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Zero-emissions luxury SUV strikes out in bold, sophisticated style and with improved dynamics and range

Despite BMW having gone on to produce bigger, better-selling and longer-range EVs, there is still plenty of love for its first mass-produced one, the i3 – and no small amount of lament that Munich has largely moved away from the i3’s avant-garde construction.

Arguably the i3’s closest descendant in the current range is the BMW iX, which has just received a major model-year update.

Until the ‘Neue Klasse’ iX3 arrives, all other electric BMWs are twinned with a piston-powered version, sharing the same platform, body and packaging. The iX is the only stand-alone EV, which lets it go a little bit off-menu. Instead of just using steel and aluminium, it has a carbonfibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) passenger cell, and because the bonnet doesn’t have to house an engine, it can be shorter and leave more of the car’s considerable length for passengers.

That all sounds quite BMW i3, doesn’t it? With a bit of imagination, the iX looks like an i3 too, albeit a puffed-up one. Those looks caused a bit of a stir when the iX was launched in 2022, but its qualities as a luxury EV were beyond doubt. Three years later, BMW’s flagship has been updated with more range but largely unaltered styling. Can it still keep up?

We’ve run the numbers on the longest-range iX xDrive60, but this review also discusses the cheaper xDrive 45 and the high-performance M70.

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DESIGN & STYLING

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The iX, which has its own chassis codename of I20 (no relation to the small Hyundai), doesn’t share its structure with any other BMW. Instead it uses an aluminium spaceframe that supports an inner CFRP structure, and a body made out of a combination of aluminium, composite plastic and CFRP. Although it’s different from the CLAR platform of other BMWs, it is very compatible, which lets BMW build the iX on the same production line in Dingolfing, Germany, as the 4 through 8 Series.

None of these high-tech lightweight materials stops this big SUV from being heavy, however. Our test car, which was optioned with the air suspension and four-wheel steering, tipped the scales at 2637kg, which is more than the Polestar 3 Dual Motor and, surprisingly, more than the pre-facelift iX xDrive50 we weighed (2593kg).

The facelifted iX swaps the quasi-triangular faux air intakes for more conventional air curtains. The ‘grille’, which hides various sensors, has a less intricate pattern.

A quick glance at the spec sheet would suggest this is a result of a bigger battery, but further investigation reveals this to be unlikely. The biggest news for the updated iX is indeed the increased range, but this is achieved by a few different means.

The entry-level iX xDrive45 does receive a substantially larger battery pack: usable capacity has grown by 23.8kWh to 94.8kWh, giving it a significant 110-mile boost in range (to 374 miles) over the old xDrive40. It also gains more powerful motors (every iX has dual motors and four-wheel drive), by 80bhp for a total of 402bhp.

The next step up is the xDrive60, which gains 3.9kWh of usable capacity over the old xDrive50. However, total capacity remains almost the same, at 111.8kWh. So, as well as the ‘advancements in battery cell technology’ that BMW claims, the safety buffer has been reduced slightly. In addition, the inverter and motors have been made more efficient, and the latter also get more power, for a total of 536bhp.

The range-topping iX M70 isn’t a full-blown M car but an M Performance offering. With a combined 650bhp (the same as the i7 M70 xDrive electric saloon), it’s also BMW’s most powerful electric SUV yet, delivering 40bhp more than the iX M60 xDrive that it replaces. It does have a much shorter range than the xDrive 60, at 366 miles.

INTERIOR

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The iX was the first to adopt the interior style that’s now common across most BMWs, with few buttons and a wide curved screen. We generally don’t find it an improvement over the last-generation cabins, because the dash can look quite sparse, the climate control is a stretch and the menu structures are quite convoluted.

The Operating System 8.5, as BMW calls the software, introduces some useful improvements over version 8.0, with more shortcuts and a more configurable home screen. Certain settings are still hard to find and take too many taps and swipes to access, though. BMW’s built-in navigation is generally excellent, even if the EV route planner takes a bit of setting up if you don’t want it to send you to unreliable charging networks.

The seat and steering wheel motor out of the way when you open the door. You can turn off this function for the seat, but not the wheel. It’s slow and unhelpful.

This high-tech concept car feel suits the airy, lounge-like iX better than, say, a 3 Series. Where the perceived quality in other recent BMWs has taken a turn for the worse, the iX still feels like the £100,000 car that our test subject is.

