New or Old Luxury? 2025 BMW X3 vs. 2026 Genesis GV70

When people decide to buy a compact luxury SUV, many times the default choice lands on the BMW X3. It has a reputation for providing loads of luxury, German driving dynamics, and enough space for most purposes. Because of that, it’s easily the best seller in the segment, but there’s a lesser-known option whose popularity has been growing in recent years: the Genesis GV70. This newcomer has only been around for a few years but in many ways, it’s challenging the major German players. So, who wins in a 2025 BMW X3 vs. 2026 Genesis GV70 battle? Let’s dive in to find out!

Pricing and Equipment

Now, we begin all our comparisons by discussing their prices and equipment levels.

Beginning with the all-new X3, we’ve got a very nicely optioned 6-cylinder model. The price doesn’t increase much versus the last generation, so all-in the price is $70,825. 

MSRP (X3 M50 xDrive): $64,100 | Options: $5,550 | Destination: $1,175 | Total: $70,825

Moving to the refreshed Genesis GV70, we also have the loaded example known as Sport Prestige. With its equivalent 6-cylinder powertrain, we come to a grand total of $72,225.

MSRP (GV70 3.5TT Sport Prestige AWD): $70,095 | Options: $680 | Destination: $1,450 | Total: $72,225

Exterior Design

For years, BMW was known for making very evolutionary changes to their product designs, but that certainly hasn’t been the case recently. The new X3 has a bold design inspired by the latest BMW concept vehicles, and by reading your comments, we have seen it generate strong opinions. Meanwhile, the Genesis takes a more classic luxury approach, going for an elegant design theme. It also receives some updates for 2026, and while we won’t be scoring subjective things like design preference in this comparison, we will award points for lighting.

Here, they both have fully-LED projector headlights, neither have fog lamps or adaptive abilities, and only the X3 includes an illuminated grille at night.

Checking out the sides, the X3 gets larger after the redesign which makes it about 2 inches longer than the GV70. We will see later on if that makes a huge difference when it comes to interior and cargo space, but for now, know that they have nice-looking 20 and 21-inch alloy wheels in the BMW and Genesis, respectively.

Length: 185.6 in (GV70) | 187.2-in (X3)

Around back, just like the front, the X3 goes for a much bolder look and the Genesis favors a refined design. Outside of design, both have full-LED taillights, spoilers and exposed exhaust tips. The wipers are exposed on both as well, and if towing matters to you, the BMW has a whopping 32% advantage.

GV70: 3,500 lbs | X3: 4,850 lbs

Additional Features

Now heading on to some of the other features, both have heated, power-folding, auto-dimming mirrors with blind spot monitoring. Only Genesis includes the auto-dimming on both sides, and as far as other active safety features, they have you covered. They include all the advanced systems, plus highway assistants that can even change lanes for you. 

Past that, their warranties differ quite substantially. Genesis, to gain new customers, gives you the best luxury car warranty out there. It has significantly longer basic and powertrain warranties, but regardless, both include 3 years of complimentary maintenance.

BMW: Basic & Powertrain: 4yr/50k mi | Comp. Maintenance: 3yr/36k mi

Genesis: Basic: 5yr/60k mi | Powertrain: 10yr/100k mi | Comp. Maintenance: 3yr/36k mi

But we’re just warming up here, so now it’s time to head to the more important interiors!

Interior Design

Approaching the vehicles, both of course have smart entry systems and digital keys to enter as well. Their fobs are premium feeling and have remote start built in, plus the Genesis has additional buttons for the remote smart park system. By the way, BMW offers a system like that in the app, but it requires extra options.

To open the doors, just grab or pull up on the door handles. 

Once inside, besides the bold color difference between them, you will notice luxuriously appointed and tech-filled cabins.

That luxury starts with the seats which are wrapped in premium Nappa leather in the Genesis or a still-realistic-feeling faux-leather, called Vengaza, on the new X3.

They also have premium stitching details and, as expected, both seats are highly adjustable with thigh extension, bolster adjustment and even 4-way lumbar. They are also heated and ventilated with memory, but only the Genesis includes power thigh extension and even driver seat massage.

