BMW iX review: BMW's flagship electric car

(Pocket-lint) - BMW was up of the curve erstwhile it came to electrical cars, with the BMW i3 motorboat successful 2013 presenting a car that was substantially antithetic to others connected the road. That it inactive remains desirable - contempt being discontinued successful mid-2021 - is testament to what BMW achieved.

With the iX, it's similar a caller commencement for BMW. Despite dropping down the electrical curve compared to immoderate competitors, the Munich automotive institution is looking to musculus successful connected its German rivals, Mercedes, Audi, et al.

The BMW iX is possibly the astir important electric-only motorboat for Beemer, arsenic it's aimed squarely astatine the apical extremity of the segment. So tin it succeed?

Design and build

There's a carbonfibre cage successful the BMW iX, which you'll glimpse erstwhile you unfastened the doors. It's not often you spot untreated materials successful cars, but we emotion that cheeky reveal, a reminder that you're slipping into thing alternatively special.

The iX is simply a large departure from erstwhile BMW models and that adds to its appeal: it's a caller start, a implicit departure from the BMW X5 oregon BMW X7 models that it sits alongside successful presumption of size.

The exterior plan presents a large SUV - oregon SAV ("sports enactment vehicle") arsenic BMW puts it - and there's nary avoiding that the precocious redesigned signature grille volition pull its just stock of comments.

When we started to spot this size of grille connected conception models, we did question whether it would marque it done to a accumulation car. Yet present we are. That it's infilled, i.e., has nary accepted relation successful presumption of aerial intake, does rise the question of wherefore BMW wanted to marque specified a connection with it.

The rear 4th of the car is besides beauteous hefty, which you announcement erstwhile opening the rear. The footwear is deep, but the rear pillar is besides wide, which affects the proportionality of this car, truthful astatine immoderate angles it looks a small odd. We're besides not wholly sold connected the frameless windows, which tin rattle a small erstwhile closing the doors. We don't deliberation it's arsenic charismatic arsenic immoderate competitors astatine archetypal glance, but we can't hand-on-heart accidental it's an contented erstwhile you've experienced the interior.

What you bash person though, is size and space. This is simply a large car, a small longer than the BMW X5, but with that rear slope the footwear comes successful astatine 500 litres, including a divided parcel shelf. It's a large space, but not arsenic capacious oregon utile arsenic the X5.

There are immoderate absorbing exterior details connected the iX. The doorway handles invitation you to enactment your manus successful to find a fastener to popular them unfastened - truthful portion they aren't flush to the body, they are futuristic. No accepted propulsion grip merchandise to beryllium recovered here.

We besides similar the mode the bonnet aggressively wraps into that grille connected the beforehand and the optional Sky Lounge solid roof. This tin beryllium changed from wide to opaque with the property of a button, but it is simply a £3500 enactment successful the UK. Ker-ching.

It's each astir the interior

Where the BMW iX volition triumph astir of its points is with its interior. This is astir a implicit departure from emblematic BMW interior plan - and it's refreshing that erstwhile you beryllium successful the iX, it feels different.

That makes this car beauteous overmuch the polar other of the BMW iX3, which is fundamentally identical to the existing combustion model; the BMW iX is not, it's unsocial for the clip being.

We besides consciousness that gives it the vantage implicit the Audi e-tron oregon Mercedes EQC, which portion precise comfy and precocious quality, are conscionable similar different models from those companies. The BMW iX feels fresher and overmuch much futuristic arsenic a effect of a much melodramatic reworking.

The purpose with overmuch of this plan is to make a comfy and inviting interior, much similar a lounge than a bushed aged car. This comes unneurotic with a large feeling of spaciousness and plentifulness of genu abstraction for the rear seat - it truly is simply a comfy car whether up beforehand oregon successful the back.

It's absorbing too, taking vantage of being designed arsenic an electrical car, offering a level floor. The dash has been minimalised, the method partition you're often faced with successful a car is simplified, with beauteous overmuch each the buttons stripped away, portion the centre console is simpler, detached from the dash.

It still, critically, hangs onto the iDrive controller that's not excessively dissimilar to BMW's existent procreation of different cars, truthful it's instantly familiar.

Removing the cogwheel lever again reduces clutter, but clever usage of materials - alternatively than conscionable glossy achromatic integrative - tin marque this interactive country a small much standout. We're not afloat sold connected the mock jewels - particularly connected for the spot adjusters connected the doors - which conscionable feels a spot implicit the top, but each to their own.

There's a prime of Sport oregon M Sport trims, with interior choices (some astatine nary cost), but which request a small much information than successful astir cars.

Because the dash offers truthful overmuch abstraction to amusement disconnected the interior fabrics and colours you take (when galore accepted cars are conscionable swatches of achromatic soft-touch material), you mightiness privation to deliberation a small harder erstwhile choosing your interior here.

An improvement of the tech

Turning to the exertion and portion it's designed differently, with a curved show moving from down the steering instrumentality into the centre of the car, it's each acquainted if you're a BMW driver.

The 12.3-inch operator show conception isn't a extremist departure from the existing integer displays successful galore existent models, portion the 14.9-inch main show offers the latest Operating System 8 from BMW, an improvement of the enactment started by Operating System 7.

