Things move quickly in the world of EVs and BMW is moving faster than most. The German giant has already announced its new ‘Neuer Klasse’ electric cars, using a whole new batch of technologies that move the brand into a new era of EVs. First off the blocks will be a new SUV, the BMW iX3, and it’s specs look impressive, with a maximum range of 500 miles from a full charge.
However, it has a tough act to beat – the car I’ve been living with for the past few months and one of the best EVs currently on the market.
Four years after its original launch, BMW’s original high-tech flagship electric car has itself been given a thorough upgrade. The iX has always had controversial looks, but there’s never been any doubt about the quality of the engineering underneath. I’ve been living with an iX to see if BMW can combine that tech with the usability needed of a big SUV, but more importantly, the driver appeal that BMW has always been known for. I’ve been living with it day-to-day, using it for commuting into London, work trips around the country and even a family holiday to Devon.
My car is an iX xDrive45 – xDrive is BMW-speak for 4x4, and the 45 designates the entry-level battery, which has been boosted to 94.8kWh. The original iX xDrive40 was often criticised for a lack of range, but so far, the claim of 367 miles in this bigger-battery version seems to be pretty realistic given my usage, even in colder weather.
Other tweaks the latest iX got included a slight refresh to the car’s appearance, but out of the ‘go big or go home’ playbook, that oversized double-kidney grille has been highlighted – literally – with a thin strip of LED lights all the way around. BMW calls it the Iconic Glow Kidney Grille, and it costs an extra £500. You’ll have your view, but I like it – I’m a geek and love the look of these new LED lighting treatments we’re seeing more of these days. You’ll struggle to notice the changes to the bumpers, but you will notice the new LED driving lights in the main headlamp units that are the sign of things to come and similar to the BMW Neue Klasse models due over the coming years.
My car comes in M Sport trim and has an added black trim on the outside, smart 21in alloy wheels and sports seats with a diagonal ‘M’ stripe across them. I’ve always thought the interior of the iX was one of its strongest suits with a brilliant blend of quality, advanced style and usable tech.
Of course, this is a BMW, so there’s an increased focus on performance in these latest models, both in terms of outright speed – my car claims a 0 to 62mph time of 5.1 seconds and feels every bit as quick – while the chassis has been updated to cope with the extra performance the new 45 model brings.
I put the iX through the greatest test of all: family life. So as well as living with the iX day-to-day, I used it to commute into London and we went all over the country on business trips and even a family holiday down to Cornwall.
BMW iX xDrive45 M Sport
BMW iX – final report
Let’s put the BMW iX into context first: after three months and a few thousands of miles, there are only two things to criticise about the iX and they may not bother you at all. All cars get dirty, but some acknowledge the fact that you brush your trouser leg on the door sill when you’re getting in and out. They get around this by the door extending down over the sill so it – and your trouser leg – stays clean. The BMW doesn’t have that feature, so the sill is clean but my trouser leg is dirty.
Other than that, as you can see from the picture, Sky my Goldendoodle wasn’t too happy in the boot. For any normal-sized dog, they’d probably be very happy, but Sky says that the headroom for her is a bit poor!
That’s pretty much all I’ve got to moan about, which sums up the BMW iX perfectly - it is pretty close to perfect.
One of my goals was to discover whether a big all-electric SUV could still drive like a BMW; could it still be the ultimate driving machine? The answer is a resounding yes. Whether it’s the snappy acceleration, the excellent body control through corners, the nicely weighted steering (in fact, the nicely weighted everything) and even the Hans Zimmer-created EV noises, I’ve loved driving the iX.
The ride is on the firm side of comfortable, but nobody in the car ever complained, probably because the seats themselves are so supportive and adjustable. The fronts are heated and ventilated and offered a massage to soothe my back on longer journeys, while there were no complaints from anyone (other than the dog in the boot) about rear space. The quality inside is everything you’d expect from BMW, too, while the view out through the deep front windscreen was also something I appreciated.
Given the car’s size and weight – and the fact that I spent so much of my time in the iX on the motorway – my overall three-month efficiency figure of 3.3 miles per kWh is pretty impressive. And yes, I did see close to the 367 mile claimed range when I kept off the motorway a bit more and the car’s one-pedal driving upped the efficiency in stop/start traffic. That was another thing I really liked, as well as the fact that when the car stopped it went into Auto Hold mode, allowing me to take my feet off the pedals.
And taking my feet off the pedals was something I did most of the time on longer journeys, where the car’s adaptive cruise control worked brilliantly and was easy to trust. You set the speed, the car monitors any changes to the limit and adjusts automatically, and it stays comfortably in the middle of the lane and will even overtake for you when you indicate and the car deems it’s safe to change lanes. Of course, the law says you have to be ready to take control at a moment’s notice, but the iX was way better in autonomously driving in a more natural and trustworthy fashion.
