11 months ago
88
Munich’s archetypal luxury car of the electrical epoch proved truthful awesome that those looks hardly adjacent substance immoderate more
Why we ran it: To spot if the BMW iX, the firm's 2nd dedicated electrical car, could unrecorded up to its range-topping billing
Month 7 - Month 6 - Month 5 - Month 4 - Month 3 - Month 2 - Month 1 - Specs
Life with a BMW iX: Month 7
Munich’s archetypal luxury car of the electrical epoch proved truthful awesome that those looks hardly adjacent substance immoderate more - 26 April 2023
Call it a abbreviated memory, naivety oregon astir apt conscionable familiarity from adjacent to 10,000 miles covered successful one, but connected speechmaking the aboriginal sum of the BMW iX again arsenic probe for this report, I had forgotten conscionable however overmuch the styling question had lingered implicit Munich's flagship electrical SUV.
Reflecting again now, I don't deliberation it's arsenic bad-looking arsenic it could person been (have you seen the caller BMW XM?), oregon arsenic atrocious arsenic immoderate (probably maine included) made out, and retired successful the existent satellite nobody ever seemed to comment.
So I volition politely say that it makes an interaction and wouldn't beryllium a deal-breaker and permission it astatine that. Besides, determination was truthful overmuch other to bask and acquisition with this astir absorbing and appealing of electrical cars.
The IX was BMW's archetypal bespoke EV successful a decade. It's precise antithetic to the i3, of course, being a ample SUV of the benignant of squashed-crossover benignant galore brands are converging connected astatine the moment, arsenic seen successful the Audi Q8 E-tron (née E-tron) Jaguar I-Pace and Mercedes-Benz EQC.
Yet the i3 and iX stock a communal ethos successful being built from the crushed up arsenic EVs alternatively than being ICE car conversions. The i3 reimagined an municipality car for the electrical era, and the iX shows however luxurious (and I deliberately utilized that connection alternatively than 'premium') an SUV tin beryllium by being electric.
For the IX was astir arsenic refined and comfy an SUV for mundane driving arsenic the Range Rover. Dynamically, that tells you overmuch of what you request to know. It had a creaseless ride, predictable handing and ultimate refinement. It was that bully astatine covering distances and giving its operator and passengers a calming and relaxing experience.
This car was the archetypal successful which I did large miles aft the pandemic; 5 figures connected an odo are seldom seen successful these pages nowadays fixed the reduced miles that we've been doing for the past fewer years. A near-200 chunk of those miles were from taking the one into Europe twice, wherever that comfortableness and refinement truly shone.
There are 3 versions of the iX offered: the smaller artillery (71kWh) xDrive 40, the larger artillery (105kWh) xDrive 50 and the much almighty M60 range-topper, which besides uses the bigger battery.
The xDrive50 is the undoubted iX saccharine spot, its other scope being a boon and the further powerfulness of the M60 not being needed (516bhp from 2 motors is capable already, convey you). The M Performance exemplary besides gets a sportier chassis tune that makes it little comfy and relaxing to thrust portion besides harming efficiency.
Range is inactive a ascendant taxable with EVs, but successful the iX it was truthful agelong that journeys required small other readying oregon preparation. It could propulsion northbound of 350 miles successful the summertime connected chiefly section journeys (for much regen) and ne'er beneath 220 astatine continental cruising speeds.
It wasn't guaranteed to scope its highest charging complaint of 195kW, but I ne'er waited longer than I needed to astatine a nationalist charger owed to it charging excessively slowly. Besides, similar galore iX owners, astir of my charging was done astatine home.
On dynamic show alone, the IX would person been worthy enough. But it did truthful galore different absorbing things to marque it basal retired arsenic not conscionable different SUV to capable a perceived spread successful a brand's line-up.
The interior plan and layout felt similar a measurement alteration for BMW, having pleasingly retained immoderate buttons for cardinal controls and not gone each digital. The worldly prime was excellent, and the attraction to item and prime of execution made it consciousness similar a precise peculiar car. Very comfy seats, too.
Some colleagues (chiefly Matt Prior and Matt Saunders) hated the Iconic Sounds function, a whirring Hans Zimmer creation that accompanied acceleration, but I enjoyed its novelty and applaud the archetypal thinking. And it could ever beryllium turned off.
I besides truly similar the dour car's colour - not a dour monochrome shade, but a luxurious maroon that looked adjacent amended with the golden trim. Good connected BMW for offering thing different. The bluish of the iX M60 we ran for a abbreviated play portion the xDrive50 was having immoderate bundle problems fixed (the 1 existent achromatic people against the car, though to beryllium just to BMW, they were sorted and didn't return) looked adjacent better.
I precocious drove the Q8 E-tron, and contempt its update, it inactive wasn't arsenic refined, comfy, efficient, rangy, luxurious oregon peculiar feeling arsenic the iX for akin money, which goes to amusement however overmuch BMW got right.
BMW's way grounds of luxury cars isn't stellar, with the 7 Series, but successful going electrical here, it seems to person recovered a caller path. If the archetypal luxury BMW from the EV epoch is this good, ideate what's to come.
Second Opinion
I truly enjoyed the iX. Size and a benignant of inhibiting grandeur usually clasp backmost my appreciation of truly big, heavy, luxurious SUVs, but I marque a full objection present connected grounds of comfort. It excels astatine each benignant (quietness, brushed ride, responsiveness and prime materials) and adds a plan modernity that moves it a mile up from the i4, whose compartment is overmuch similar immoderate different BMW’s. It’s a existent involvement successful the ground, this car. I deliberation of it arsenic BMW’s Range Rover.
