The F25 is the second generation of BMW X3. The vehicle was unveiled in 2010 at the 2010 Paris Motor Show.[24][25][26] For this generation, production moved from Magna Steyrin Austria to at BMW's United States plant in Greer, South Carolina.[27]Production started on 1 September 2010,[28] and ended in August 2017.

Dimensions-wise, the F25-based X3 is almost as large as the original E53 series X5.[30] At launch, all models use all-wheel drive, badged as xDrive. Transmission choices are a six-speed manual or eight-speed ZF 8HP automatic transmission. The emission standard for all engines was Euro 5, until the June 2014 LCI facelift when all diesels became Euro 6.[31] A rear-wheel drive only model called sDrive was added to the range in some markets in 2012.