As a geek and audio fan, I loved the voice control, the self-parking, the fact that BMW’s AI Assistant recommended things to me like lowering the window when I leave my driveway (something I always do) and the excellent Harman Kardon audio system.
More than anything, though, there are things that BMW just does right. All the controls, whether on the steering wheel, indicator or wiper stalks, or the buttons and circular iDrive controller on the centre console, they all just feel right and beautifully engineered. And the car was always quiet without any hint of a rattle or any other erroneous noise. If BMW-owned Rolls Royce are going to make an EV, then the iX would be where they should start - and they wouldn’t have to do much work.
So, yes – I was hugely impressed by the iX. My car, in its smart Dune Grey paintwork, is going to be quite something for whoever picks it up from a BMW dealer’ used car forecourt.
The big question though, is whether the new iX3 is going to be able to better the iX. If it can, it will be something truly special – and I can’t wait to find out.
BMW iX – third report
What’s your definition of luxury? For me it’s surprise and delight things, whether that’s a level of service that goes above and beyond, or some unexpected technology that’s really useful and makes you feel special.
I had expected my iX to be packed with tech and be great to drive, but I hadn’t expected it to feel so luxurious, with clever features that I hadn’t experienced before but I really love and make the car so easy to live with – it’s like having a butler on board to look after you.
I remember first experiencing a heated steering wheel. It’s now commonplace, but at this time of year when the weather takes a turn towards winter, keeping your hands toasty on the wheel is something I never thought I’d want! Of course, the iX has a heated steering wheel and heated seats, but it also has heated armrests – something I hadn’t encountered before.
Heated armrests are the sort of feature that nobody really needs, but when you have them they’re great. It’s also something I wasn’t expecting – but when the heated seats are activated, the armrests on the storage box between the front seats and on the doors get warmed up for you. And it all happens without me asking – now that’s luxury.
While I’ve used the BMW app to pre-cool the iX over the summer months, I can also warm it up on colder mornings, which not only de-mists the car, but if the temperature is low enough, the heated seats, armrests and steering wheel come on automatically. Lovely!
A recent discussion about autonomous driving tech on a podcast also highlighted luxury. Imagine having your own chauffeur – now that really would be luxurious. The iX isn’t quite at that level of autonomy, but I use the adaptive cruise control pretty much every time I’m on a long journey on motorways or even in stop/start traffic when driving into London. There’s no fun to be had sitting in a lane on a motorway, so I might as well let the car do as much of the work as possible – it’ll even do the lane changing if it’s safe and I signal to overtake. Of course, I’m still in charge, but – like those heated arm rests – it just makes a journey feel more relaxing, and luxurious.
That’s not to say I don’t get to enjoy the iX’s BMW-ness. It’s a great car to drive with excellent performance, grip, body control and steering – exactly what you’d expect from a BMW. In fact, on a recent journey my daughter remarked on how much I seemed to like the iX because I was smiling when driving it.
In fact, it’s a car that’s hard to fault – it still seems to be reasonably efficient with a range of well over 300 miles even on colder days. It does get my trousers dirty, though. Maybe I should wash it more often, but the exposed sills get cleaned by my trouser leg as I get out of the car – some cars have doors that cover the sills up for that exact reason, but not the iX.
That’s a small price to pay for what living with the iX has proven to me – it’s the best luxury SUV you can buy right now, electric or not.
BMW iX – second report
As far as a family summer holiday for the Fowlers is concerned, this year’s was just a long weekend to Budleigh Salterton in Devon with my iX playing a starring role. The 175 mile journey – in theory – meant I could drive there and back on a single charge, but I’d checked ahead and Budleigh Salterton was home to four 60kW Wenea chargers just a short walk from our Airbnb.
I probably wouldn’t have needed a top up if it wasn’t for an unscheduled visit to an emergency vet 15 miles away in Exeter (don’t worry, Sky the Goldendoodle was fine). But when I did charge, I just left the car for an hour and was back up to 90 per cent, but at a cost of £42.76 – 69p per kWh – it wasn’t cheap.
That proves why it’s only worth putting in as much charge as you think you might need when you’re out and about when I can top up at home for 7p per kWh.
The drive down to Devon over a bank holiday weekend wasn’t great, but the iX was. The stop/start traffic actually played to the EV’s strengths with the constant slowing giving the brakes a chance to add some energy back into the battery. So far my average efficiency of 3.5 miles/kWh, according to the car’s app, is impressive for such a large car.