Steve Cropley
Prices: List terms new £94,825 List terms now £102,755 Price arsenic tested £116,965
Options: Technology Plus Pack £5000, Comfort Plus Pack £3900, Sky Lounge Pack £3500, Interior Design Suite I Amido £3250, Visibility Pack £2000, Aventurine Red III metallic overgarment £1890, Clear and Bold Interior Application £1050, bi-colour Aero alloy wheels £1000, Titan Bronze exterior trim £550
Fuel depletion and range: Claimed scope 320 miles Battery capacity 111.5/105.2kWh (total/usable) Test average 2.9mpkWh Test best 3.9mpkWh Test worst 2.4mpkWh Real-world range 305 miles Max complaint weight 195kW
Tech highlights: 0-62mph 4.6sec Top speed 124mph Engine Two synchronous motors Max power 516bhp Max torque 564lb ft Transmission 1-spd simplification gear Boot capacity 500 litres Wheels 22in alloy Tyres 275/40 R22, Bridgestone Alenza Kerb weight 2585kg
Service and moving costs: Contract prosecute rate £1193 CO2 0g/km Service costs None Other costs None Electricity costs £1096.55 Running costs inc fuel £1095.55 Cost per mile 12 pence Faults Alarm sensor corroded, operator show fault
Love it:
Comfort and refinement I can’t deliberation of an EV I’d alternatively person for a large trip. A milestone for EVs’ quality to devour agelong journeys.
BMW App Clever tech allowed maine to spot the car successful situ wherever I had near it, utilizing augmented reality.
One-pedal driving Well-judged regen mounting allowed for existent one-pedal driving. A very easy car to drive, adjacent astir town.
Loathe it:
Tech woes Software glitches necessitated visits backmost to BMW. A occupation crossed astir EVs, it seems.
Worrying width I needed the assistance of each 1 of the iX’s sensors and cameras for low-speed manoeuvring.
Final mileage: 10,311
The iX's camera makes reversing a elemental task - 5 April
Manoeuvring the iX is made easier by a camera that gives a top-down presumption of the car. However, feathering the throttle to inch the car backwards is nary mean feat owed to its all-or-nothing approach, and 1 of the progressive information systems’ propensities to slam the brakes connected erstwhile it thinks you’re going to reverse into the wall. Our car needs to chill retired a bit.
Mileage: 10,343
Life with a BMW iX: Month 6
10,000 miles connected the clock... and fewer to go... - 22 March
Something has conscionable happened for the archetypal clip since Covid: 10,000 miles has appeared connected the odometer of my long-termer. Okay, 1000 oregon much were connected determination earlier it arrived, but I did astatine slightest that successful the M60 mentation I swapped into concisely past autumn. Life is genuinely backmost to normal, and the iX has mostly been an incredibly quiescent and comfy pleasance successful its clip here. Shame it’s going backmost soon.
Mileage: 10,008
It's not conscionable scope anxiousness our exertion has been subjected to... - 1 March
We’ve had scope anxiety, past we got charging anxiousness (‘will I really beryllium capable to find a charger?’) and present we person charging velocity anxiety, too. The acold upwind seems to person deed the iX’s quality to instrumentality a sustained DC complaint successful the wild: earlier it would max retired astatine 190kW, but its champion lately has been small much than 110kW, and typically it’s lone astir 70kW
Mileage: 9788
Life with a BMW iX: Month 5
An 800-mile continental travel throws caller airy connected the outgo of travelling by EV - 22 February
The iX has been backmost connected the continent, wherever I racked up conscionable implicit 800 miles successful 1 week heading each implicit Belgium connected Car of the Year judging duty. The travel allowed maine to retrace ample chunks of a way I took successful the aforesaid car backmost successful the summer, wherever a akin mileage resulted successful ‘fuel’ costs of astir fractional those I could person expected successful an equivalent X5 diesel. How things change.
My archetypal little complaint was free. The mediate of a Tuesday day successful aboriginal January is simply a alternatively bully clip to question connected the Eurotunnel. There’s a accelerated charger you tin usage for escaped portion you hold for your bid and I managed a precise speedy top-up.
My overnight halt was successful Bruges, wherever I planned to get backmost to 100% from the 15% I arrived with aft doing conscionable implicit 200 miles. (Range anxiousness is simply a non-issue successful the iX, adjacent successful colder upwind astatine motorway speeds.) In July, the aforesaid charger was 40 cents per kWh, yet conscionable six months aboriginal it was 75c per kWh. That was for an 11kW overnight charge, not the accelerated complaint you mightiness expect astatine that cost. It was this Allego web that I planned to usage for my overnight top-ups successful Belgium to support costs down and debar the high-speed motorway alternatives, but successful the extremity I spent implicit £100 connected these charges from my 3 nights successful the country.
Coming backmost from Brussels, I knew I’d request 1 halt to screen the 300-mile travel home. My program was the Eurotunnel terminal astatine Calais portion I waited for my train, wherever the Tesla chargers person been opened up for non-Tesla usage and immoderate caller non-Tesla accelerated chargers person been introduced since the summer. I plugged into a Tesla 1 arsenic I had the app already acceptable up and the caller non-Tesla chargers don’t yet instrumentality contactless payment, but little than 10 minutes aboriginal an mistake connection appeared connected the BMW saying the cablegram had go excessively blistery and it wouldn’t complaint immoderate more.
This was a caller 1 connected maine successful immoderate EV, and the mistake repeated itself connected different mates of chargers I tried, indicating a responsibility with the car alternatively than the chargers. So I caught the bid and charged successful the UK instead.
Including a afloat complaint from location earlier mounting off, the travel outgo maine adjacent to £200 successful electricity. The aforesaid mileage successful a 40mpg diesel would person been £155. Eek.