But now that we’ve climbed inside, we can discuss the major point category of cabin materials. The new X3 used to have a very high-quality cabin, but its new unconventional design trades traditional materials like wood or aluminum for lots of advanced lighting. Because of that, the Genesis pulls ahead with a full-leather door trim, leather across the dash, a suede headliner, and extensive use of carbon fiber trim. Simply put, it makes you feel more special inside which is important for luxury SUVs like these.

After startup, you’ll start to see that major tech I mentioned earlier. The new X3 moves to a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, and the Genesis utilizes part of its massive 27-inch OLED screen for the gauges. They’re both highly customizable, and while they also have large head-up displays, only the Genesis includes a blind spot camera system.

Coming back to the heated steering wheels, the X3 is showing off the newest BMW M design with a flat bottom. GV70 also has the brand’s latest flat-bottom design, but it’s the only one to include power-adjustment and a leather airbag cover.

Storage and Technology

Okay, so next up, let’s dig into the major area of interior storage. If you’ve watched our channel before, you probably know that we like to test out the center console volume by loading it up with stuffed donuts, since that’s our logo. The X3’s console does fit more donuts inside at 10, plus in the front area includes more space to stick things. The GV70 goes for more style than function, so the X3 will take the storage point.

Donuts:

• GV70: – donuts (25 MY had more space than 26 MY)
• X3: 10 donuts

To shift, you’ll use electronic setups in both, and when in reverse, both are equipped with 360-degree camera systems that have a 3D view.

Now let’s go ahead and listen to the audio systems, a Harmon Kardon in the BMW, and a new Bang and Olufsen system in the BMW. Let’s listen. 

GV70: 16-speaker Bang & Olufsen Premium audio

X3: 16-speaker Harmon Kardon Premium Audio

While they have the same speaker count, the Genesis has richer audio quality, plus metal speaker grilles.

Moving on to climate controls, the X3 has a dual-zone setup while the GV70 adds another zone for the rear occupants. The weirder thing worth mentioning, though, is that the X3 has touch-sensitive panels that control the air flow and toggles below the vents to point them. They are pretty hard to adjust without it being a distraction while driving, and the GV70 also includes physical temperature adjustment instead of doing it in the screen.

Alright, but now it’s finally time to talk about their main infotainment screens. The BMW’s come in at 14.9-inches and the Genesis is one single 27-inch display. The screen size dedicated to the infotainment is roughly the same size so we won’t award points for size, but we will award points for the quality difference. Genesis’ display uses OLED technology, so it is one of the crispest resolution screens on the market.

Features-wise, they have wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and built-in navigation systems.

Finally, the last things to mention up front are the auto-dimming mirrors with HomeLink, and the panoramic sunroofs. While they both have one, you’ll notice that the new X3’s is one single piece now, which means it cannot open like the GV70.

Rear Seats and Cargo

Now it’s time to head for the back seats. The first criteria is space, where they are very close on legroom and headroom measurements, so no points will be awarded. 

• GV70: Legroom: 37.2-inches | Headroom: 39.1-inches
• X3: Legroom: 36.3-inches | Headroom: 38.2-inches

Now on to luxury features, where we have climate vents on both and USB-C connections. Genesis further adds heated back seats, which are an extra option on the X3, a household outlet, and window sunshades.

Next, let’s check out the cargo areas. After using the hands-free power opening tailgates, you’ll find that the sleek design of the Genesis costs it space compared to the boxier BMW. X3 has an 8% advantage behind the second row of seats and a whopping 16% advantage in space with the seats folded down.

GV70: 28.9 cubic feet | Max: 56.9 cu.ft

X3: Seats in place: 31.5 cu.ft | Seats folded: 67.1 cu.ft

Features-wise, the BMW’s seats fold 40/20/40 split which allows you to haul long objects and still have 4 seats, but Genesis is the only one to include handles from the cargo area to fold the second row.

Both models have spare tires. 

But these are sporty luxury SUVs after all, so now it’s time to take them out on the road and see how they stack up there!