Although BMW still offers a couple of funky upholstery options with unusual fabrics and colours, our car had more conventional grey leather inside. It feels soft, smooth and high-quality, and covers almost every surface you might touch. Details like the fabric on the front of the door panels and the reasonably convincing metal-effect accents add some visual interest.

The first thing you notice when you climb aboard, however, are the seats. They are broad, soft and fairly high-set – not what you expect from a BMW, but then the iX isn’t a typical BMW. Again, it suits this car, and the seats are very comfortable indeed. The seats and steering column have a wide range of adjustment, although they’re not quite as sophisticated as BMW’s comfort seats from 10 years ago. It’s also annoying that you have to go into the touchscreen (via a physical shortcut button) to adjust the lumbar and lateral support.

As you would expect from a car this big, rear-seat space is very generous, and because the bench is set relatively high, you don’t have the knees-up seating position of many EVs. The boot is a good size, if not as big as in an X5, since the floor is quite high to clear the battery pack and the rear drive motor.

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

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For something that doesn’t have a performance badge, and is perhaps BMW’s waftiest car (we will get to that in a minute), the xDrive 60 doesn’t half get out of its own way. Despite gaining some weight compared with its predecessor and only 20bhp to offset the kilos, it reached 60mph 0.2sec faster than that car.

Braking – in the dry and especially in the wet – was less impressive, with our sixth stop from 70mph also taking a few metres longer than the first. The iX pulled up in a controlled fashion, but the Polestar 3 needed a notably shorter distance.

The iX is high, wide and (some cynics say) not so handsome but corners with grace and gusto. Its rolling refinement, despite those 22in alloys, is even more impressive

The calibration of the accelerator and brake feel is outstanding, however. Powerful EVs can suffer from slightly jumpy accelerator response, as 500bhp gets mapped on the same pedal arc that used to span only 200bhp, but not here. It’s as progressive as you would like, but if you mat the pedal, it still gives you full power even if you’re in the standard drive mode. The by-wire brake pedal also has just the right balance of squish and resistance for smooth limo-driver stops.

As with all BMWs, you can flick between D and B on the gear selector. B gives you proper one-pedal driving, whereas D can be configured on the screen to be adaptive or give you one of three regen strengths. They’re all progressive, but we just miss a freewheeling mode.

We’ve also tested the xDrive 45, albeit less extensively. While it is ostensibly the slowest iX in the range, it still isn’t slow. Acceleration drop off as speed builds is almost unnoteworthy, and it feels just as natural to drive.

RIDE & HANDLING

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BMW mentions retuned springs and dampers, and a new hydraulic rear-axle support bearing. Recent BMWs (and Minis) have been afflicted with needlessly rigid suspension, but thankfully the iX has been spared. The iX remains an exceptionally soothing car to drive. It just ticks all the boxes in that respect. We have already mentioned the soft yet supportive seats, and that feeling is matched by the suspension.

As standard, the xDrive 45 and 60 only have air springs on the rear for self-levelling – a set-up we have not had the chance to try yet. On the evidence of our test car, the optional two-axle air adaptive suspension is well worth it. It all but eliminates the pitching and head toss that’s common with tall EVs, without feeling wallowy or floaty. It gets the balance just right, and despite rolling on 22in rims, wheel control is good too, with none of the brittleness observed in a Range Rover or Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV.

The windscreen is laminated and has a coating that filters infrared and UV light. It looks brownish from the inside and blue from the outside, and works really well at keeping heat and light out – you don't need sunglasses as much as in other cars.

To top it off, this is a beautifully quiet car at a motorway cruise, although we suspect this is again helped by our test car’s optional equipment – in this case the acoustic glass (part of the £1650 Comfort Pack).

It’s doubly impressive, then, that the iX doesn’t seem to sacrifice any handling for this class-leading comfort. Sure, it can’t completely hide its weight, and even in the firmer suspension mode there are always some body movements when you push it hard through corners, but it never feels particularly cumbersome or imprecise.

The four-wheel steering (again, optional) is a model of how such systems should be tuned. At 2.5 turns lock to lock, the steering isn’t especially high-geared overall, feeling nicely calm around the dead-ahead, yet not requiring excessive arm-twirling to thread this behemoth around a tight car park. The oily-slick medium weight is very satisfying too.

The iX also behaves predictably, even when pushed to the limit on Horiba MIRA’s dry and wet handling tracks, with a clear sense that there’s more power going to the rear wheels than the front.