Love it
The car
What a fantastically refined and comfy mode successful which to question specified agelong distances.
Loathe it
Wild-west pricing
The sheer randomness and deficiency of visibility of EV charging costs is exasperating and undermining the EV cause
Mileage: 8988
Front seats of the iX aren't perfect for kids - 8 February
No complaints astir the comfortableness of the iX’s alternatively snazzy, diamond-stitched sports seats – unless you’re sub-5ft tall, that is. After calling shotgun, girl Niamh (13) discovered that the hard integrative situation for the faux ‘race harness’ spread is perfectly placed to clonk against her caput each clip the BMW’s mighty gait is deployed
Mileage: 8811
As acold arsenic premium electrical cars go, is this the champion successful show? - 1 February
The request for thing ample to ferry my wife, 2 teenagers, 2 dogs and a bumper harvest of Christmas gifts to my parents’ spot successful Somerset had maine knocking connected exertion Mark Tisshaw’s doorway to get thing roomy, and I was thrilled erstwhile helium chucked maine the keys to the BMW iX.
Despite their hefty terms tags, I’ve started seeing rather a fewer of these astir and was intrigued to observe if the quirky looks were a mode of livening up a mediocre car oregon a awesome of existent innovation.
It’s casual to person your caput turned by the gimmickry connected the iX, and there’s plentifulness of it: the rose-gold trim, the cut-glass controls, the door-release buttons (rendered beauteous pointless by the accepted latches concealed below, successful case they fail) and the assorted driving modes with their drama choral soundtracks (to beryllium fair, the kids loved those). But it doesn’t request each that, due to the fact that this is simply a profoundly talented car.
Best of all, it’s a ‘normal’ car – astatine slightest successful the discourse of ample luxury SUVs. Hugely spacious (particularly successful the rear), comfortable, accelerated and secure, it does everything that you would expect from much accepted rivals but with the convenience of an EV with a artillery battalion immense capable to springiness a real-world scope to occupation ICE alternatives.
When tally close down, it needs a lengthy charge. Even with my location charger moving astatine conscionable nether 7.5kWh, it was much than a 12-hour stint to get backmost to 100%. But erstwhile full, it devoured the four-and-a-half-hour, 150-mile congested thrust to the West Country with 40% to spare.
With nary nationalist chargers retired successful the sticks, we stuck it connected a three-pin trickle overnight, and that was capable to get america home.
That means adjacent successful a (very) acold snap, there’s 280-plus miles of range, or good into the 300s arsenic it warms up, making this a superior proposition for motorway miles.
Even better, get distant from the main roads, power to Sport mode and it shrugs disconnected a bully proportionality of its important value to consciousness amazingly agile connected agrarian routes, with breathtaking overtaking ability.
That palatial rear bench, combined with a precocious level and the monolithic tailgate, means a somewhat disappointing boot, and I’m not struck connected the fiddly two-piece screen either. But connected the positive side, it’s a precise applicable shape, the raised level makes it casual to load and the rear seats fold astatine the interaction of a button, revealing a immense load bay (enough for 29 tiny integrative nutrient crates and 3 ample ones, according to my real-world test).
It’s the astir susceptible and convincing EV I’ve driven yet – which I conjecture is what you would expect from a car costing successful excess of £100k. But possibly much enticing is what it promises for the future: successful a fewer years’ time, the exertion showcased by this car volition go universal, and that’s beauteous exciting.
Alistair Clements
Like it
A lukewarm welcome
It’s worthy reducing the scope for the superb spot heaters, beforehand and rear, which adjacent lukewarm the armrests to springiness your elbows a treat.
Loathe it
A acold front
I realise I’m acold from the archetypal to notation the iX’s challenging looks, but that faux grille gives it a look lone a parent could love.
Mileage: 6715
Life with a BMW iX: Month 4
Voice power continues to disappoint - 25 January
The iX’s infotainment tin beryllium controlled by touchscreen, a rotary controller oregon dependable control. I’ve yet to find a dependable power strategy I truly get connected with and I americium inactive searching for it here. You person to beryllium truthful precise with your command. Get it incorrect and successful the clip it takes for you to repetition yourself, you’d person been capable to bash it quicker utilizing the surface oregon controller anyway.
Mileage: 7001
Stages of heating aren't arsenic effectual arsenic they could beryllium - 11 January
Heated seats with antithetic levels of vigor (warm, hot, interior organ baker) aren’t caller but the iX has 3 stages of heating for the steering wheel. Its antithetic levels of warmth aren’t truthful casual to separate and it’s astir apt a diagnostic inactive champion served arsenic an on/off one, yet it’s an illustration of however tech-laden and feature-rich the iX is, whether the relation needed to beryllium added oregon not.
Mileage: 6724
Now our iX is yet fixed, we’re going to support a watchful oculus connected it. Here’s how... - 4 January
The iX xDrive50 is astatine past backmost with us. You volition callback that nary sooner was the alarm fixed than the driver’s show went dark. It turns retired determination was a responsibility successful the lighting circuit that caused a nonaccomplishment successful the screen. There was a spot of a hold successful getting the part, but it’s present sorted.
It’s bully to person it back. The iX M60 we ran successful its spot was akin successful galore ways, but wide I similar the xDrive50. The steering isn’t arsenic quick, the thrust isn’t arsenic steadfast and the other powerfulness isn’t missed; the much relaxed tune (while it’s inactive plentifulness speedy enough) amended suits the iX’s character. This car majors connected quiet, easy, relaxed advancement and is astatine its champion erstwhile geared up solely for this.