Powertrains

Now both BMW and Genesis have focused on power, performance, and good driving dynamics when it comes to these models. So, let’s start by discussing what’s under their hoods. Both are equipped with the upgraded 6-cylinder powertrains, which in the Genesis is a 3.5L Twin-Turbo V-6 making 375 horsepower. While that sounds like a lot, the X3 M50 outdoes it by a significant margin, making about 20 more horsepower, at 393, and 40 lb. ft. more torque. All told, it can get the X3 to 60 MPH a full second quicker than the GV70, which is something that can be felt on the road.

• GV70 3.5TT: 5L Twin-Turbo V-6: 375 hp | 391 lb.ft of torque | 0-60: 5.4s
• X3 M50: 3.0L Turbo I-6 w/ Mild Hybrid: 393 hp | 428 lb.ft  | 0-60: 4.4s

Both models have AWD and 8-speed automatic transmissions that are very smooth in normal driving. They can also shift more aggressively when in sport mode via the paddle shifters.

Test Drive and Fuel Economy

Let’s also talk about ride quality. There really is nothing bad to say about either model, as they are both quite comfortable even with large wheels on the outside. Additionally, since luxury SUVs need to be good at more than just ride, they have adaptive dampers. That allows them to change character in Sport modes and really tighten down the suspension for impressive handling. The ultimate driving machine holds the advantage here, but the gap has really narrowed with the 2026 GV70 upgrades.

We love the sounds of the 6-cylinders as you drive, but how quiet are the cabins once you get up to speed? Well, that’s why here at Car Confections we test all the cars at 55MPH to see how quiet they are. Unfortunately, both of these readings were taken out of state which makes it unofficial but here they are for your reference.

GV70: 55.5 dB @ 55 MPH (Texas)

X3 M50: 53.9 db @ 55 MPH (Ohio)

Finally, let’s discuss fuel economy. Here, they differ quite a bit, since the BMW has a mild hybrid system to significantly boost its efficiency. It comes in a whopping 6 MPG better combined than the comparatively thirsty Genesis. That’ll definitely add up as you own the vehicle.

GV70: 18/25/21 MPG

X3: 25/30/27 MPG

Reliability, Resale, and Value

In our reviews and comparisons, we are also adding in reliability and resale information to give you a better picture of the overall value beyond just the original MSRP. 

Beginning with reliability, we developed the Combined Reliability Index, which takes into account several studies from trustworthy sources, and combines them in a way that gives a more realistic picture. Both brands are slightly above average, the BMW 1 spot above, while Genesis is right at the industry average.

We also put Mason’s economics degree to work to develop a detailed Predicted Resale Value tool. After 5 years and 60,000 miles, they both are quite a bit below industry average, with the Genesis coming in with a resale value of 42.08% after 5 years and BMW at 41.19%.

Resale is obviously important because it determines how much money you get back, but we can’t forget about the price difference at the original purchase.  It’s not in many comparisons that the BMW is less expensive than the rival, but in this case, the GV70 is actually $1,400 more expensive.

I want to emphasize that if money, reliability or resale value matter less to you personally, feel free to disregard these points. And if you’d like to check out all our data about reliability and resale values, as well as learn about our methodology, make sure to head to www.carconfections.com/resale and www.carconfections.com/reliability. Buying a car is a big decision, and this is a great place to compare all the makes you might be cross-shopping.

2025 BMW X3 vs. 2026 Genesis Gv70 Winner!

So, there you have it; these two fought back and forth and each has advantages over the other. But, nevertheless, let’s discuss who should be “your” personal winner…

BMW X3: 

• Performance of powertrain (iconic B58, good fuel econ, faster 0-60 by 1s)
• Larger cargo capacity
• Storage solutions in cabin

Genesis GV70: 

• More luxury features (massage seats, heated rear seats, 3 zone climate)
• Luxury materials (Nappa leather vs. faux leather, suede headliner)
• Traditional feel (not as high tech, traditional luxury experience)

Now we want to know your opinions, so make sure to head to the comment section and let us know which one you would pick!

Thanks for joining us for another Car Confections Comparison! We’ll catch you next time as we sample the latest automotive delicacies!