Importantly, enactment remains similar, though the implementation of Operating System 8 present invites you to interaction much than galore erstwhile models with much buttons. That's led to a much modern and graphical infotainment strategy - possibly a small analyzable successful places - but it's good supported by dependable power from BMW's precise susceptible system.

You'll person to get utilized to hitting the location fastener to assistance you navigate (there's 1 on-screen successful summation to the 1 adjacent to the iDrive dial). There are nonstop buttons for navigation, telephone, media and navigating backmost - arsenic determination person been for 10+ years successful BMW cars - and you past person the enactment to usage that clicky dial oregon alternatively interaction to get astir the system.

The item is the augmentation of the navigation direction. As you attack a junction, the show volition power to the camera view, showing you precisely wherever you person to crook with elephantine AR arrows. It works truly well, the lone downside being that your oculus is drawn to the show and distant from the road.

There is simply a head-up show (HUD) too, offering plentifulness much information, it's conscionable a shame that the affluent AR acquisition doesn't marque it into the HUD arsenic you tin opt for connected the Audi Q4 e-tron.

On the whole, the fluidity of Operating System 8 makes this a amended acquisition than antecedently and it's richer and much modern than immoderate rivals, but there's inactive rather a batch to larn your mode around. There's wireless enactment for Android Auto oregon Apple CarPlay too, if you'd alternatively usage those systems connected your phone.

The BMW iX offers 5G connectivity, there's an abundance of USB-C transportation points astir the cabin, including those for rear passengers.

One of the step-up options is for the Bowers & Wilkins Diamond Surround Sound System (standard connected the iX M60 model). This is simply a broad situation dependable strategy that offers a small much than conscionable speakers, arsenic it delves into thing called 4D bass.

Not lone bash you person a 1650W strategy coming from 30 speakers, but determination are speakers built into the headrests to springiness a much immersive situation dependable offering (which works truly well), arsenic good arsenic vibration "shakers" successful the beforehand seats.

Those optional shakers are designed to virtually springiness you bone-shaking bass. Having tested this option, we can't accidental it's for america - crook up the 4D bass acquisition excessively overmuch and it feels similar a atrocious lawsuit of indigestion churning done your intestines - but we cognize immoderate volition admit it.

Still, for those wanting to opt for the B&W strategy arsenic portion of the £5000 exertion package, it does connection phenomenal wide audio performance.

BMW iX battery, scope and performance

There are 3 models of the BMW iX which person an interaction connected what scope and show you get. The BMW iX xDrive40 (pictured present successful black) is the introduction point, the xDrive50 (pictured successful red) is the measurement up, and the M60 is the show enactment astatine the top-end.

• xDrive40: 71kWh (usable), 240kW motor, 150kW charging, 249-mile range
• xDrive50: 105.2kWh (usable), 370kW motor, 200kW charging, 373-mile range
• M60: 105.2kWh (usable), 455kW motor, 200kW charging, 357-mile range

There is rather a large terms quality betwixt these models, but arsenic you determination up the scope you get much options bundled in. All models are all-wheel thrust though.

The supra are BMW's figures for range, which we'll dive into versus our ain acquisition below, but the large happening to takeaway is that the xDrive50 gets a larger artillery and truthful longer scope - and that's a large portion of what you're paying for.

Comparatively, that makes the 50 look the astir attractive, but erstwhile you origin successful the price, you mightiness determine that the 40 offers everything you need. It's little powerful, but this is simply a car that feels similar a comfy cruiser alternatively than a sports car, and the prime of the xDrive40 is up determination with the others, truthful if 200-something miles fits your emblematic scope needs, you'll prevention a batch by choosing it.

The slower charging velocity is negligible for those utilizing it arsenic a regular operator and charging astatine home, wherever you'll much apt beryllium charging astatine 7kW, portion emblematic UK chargers are usually 50-150kW (at the clip of launch).

The iX M60 is new, truthful we haven't driven it, but the consciousness of the xDrive40 and xDrive50 connected the roadworthy is beauteous overmuch the same. Both are quiet, comfy and refined to drive. The xDrive50 volition connection faster off-the-line speed, too, but it's truly the scope that has the top appeal.

Turning to the show figures successful the existent satellite and the achievable averages from our trial drives, some cars came successful adjacent to 3.2 miles per kWh. That's not atrocious for an SUV of this size, and it would equate to a real-world scope of 227 miles for the xDrive40 oregon 336 miles for the xDrive50. These figures were from mixed municipality and motorway driving successful chill conditions.

The real-world scope volition cary depending connected however you drive, the conditions you're driving in, and however the car is loaded, truthful our figures volition alteration for each individual's differing circumstance.

Regeneration plays its part, and similar different electrical BMWs, there's a scope of options. The default is adaptive, which volition effort to tailor the regen effects to suit your driving, but switching into B mode volition prosecute much almighty regen, allowing one-pedal driving, which galore similar connected EVs.

Importantly, everything comes unneurotic truly nicely successful the BMW iX. It's a large car to beryllium in: the visibility is large (even amended with the precocious parking options to springiness you 360 camera views), it's quiescent (even for an electrical car) and it's a blast to drive.

Even that quirky signifier to the steering instrumentality doesn't detract from the experience, arsenic the steering remains refined. Besides, we rather similar having a level apical to remainder a manus on.

Writing by Chris Hall. Editing by Mike Lowe.