The iX besides has a fewer features that marque it an casual and relaxed car to unrecorded with adjacent erstwhile I’m not down the wheel, controlled via the My BMW telephone app. Apps to tally features of a car externally are thing new, yet the iX introduces thing I’ve not seen before. The Remote Cameras relation lets maine get unrecorded snapshots wrong and retired of wherever my car is parked. For the outside, it merges an representation from each the assorted cameras utilized by the operator immunodeficiency to make a 3D representation of the car successful its surroundings. I tin past scroll a afloat 360deg astir the car to cheque if it’s arsenic I’ve near it oregon if anyone has parked excessively close. I’ve utilized this respective times already.
For the inside, a rear-facing camera adjacent the rear-view reflector takes a azygous changeable of the cabin. This is simply a spot little utile time to day, but not erstwhile merged with the Remote Theft Recorder. When the alarm goes off, it alerts maine via the app and photographs the wrong of the car.
When the alarm archetypal went off, I utilized this to cheque if determination had been a break-in. Upon seeing nary enactment inside, I knew it indispensable person been a fault, but if the worst had happened, it would person been precise useful.
The app is besides useful for plentifulness of different features. Now the upwind has turned cold, I regularly usage the distant heating relation to defrost the iX. Not that I’m forgetful, but the quality to spot the car’s nonstop determination connected a representation is besides handy. The aforesaid goes for being capable to cheque that each the windows are up and the doors are locked, and the quality to support way of your charges (how long, however much, astatine what velocity etc).
Far from being gimmicky, the My BMW app truly enhances the iX ownership experience.
Love it
Colour and trim
I’m seeing much iXs astir but nary arsenic nicely specced arsenic ours.
Loathe it
Efficiency
Not unexpectedly, our mpkWh is taking a deed successful the wintertime weather. Yet the scope inactive stays supra 300 miles, truthful it’s lone a insignificant grumble.
Mileage: 6521
Life with a BMW iX: Month 3
More issues for BMW's flagship EV - 30 November
No connection yet connected the electrical responsibility that’s keeping our iX 50 disconnected the road, truthful we’re inactive successful the much potent M60. One happening they some person successful communal is simply a 500-litre boot, rising to 1750 litres with the seats folded flat. Which is what I did to assistance with a plot clear-out. You won’t spot galore M60s performing specified roles, but it’s much than susceptible of doing so, and I fitted successful much than I expected.
Mileage: 5887
Another responsibility for the EV – but astatine slightest we’ve had immoderate affirmative charging experiences - 23 November
Good news: I got our iX backmost aft its alarm was fixed. Bad news: it was backmost with BMW 24 hours aboriginal aft a caller responsibility was found.
The alarm responsibility was a unusual one. It turns retired the sensor for the interior alarm had go corroded aft conscionable 5500 miles. It’s mounted down the nearside rear instrumentality arch, and it seems h2o had got successful there, corroded it and past triggered the alarm repeatedly. Indeed, the technicians told maine that the alarm started going disconnected conscionable minutes aft I had dropped it disconnected determination arsenic it sat extracurricular the workshop.
That was each replaced, though, truthful I picked the car backmost up from BMW UK office successful Farnborough, but wrong a mates of miles of driving down the M3, the driver’s show crashed completely. Not lone did it crash, it ne'er came backmost connected again and inactive didn’t travel backmost connected aft I turned the car disconnected and again, exited and re-entered a fewer times oregon near the car for a fewer hours.
You tin hard reset the strategy by holding successful the measurement instrumentality connected the centre console for 30 seconds, but each that did was reset the infotainment. Although it looks similar 1 large surface and is seemingly mounted arsenic one, determination are really 2 displays, with the infotainment successful the mediate and the dial show successful your eyeline.
This clang took retired the head-up show also, meaning determination was nary speedo oregon indicated scope – important things. I had to usage the GPS speedo hidden successful the country of the Waze navigation app via Apple CarPlay.
So backmost location the iX went, wherever it was hooked up to BMW’s strategy for the responsibility to beryllium investigated. More, I hope, adjacent time. I stay for present successful different iX, the M60 mentation I had been getting to cognize portion the alarm responsibility was fixed.
I’ve been trying retired immoderate of the UK’s fast-charging web successful it, arsenic I’ve been often going farther afield recently, and helping retired my colleagues astatine What Car? arsenic portion of their yearly EV charging survey successful the process. Among the stops I’ve made are astatine the Gridserve Electric Forecourt successful Norwich, which for maine remains the blueprint for however a substance presumption of the aboriginal should operate.
The portion complaint of charging has crept up since my past visit, present lasting astatine 66p per kWh – treble what I wage to complaint astatine home. But you wage for the velocity and convenience (just plug successful and pat your recognition card), Gridserve’s 350kW chargers susceptible of hitting the iX’s 190kW charging complaint bounds and adding 65% artillery connected my sojourn determination successful small implicit fractional an hr for small implicit £40, portion I sat supra having a Costa.
A fewer days later, I was astatine different fast-charging tract but with a precise antithetic set-up. Readers with fantabulous memories volition callback that I vowed not to usage an Ionity charger again having been double-charged successful an Audi Q4 E-tron successful Belgium, yet it was a lawsuit of needs indispensable connected a travel to Gatwick airdrome precocious 1 evening erstwhile I knew it would beryllium squeaky-bum clip connected the instrumentality leg.
The Ionity hub astatine Cobham is wherever I went crawling backmost connected my acheronian and bedewed thrust down, and erstwhile I arrived, each six of the 350kW units were successful use. One rapidly became available, though, and I connected my car and started the complaint done the Ionity telephone app. The charging complaint ne'er truly got supra 120kW, yet I got the 68kWh I needed, paying 69p per kWh.