The traffic also meant I made good use of the BMW’s adaptive cruise system. I just sat there holding the steering wheel ready to take over if needed, but rarely did. As I always tell anyone who’ll listen, for the most mundane parts of a journey adaptive cruise is perfect, making it much more relaxing. And the BMW will also use a combination of its on-board maps and cameras to spot changes to speed limits and slow you down as you enter a restricted area. And I have to admit that driving an EV is so relaxing that I tend to just stick to the speed limits anyway these days. It’s turned me into a much more chilled driver, while I also see the benefit of greater efficiency by sticking to the limits.
I’ve also mentioned the BMW’s warning chime if you stray over the speed limit, but I’ve even come to accept the benefit of that. Ultimately, I don’t want points on my license and a fine, and the BMW’s chime (notice how I say chime rather than beep) is gentle enough to not become annoying.
Once I was down on the Devonshire roads – which seem to be in much better nick than other counties’ roads – the adaptive cruise was off and I could enjoy the swift acceleration, accurate steering and minimal body roll that are trademarks of a BMW. The iX may still be a big, heavy SUV, but it drives better than most and, yes, for an SUV it still lives up to BMW’s ‘Ultimate Driving Machine’ mantra.
The iX also does a good job of all the family stuff it needed to do on our trip. The dogs were packed off in our Skoda Yeti, so had three people and a load of luggage on board – and with two thirds of the rear seats folded flat, five sets of luggage, a dog crate and a load of shopping all fitted with ease. Then when I had my surprise trip to Exeter, Sky enjoyed the boot as much as a poorly dog could, and I still managed to persuade her to jump into the back – the low, flat loading sill is quite handy.
The journey home was completely painless, apart from the weather, with more use of adaptive cruise control and more enjoyment of the standard Harman Kardon sound system as there were only two of us on board for that journey. Given the amount of time spent on the motorway where EVs are least efficient, my current average efficiency is seriously good.
And jumping in and out of the BMW from other EVs also reminds me just how special the interior of the iX is. I love the deep front window, the minimalist interior, and the iDrive controls that are just where I rest my left arm – not everything is via the touchscreen.
In fact, the iX is proving pretty hard to fault so far. It drives brilliantly, has some fantastic tech on board, is impressively efficient and is as posh as you’d want it to be.
With the holidays drawing to a close, it’s back to more mundane work for the car, though. And more motorway work with two trips to the midlands in the coming weeks to drive other EVs. More on all that in my next update.
BMW iX – first report
It hasn’t taken long for me to really get into the groove of running a BMW iX. In fact, it has very quickly become something that I really look forward to driving – even on the early morning station run to drop my son off. I guess that’s exactly what BMW is aiming for, and it’s worked. It’s just an easy car to get into, simple to drive and enjoyable even on the most mundane trip.
One thing I particularly like in the iX – and it’s something I like about Teslas, too – is the deep front windscreen. The dashboard is set low with the lovely, curved widescreen display sitting proudly on top (there’s a clear head-up display on the windscreen, too), but the view forwards is good, as is the view backwards. And my family is happy in the back with the flat floor and view out of the show-stopping Sky Lounge Panoramic Glass Sunroof (an expensive option at £3,200). The sunroof offers great views and cleverly goes from clear to opaque at the touch of a button.
One thing we’ve all noticed is that the ride is a bit firmer than in previous iXs that we’ve been in. There have been some upgrades to the suspension in the latest version, but it’s just given the ride a slightly harder edge – although nobody would say it's really uncomfortable. And despite having been in iXs before, the electronic door openers always flummox people – you press a button on the door handle to unlock the doors, which then tend to shut with a slight shimmy as they do without frames for the glass. That’s about the only question I’d raise on the quality. Otherwise, the cabin is as plush, smart and well-made as you’d hope at this price.
Among all the tech that comes either as standard or as part of the aptly-named Technology Pack (another extra at £3,250), there’s one really handy feature.
One thing that many people seem to loathe about modern cars is the obligatory warning chime you get if you stray just one or two mph over the speed limit. It’s an EU directive that every car has these days, but BMW obviously knows it’s something customers don’t like. So, BMW has listened. By doing a long press on the ‘Set’ button on the steering wheel that you use for the adaptive cruise control, it instantly turns the speed limit warning off. Thanks, BMW – that’s really impressive. What’s not so good is that the EU insists it's switched back on again automatically every time you turn the car on.
BMW always impresses me with the usability of its tech, too – whether it’s the AI assistant that detects that I lower my window every time I leave my driveway and offers to do it automatically, or the rotary iDrive controller surrounded by useful fast keys that mean you don’t have to use the touchscreen if you don’t want to. There’s ‘hey BMW’ voice control, which works well, too.
So, one week in, and life is good with the BMW iX. It’s proving to be an easy car to live with, and it is living up to BMW’s ‘driver’s car’ tag. It’s quick, handles well, and it makes a great noise (which has been designed by Hollywood film score star Hans Zimmer). My family and I have many outings planned over the rest of the summer and beyond, and I’m now looking forward to them even more with the iX.