On the old xDrive 40, air suspension and four-wheel steering weren’t always available (equipment varied between model years), but for the xDrive 45, both are an option. When specced that way, the cheaper iX will ride and handle the same as the xDrive 60 that we’ve road tested.

For the updated M70, BMW’s M division has tuned the air springs, adaptive dampers and anti-roll bars, keeping the car’s considerable mass impressively in check and its engagement suitably high. The uniquely calibrated four-wheel drive system delivers a rear-biased feel, adding agility and playfulness that sets it apart from other iXs. No, it’s not an M4 CSL in terms of handling fluidity, but for a luxury electric SUV its dynamic ability is quite remarkable. Its ride is firmer but still relatively composed on anything less than badly broken bitumen, even on the standard 22in wheels and 275/40-profile tyres.

MPG & RUNNING COSTS

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With a starting price of £75,405 for the xDrive45, and £93,205 for the xDrive60 (which also requires an upgrade to M Sport trim), the iX evidently isn’t cheap. However, the Audi Q6 E-tron Quattro and Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV 500 4Matic, which have similar performance and range to the 45, are no cheaper (quite to the contrary in the case of the Mercedes). The 60 far surpasses those rivals for range. That said, a Polestar 3 is in the same ballpark for range, and undercuts the BMW significantly.

Efficiency, in perfect conditions, was decent if unremarkable at 2.9mpkWh, giving a real-world range of 314 miles. DC rapid charging at up to 195kW was very good when the iX was launched, but is only middling today, with the car soon throttling back to 150kW. AC charging is up to 11kW as standard, or 22kW on three-phase if you have the optional Technology Pack.

The pre-facelift xDrive 40 was not really recommendable because it had only 250 WLTP miles of range. The updated xDrive 45 is much longer-legged and is rated for 374 miles, which is a really useful amount. Given its much lower price than the xDrive 60, the cheaper car would be our choice.

VERDICT

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The world of EVs moves fast, and mercilessly leaves the unwary behind. But despite only minor improvements compared with the original, the iX is still unsurpassed as a luxury electric SUV.

In xDrive 60 spec with all the toys you want, it breaks the £100,000 barrier, but decent efficiency and a huge battery give it more range than rivals. Since it’s had a big range boost and is available with all the same chassis tech, the cheaper xDrive 45 is a very good alternative too.

Fundamentally, the iX’s blend of comfort, intuitive controls, engaging handling and a convincing luxury cabin still make this big BMW a deeply impressive and enjoyable all-rounder.

BMW iX FAQs

Is the BMW iX available as a plug-in hybrid or electric?

The BMW iX is a bespoke electric, and doesn't offer the option of a piston engine.

What are the main rivals for the BMW iX?

The Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV, Polestar 3, Audi Q6 E-Tron and Porsche Macan Electric.

How much power does the BMW iX have?

402bhp, 536bhp or 650bhp, depending on the version.

What choices of gearbox are there for the BMW iX?

Like almost all electric cars, the BMW iX doesn’t need a conventional multi-ratio gearbox. With their instant torque and ability to spin to tens of thousands of revs, electric motors can cope with just a single gear, which is what the BMW has. 

Where is the BMW iX built?

The BMW iX is built at the brand’s Dingolfing plant in Germany, alongside various 4 Series, 5 Series, 7 Series and 8 Series models. The facility also makes the batteries and motor modules for the iX and i4, plus it presses the body panels for all Rolls Royce cars. The factory can trace its roots back to 1905, when it was owned by the now defunct Hans Glas brand, which BMW bought in 1967. The first 5 Series rolled off the line in 1973, since when 10 million BMW’s have been built there.

How many generations of BMW iX have there been?

All-new from the ground-up in 2021, the BMW iX is the first model of its kind from the brand, so there are no predecessors. 

Illya Verpraet

Illya Verpraet Road Tester Autocar
Title: Road Tester

As a road tester, Illya drives everything from superminis to supercars, and writes reviews and comparison tests, while also managing the magazine’s Drives section. Much of his time is spent wrangling the data logger and wielding the tape measure to gather the data for Autocar’s in-depth instrumented road tests.

He loves cars that are fun and usable on the road – whether piston-powered or electric – or just cars that are very fit for purpose. When not in test cars, he drives an R53-generation Mini Cooper S.