Unlike galore chargers, they weren’t tucked retired of the mode and were good lit, and I felt harmless and secure. The information they were engaged was a positive, actually, arsenic it reduced immoderate consciousness of being isolated and exposed. Charging operators truly indispensable see determination and lighting erstwhile installing chargers.
I had hoped for different complaint arsenic good from a Shell Recharge successful Bracknell, but erstwhile I got determination it wasn’t simply retired of bid but had been crashed into. Most bizarre but besides inconvenient, and capable to marque you deliberation doubly astir going determination to complaint adjacent time.
Love it
Public charging
Shell aside, I’ve had 2 truly affirmative caller experiences. Extra points to Gridserve.
Loathe it
Reliability
Problems and clip disconnected the roadworthy are mounting up, which isn’t bully successful immoderate car, fto unsocial a £100,000 one
Our iX is inactive MIA - 9 November
No update connected the alarm contented that’s keeping our xDrive50 disconnected the road, truthful we stay successful the M60. The 2 iX variants person plentifulness successful common, including that astir wondrous happening connected the coldest of mornings: heated armrests for the driver. A shame you can’t thrust flat-armed connected some sides similar successful a Land Rover, but it’s pleasing nonetheless.
Mileage: 5788
There’s nary origin for alarm, but an M60 is lasting successful for our xDrive50 - 2 November
No sooner had my caput deed the pillow, having stayed up a small aboriginal than I should, than I changeable up again, snapped retired of a doze by a car alarm successful the driveway soon earlier 1am. It was the BMW iX’s.
There was nary motion of anyone successful the driveway, and a cheque connected the BMW app lets you presumption an representation from wrong the car (a precise chill and clever spot of kit) astatine the clip the alarm was triggered. Nothing.
A fewer days later, I was by the seashore connected a agelong play and the alarm triggered again, astatine 6.30am. And erstwhile much 2 minutes later. Something was up, confirmed again erstwhile it went disconnected that day successful different location.
So backmost it went to BMW HQ, wherever it is presently being investigated. It’s not a responsibility they’ve experienced before, and I’ll person much quality erstwhile they get to the bottommost of it. In its spot has arrived the courtesy car- and-a-half you spot here, the iX M60.
The M60 is not a full-fat M car, much of an M Performance model. Yet it inactive has immoderate rather bonzer header numbers, the powerfulness expanding from a combined 516bhp successful the 50 to 611bhp successful the M60, successful portion owed to the M60 being fitted with an upgraded rear motor.
It gets a chassis makeover too, with higher damper rates, a stiffer rear anti-roll barroom and a much precise tune for the steering and aerial springs, arsenic good arsenic a bodykit and assorted bits of M trim wrong and out. Ours is finished successful a beauteous Blue Ridge Mountain metallic colour, which really makes this the astir agreeable-looking iX I’ve yet seen.
There doesn’t consciousness a night-and-day quality betwixt the brace connected the road. The M60 feels marginally quicker disconnected the line, and adjacent much truthful during ‘in-gear’ acceleration. This is 1 precise speedy car indeed, not that the 50 was crying retired for other pace. The thrust is simply a spot firmer and the responses are sharper, which harvester to marque the car consciousness much earthy flowing down a UK B-road astatine pace.
Efficiency takes a hit, showing astir 2.6mpkWh for a real-world scope beneath 300 miles, whereas we’re regularly seeing much than 350 miles connected a decent tally successful the 50. It besides comes successful a bully £17,000 much than the 50 M Sport, which is simply a batch to wage for adjacent much show connected apical of an already high-performance car.
It’s been bully to try, but I’ll beryllium blessed to spot the 50 back. For me, the iX is astir comfortableness and show alternatively than show and razor- crisp handling, truthful the M60 isn’t the absorption I’d person taken the iX in. Still, I’d instrumentality the colour and trim (and alarm) of this car with the chassis and drivetrain of the 50,and beryllium precise blessed indeed.
Love it
Iconic sounds
The Hans Zimmer soundtrack is boomier successful the M60, and it suits the car well.
Loathe it
Is it an M?
The M60 shows what M is up against with EVs. It’s quick, but hardly that sporty.
Mileage: 5788
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Life with a BMW iX: Month 2
After driving an Audi EV to Bruges, our antheral plots a longer travel successful a rangier BMW - 19 October
Earlier this year, an Audi Q4 E-tron Sportback was my transport for a abbreviated interruption successful Bruges, Belgium. The distances progressive weren’t massive, but I inactive started retired feeling somewhat anxious astir taking an electrical car connected a longer travel onto the Continent, with its chartless infrastructure.
In the end, determination was thing to interest about. I could complaint astatine the Channel Tunnel, en way astatine fast-charging stations, and astatine charging posts successful Bruges and erstwhile we dipped concisely into the Netherlands. If anything, I overcharged. There was nary jeopardy.
But each this got maine thinking: what astir going farther afield? Could the large European roadworthy travel beryllium achievable by EV? Cue the BMW iX and different travel down to the Channel Tunnel terminal astatine Folkestone successful aboriginal September to see.
From my location to Folkestone is 100 miles connected the nose, and we acceptable disconnected with 100% complaint and an indicated scope nudging 380 miles. The authoritative scope is 371 miles, but the displayed fig seems to beryllium based connected existent and caller performance: thrust connected the motorway and it volition drop; conversely, it volition creep up successful stop-start municipality driving.
Our mid-morning departure meant avoiding unreserved hr and a leisurely travel down to Kent’s southbound seashore pleasingly devoid of traffic.
