Plug-In BMW iX Arrives With 500bhp And A 372-Mile Range
This is the new iX electric SUV, and even by BMW‘s standards, there’s quite a lot going on. We have a similar enormo-grille similar to the arrangement seen on the new 4-series, an abundance of creases, and some (optional) splashes of blue to remind you of this thing’s eco-credentials.
It’s another BMW with styling which will divide opinion, but we need to try and look past all that, as this is a hugely significant car. A production follow-up to the iNext concept, it’s referred to as the “dawn of a new era” for the firm, packing two electric motors and a 100kWh battery pack.
It’s a big step up in terms of power and range from its much smaller sibling, the dinky i3. You’re looking at over 500bhp, making for a 0-62mph time under five seconds (which should give you a clue as to how heavy it is), and a WLTP range of 372 miles (600kmh) or 300 if measured by EPA standards.
Once you’re out of power, 200kW charging capability means - with the right kind of charge station - the batteries can be juiced to 80 per cent from flat in 40 minutes. With an 11kW domestic wall box, it’ll take around 11 hours.
The iX is the first production vehicle to sit on BMW’s new scalable EV architecture, which consists of an aluminium spaceframe and a carbon fibre ‘cage’. The car is 5G capable and can process 20 times the data volume of anything Munich has made before.
While the exterior won’t be to everyone’s tastes, the interior should win more people over. It’s a minimalist space that takes full advantage of the new platform and powertrain (there’s no transmission tunnel bulging through the carpet), with some of the speakers neatly “integrated out of sight,” BMW says.
Behind the hexagonal steering wheel is a curved display unit housing the digital instrument cluster (12.3-inch) and infotainment screen (14.9-inch), which both run on BMW’s next-gen operating system. Even the panoramic roof is clever - it’s an ‘electrochromic’ panel which adjusts its tinting according to the brightness of the sun.
BMW is getting ahead of itself a little by revealing the iX now given that development is ongoing. It’ll be a year before it goes on sale, with the 100kWh version of the Audi E-Tron rival expected to cost around £100,000. Cheaper versions with smaller battery packs will inevitably follow.
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
Comments
exterior is awful, interior looks pretty nice ngl
Exterior could not be worse, the interior is not that much better, the screens are stuck on, the dash material choice is stupid and the “gear” selector is ugly
“It’s a big step up in terms of power and range from its much smaller, the dinky i3.”
its what?
Great range, 200kw charging and plenty of power. The essentials are all there.
Personally, i really love the interior and the exterior will probably grow on most people, too. I think this could be a great car.
If only BMW’s current designer didn’t have a sexual orientation towards big grilles..
I dont mind the grill I actually used to draw cars like that as a kiddo but I think the rest of the shape is super plumb and cumbersome looking. And yes BMW stole the design from me and probably somewhere in a box is a pencil drawing with exactly this grille and a bmw logo and probably just as plumb chassis.. Im not joking , i really drew this kind of design a decade ago.
I’m really excited for the i4. Especially if there will be a coupe version.
Ok. This is one of the best looking SUVs released lately. Finally it has some proper proportions.
The long grille really adds to the SUV look.
And i’m really glad they dropped the “coupe” body style.
This car looks amazing… from anywhere except the front.
This really looks a lot like the drawings of bmws i made as a kid in grade school. I probably drew exactly this car before. The proportions are terrible and even as a kid I knew my drawings werent as beautiful as my imagination. Why on earth would anyone just stick a stupid display inside a car interior like some designer forgot the whole speedometer and everything and just went “woops lets just stick a display in there all randomly”. Itll probably break after a few years or get stuck with endless updates or software issues. The last thing you want in a car is the samme issues any windows pc is plagued by or a screen that breaks after 2 years just like all the made to break products out there. Old cars like the e39 were built to last half a lifetime and i doubt this thing will even get past 10 years without being outdated expensive to repair junk. A lot of new cars are really not appealing at all. They come with more stupid gimmicks every time, manufacturers dont understand how important simplicity is in design and in engineering to make lasting appealing products. I want a car that doesnt have 10% of its worth as a yearly repair bill. Manufacturers seem to want cars that have 100% of their value as repair bills each year to maximize revenue. Either way if you like it or not is a personal taste, but screens in cars are terrible for objective reasons too: drivers will be more distracted with more needless options and gimmicks and will not look at the road plus displays emit a lot of light making it hard to see in the dark. Even my small phone display is hugely annoying as a blinding light source when driving with using the phone as my navigation. How do these stupid manufacturers not see this.?