effort levels are a touch light even in Sport mode. Still, it's easy to point and shoot this car into parking spaces, holes in traffic, and sets of S curves.

The turbo four's horsepower and torque ratings may seem unimpressive, but it supplies peak torque from 1,600 rpm to 4,500 rpm, then peak horsepower arrives at 4,700 rpm and sticks around until 6,500 rpm. That broad power curve and a decisive eight-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters make the 330i feel quick and responsive.

Stickier tires would improve the handling, and the brakes were difficult to modulate smoothly in city driving and heavy stop-and-go traffic. Otherwise, I smiled with satisfaction on every commute, errand, and joy ride.

Christian Wardlaw

Is the 2025 BMW 3 Series a Good Car?

The 2025 BMW 3 Series is a great choice if you want an authentic German sports sedan. I prefer it to most of the segment's alternatives, such as the Audi A4, Genesis G70, Lexus IS, and Mercedes-Benz C-Class. That said, my most recent drive in an Alfa Romeo Giulia was even more memorable, perhaps because that car exudes Italian passion instead of buttoned-down Germanic sensibility.

All vehicle pricing includes MSRP plus destination charges (set at the time of publication), and will be rounded to the nearest thousand.

Christian Wardlaw

Chris says his first word was "car." For as long as he can remember, he's been obsessed with them. The design. The engineering. The performance. And the purpose. He is a car enthusiast who loves to drive, but is most passionate about the cars, trucks, and SUVs that people actually buy. He began his career as the editor-in-chief of Edmunds.com in the 1990s, and for more than 30 years has created automotive content for CarGurus, J.D. Power, Kelley Blue Book, the New York Daily News, and others. Chris owns Speedy Daddy Media, has been contributing to Capital One Auto Navigator since 2019, and lives in California with his wife, kids, dog, and 2004 Mazdaspeed Miata.