There are 2 ways to complaint portion you hold for your train: utilizing 1 of the escaped accelerated chargers provided by the Channel Tunnel, oregon 1 of the twelve oregon truthful Tesla Superchargers that person precocious and conveniently been opened up to non-Tesla EV drivers.
I did a spot of some for user investigating purposes with the champion portion of an hr to termination earlier boarding, getting 18kWh from Tesla successful 20 minutes astatine a outgo of £10.54 and the remaining 13kWh from the escaped charger to get maine backmost up to 99%. Those 2 DC chargers were speedy to link and past to charge, truthful some were affirmative experiences.
The size of the iX’s battery and our near-capacity complaint meant nary much topping up would beryllium needed to screen the 170 miles down to Reims, our overnight stop, truthful the clip we took to replenish the artillery up of our boarding telephone for the bid proved to beryllium precise good spent indeed.
We arrived successful Reims astir 3 hours aft departing Calais, softly successful awe of however speedy and casual it is to marque advancement connected French toll motorways. I had intended to thrust a spot nether the 130kph (81mph) velocity bounds to effort to conserve battery, but past the intelligence maths kicked successful astir however overmuch earlier I would get and I adjusted the velocity of the adaptive cruise power accordingly.
The scope took a hit, but a 230-mile cruising scope astatine specified a velocity (so 2.2mpkWh efficiency, compared with the 3.5mpkWh-plus I typically get pootling around) didn’t look catastrophic. The iX is simply a large and dense tool, aft all, with a huge frontal area. If I had been paying the terms of diesel alternatively of electricity, it would person been a antithetic story... Chargers are not yet abundant successful Reims, truthful it’s the benignant of metropolis wherever immoderate anterior probe comes successful handy.
I had made plans A, Band C successful lawsuit I struggled to find an disposable charger oregon encountered immoderate unforeseen issues. Plan A came off, though: a charging station successful an off-street car parkland close adjacent our hotel. It outgo ¤5 (£4.40) to parkland for the champion portion of 24 hours, and the 78kWh AC complaint overnight outgo a tenable ¤22.10 (£19.45) to get america backmost to 100%.
Our adjacent halt and basal for the remainder of the week was different 80 miles southbound successful Troyes. After immoderate abbreviated time trips and section pottering, we needed different 71kWh of vigor to beryllium capable to acceptable disconnected with 100% connected the mode home. Troyes is simply a bigger metropolis than Reims and has galore much charging options, among them a charging station successful a escaped leisure centre car parkland conscionable a mates of minutes’ locomotion from the quiescent residential country wherever we stayed.
Again, it was casual capable to connect, though not arsenic casual arsenic it was connected my wallet: conscionable ¤12 (£10.55), which was little than 7p per kWh. The vigor terms situation had yet to scope this portion of the Troyes suburbs.
Now being capable to foretell the scope truthful precisely astatine astir 230 miles with my 130kph cruising velocity meant I could crippled a one-stop charging strategy connected the 355-mile instrumentality drive. The cleanable spot seemed to beryllium Saint-Quentin, conscionable implicit halfway to Calais – by which constituent I would beryllium apt to request a bath break, anyway, plus my 2nd java of the day. A Tesla Supercharger presumption is unfastened for each present too, and it charged the iX astatine adjacent to its 195kW maximum rate.
BMW and Tesla some person telephone apps that fto you cheque the charging complaint and artillery presumption successful existent time. The Tesla portion had added astir 5% earlier we had adjacent acceptable ft successful the ample buying centre extracurricular which it resided and treble that again successful the clip it took maine to execution the French connection 1 last clip erstwhile ordering a cappuccino.
I had worked retired that we needed to get to 85% to get america each the mode location and person immoderate complaint successful manus conscionable successful case, and it took nether 30 minutes to bash so. The accelerated complaint was the priciest yet, astatine ¤39.44 (£34.69) for 58kWh, but a terms I happily paid for the velocity and convenience.
My blistery cocoa consumed, it was connected to Calais, wherever we arrived successful bully clip and recovered the Channel Tunnel moving truthful good that we got connected an earlier train.
Back connected the different broadside and with conscionable implicit 100 miles left, acknowledgment to a tiny detour en route, my maths thankfully proved close and we arrived location with 8% charge, ne'er having experienced immoderate scope anxiety.
During the full trip, we never experienced immoderate charging anxiety, either. Sure, not each EV travel volition beryllium arsenic palmy arsenic this 1 oregon person arsenic galore chargers instantly disposable successful ‘plan A’ locations. But arsenic ever with electrical cars, prep successful beforehand and person a back-up program ready, and they truly tin conquer adjacent the longest journeys.
The full outgo of charging, including a 100% complaint (£23.10) astatine location beforehand, was £98.33, and ratio 2.48mpkWh. A BMW X5 covering the aforesaid 850 miles would outgo astir £188 successful diesel astatine 40mpg for comparison. That’s immoderate saving.
Just arsenic intriguing was the magnitude of clip we spent charging. One of the sticks utilized to bushed electrical cars is however you volition person to perpetually halt and complaint and adhd loads of clip to your journey. As this travel proved, that’s not true.
I could complaint successful the dormant clip waiting for my Channel Tunnel bid to permission Folkestone, past I could complaint overnight and then, connected my instrumentality to Calais, I would privation a 30-minute interruption successful a 250-mile, four- and-a-half-hour travel anyway, which is wherever accelerated charging comes in. Let’s telephone that a 10-minute refuel halt if you truly bash privation to get a determination connected successful a non-EV and you would prevention lone 20 minutes over the full 350-mile instrumentality leg.
A palmy trip, then, and astatine the bosom of it each was an electrical car that I’m appreciating much and much by the day. It was quiet, comfy and spacious – each indispensable qualities for specified a journey. I don’t ever callback feeling truthful caller aft specified agelong stints astatine the wheel, either. Further testament to the iX’s soothing powers.
As with each the champion trips, I returned location wanting more. Thankfully, a ample portion of what made the travel enjoyable is going obscurity soon.
Love it
Active cruise control
The iX has among the amended ones I’ve experienced, backing disconnected from occupation up successful plentifulness of clip and leaving its ft successful erstwhile needed.
Loathe it
Shades of grey
BMW’s grey cablegram blends into the paving adjacent to chargers, making it a travel hazard. I utilized my hi-vis overgarment to beryllium a bully national and item it.
Mileage: 5221
A abbreviated off-road stint showed the iX's people - 12 October
I took the iX down to the Goodwood Revival recently, wherever I was shown to a acheronian country of the car park, a postcode oregon 4 from the classics by the entrance. Despite maine arriving successful the Antichrist, they fto maine into the lawsuit astatine least, and the thrust implicit the Downs showed disconnected the iX’s astonishing grip and handling flair for the archetypal time. And it didn’t interruption down...
Mileage: 5013
The already-brilliant iDrive is importantly improved - 5 October
BMW’s iDrive strategy has agelong been a benchmark, and the eighth iteration introduced successful the iX is different leap forward. The graphics are wide and crisp, the menus casual to navigate and cardinal functions ever to hand. Plus, property the Nav fastener and, if your telephone is connected, you get taken to its sat-nav app alternatively than BMW’s system, which is simply a boon.
Mileage: 4612
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Life with a BMW iX: Month 1
EVs are each the same, eh? Clearly you’ve not tried this one, past - 28 September
One of the large concerns that car lovers similar america person astir electrical cars is however they tin beryllium given their ain distinctive personalities. Aren’t they each conscionable going to beryllium otherwise styled yet yet characterless achromatic goods erstwhile they stock communal electrical motors and artillery packs that don’t let for bespoke tuning successful the mode that a bully aged combustion motor does?
For a batch of aboriginal electrical cars, and adjacent plentifulness connected merchantability today, that mightiness beryllium true. Yet progressively present we’re seeing those that connection plentifulness of quality of their ain – thing the BMW iX takes adjacent further by creating a driving acquisition that doesn’t effort to mimic that of an ICE car successful immoderate way.
I touched connected the unique noise (or alternatively the Hans Zimmer- composed score) that it makes nether acceleration successful my opening report, and adjacent a fewer weeks in, the novelty of this hasn’t worn off.
It’s thing that passengers instantly prime up on, too, egging maine connected up gaffe roads oregon distant from postulation lights truthful they tin perceive it again. The champion statement of it truthful acold has been a examination to the sound that a sliding doorway to a sci-fi villain’s lair mightiness marque erstwhile opening oregon closing.
I’ve already taken the iX connected immoderate large journeys, including a late-summer excursion a bully fewer 100 miles into France (full study connected that adjacent month) and person recovered it to beryllium the astir comfortable, calming and relaxing car that I’ve driven successful caller memory.
There are nary quirks to it: it gets everything bang on, from the spot padding and positioning to conscionable however super-smooth and quiescent it is astatine speed, with a comfy thrust to boot. Electric cars are a refined taxon anyway, but it’s taken to the adjacent level by the iX.
I made the Range Rover examination past time, and that car has got to beryllium arsenic quiescent and refined arsenic it has ever been aft 5 decades of development. The iX is BMW’s first attempt astatine an electrical luxury SUV, and it’s this bully already. What a tantalising imaginable of conscionable however overmuch amended again electrical cars tin get successful this tract with a akin clip framework of development.
The information besides suggests that this is simply a car dispelling the ‘all electrical motors and batteries are the same’ story and showing conscionable what they tin bash for show and ratio with a decennary oregon much of improvement down them. The iX uses a brace of BMW’s fifth-generation motors, and I’ve been staggered by conscionable however businesslike it has been, adjacent with 516bhp connected tap.
I ran the Honda E metropolis car a mates of years backmost and would get adjacent to 4 miles per kWh connected a lukewarm time and 3 miles per kWh connected a acold one, and I’ve utilized that arsenic bully barometer since to relationship for journeys with higher mean speeds.
The iX gets adjacent to those figures contempt weighing astir fractional arsenic overmuch again and having astir 4 times the power, showing conscionable however businesslike BMW has made it without compromising connected performance.
The improvement of electrical cars continues apace, then, and the iX is astatine the forefront of it.
Love it
Colour scheme
I bash similar the burgundy and gold. It doesn’t lick the grille issue, but it surely looks smarter than immoderate iX specifications.
Loathe it
Beep beep
There are astir excessively galore cameras and sensors, peculiarly erstwhile I’m reversing into a space. It makes maine a spot jumpy.
Mileage: 3650
Our exertion is impressed by the iX's ratio - 14 September
I’ve been precise impressed with conscionable however businesslike the iX is. We’re inactive learning which mpkWh figures are bully (this being the EV equivalent of MPG), but thing beneath 3 isn’t large and thing supra 4 is excellent. The iX is averaging astir 3.5 – nary mean feat for thing that weighs 2510kg and testament to BMW’s semipermanent improvement of electrical motors and batteries.
Mileage: 3211
Welcoming the BMW iX to the fleet - 8 September 2022
The ocular connection and ensuing statement implicit the styling of the iX has somewhat overshadowed the countless different acold greater and much important statements that are being made by BMW’s caller flagship.
They include, among others, the sheer magnitude of exertion this car packs in, plentifulness of it breathtaking and genuinely innovative, and overmuch of it truthful chill that if Apple had launched it, we’d beryllium proceeding astir it for years.
Then there’s the positioning of the car, and however successfully BMW has managed to propulsion it off. The steadfast has agelong dabbled successful the luxury abstraction with the likes of the 7 Series, 8 Series and much lately the X7, but never with overt success. Yet the iX feels truthful quiet, refined, powerful, comfy and high-quality that you’d happily enactment 1 up against a Range Rover.
It whitethorn inactive lose, but it would not beryllium a foregone decision – and that’s thing against the standout luxury SUV of the past 50 years.
There are those, though, who volition ne'er get past the looks, successful peculiar that grille, and that’s fine. It’s not for my eyes, information beryllium told, but you tin get it blacked out, and successful definite colour and trim specifications it doesn’t basal retired arsenic overmuch arsenic immoderate of the photos suggest. It’s not conscionable immoderate aged grille, either: it houses galore of the car’s sensor and information cameras and is coated successful worldly that self-heals should it get chipped oregon scratched. That aside, let’s telephone it determination betwixt bold and divisive and get connected with enjoying the car’s different qualities, of which determination are many.
You could telephone the iX a distant successor to the i3. It is lone BMW’s 2nd dedicated afloat electrical car, arriving astatine the aforesaid clip arsenic that tiny EV icon sadly departs. Both are built astir ‘carbon cage’ halfway structures and person light, airy cabins afloat of absorbing and innovative materials, but fixed that the iX is 5 metres agelong and starts astatine adjacent to £80,000, the similarities soon end.
Three versions of the iX are offered. Bookending the scope are the xDrive40 with a 71kWh artillery bully for a claimed 257-mile range, and an M60 with a 105kWh artillery that’ll get you a claimed 348 miles betwixt charges. In the mediate is the xDrive50 we person here, which uses the bigger artillery from the M60 but gets an other 23 miles of scope arsenic it does without the other powerfulness and show of the top-end model.
The xDrive50 uses duplicate electrical motors for a combined 516bhp and all-wheel drive. That’s a batch of power but it’s needed for a car weighing much than 2 and a fractional tonnes – a fig that would beryllium higher were it not for that carbonfibre core. Put your ft down and you’ll beryllium nether nary illusions: this is nary mean big-range EV, if you hadn’t realised that already.
The iX is simply a car that’s determined to bash things otherwise and truly deviate from the interior combustion era. That archetypal of each manifests itself successful the spaceship-style sound it makes nether acceleration, a soundtrack created by nary different than movie composer Hans Zimmer (think Top Gun: Maverick, Gladiator and, er, Kung Fu Panda).
The measurement and strength of the dependable are each comparative to your usage of the close pedal. That shouldn’t beryllium a revelation due to the fact that that’s fundamentally however driving a combustion-engined car works, but cipher has yet done thing this antithetic and this successfully. It sounds similar doors opening successful a sci-fi film, and it’s bully fun. I’m gladsome BMW made it this way.
Before you thrust the iX, you volition already person marvelled astatine the cabin. It mixes high-quality materials that are casual connected the oculus and beauteous to interaction with exertion that’s undoubtedly in-your-face yet inactive sympathetically integrated. Better yet, it is besides for a ample portion controlled by immoderate existent buttons and a click wheel. Such communal consciousness volition ne'er drawback on...
There’s truthful overmuch to research successful the iX, and that’s earlier you get to the £22,140 of options our M Sport-trim test car is fitted with. The likes of the £3500 Sky Lounge Pack (next-level chill panoramic roof) and £5000 Technology Plus Pack (plenty of clever cameras here) are each things we’ll travel backmost to.
For now, I’ll doff my headdress to the beauteous £1890 Aventurine Red III and £550 Titan Bronze trim of our car, a beauteous operation that’s refreshingly not monochrome, and get settled into that oh-so comfy Sport Seat (part of the £3900 Comfort Plus Pack), from wherever you tin bask the astir soothing and calming of rides.
Refreshing is simply a connection I deliberation we’ll support coming backmost to. As a ground-up electrical car, nary assumptions person been made successful the mode it has been designed, engineered and created, and neither does it consciousness similar 1 of those electrical cars successful which an interior combustion motor has simply been swapped retired for immoderate electrical motors and a battery.
A antithetic attack has been taken crossed the board, and the effect is simply a car that already feels similar 1 that volition stay not lone a benchmark for however to attack the improvement of electrical cars but besides 1 with plentifulness of ‘firsts’ to which we’ll notation backmost to for years to come. Rarely has a long- word indebtedness felt similar specified an adventure.
Second Opinion
I liked the informality of the iX erstwhile we road-tested 1 earlier this year. You whitethorn not deliberation it’s beautiful, but there’s thing disarming astir the plan that adds quality and diffuses the stuffy grandiosity that tin pervade with large luxury cars. Spend immoderate clip with it and you’ll realise that this car is truly likeable, and it someway feels inclusive and informal. It’s besides truthful damned bully astatine being quiet, supple, relaxing mundane transport.
Matt Saunders
BMW iX xDrive50 M Sport specification
Specs: Price New £94,825 Price arsenic tested £116,965 Options Technology Plus Pack £5000, Comfort Plus Pack £3900, Sky Lounge Pack £3500, Interior Design Suite I Amido £3250, Visibility Pack £2000, Aventurine Red III metallic overgarment £1890, Clear and Bold Interior Application £1050, bi-colour Aero alloy wheels £1000, Titan Bronze exterior trim £550
Test Data: Engine Twin electrical motors Power 516bhp Torque 564lb ft Kerb weight 2585kg Top speed 124mph 0-62mph 4.6sec Claimed scope 320 miles Economy 3.4mpkWh Faults None Expenses None
English (US)