BMW iX review

Three years on, it’s fair to say that the controversy/abject horror that attended the arrival of BMW’s star electric car – the machine that represented the dawning of a radical new era in Munich – has dissipated. It’s a sales success in most territories, and the iX has become a familiar sight on UK roads. Now we get a mid-life upgrade, which offers a judicious visual overhaul and a number of important tech enhancements.

BMW’s electric evolution continues to gather momentum and the first of the so-called Neue Klasse cars arrives later this year. That’ll vault things dramatically forward once again. But the iX’s emphasis on technology, the lounge-like vibes inside, and distinctly EV character set the trajectory. Now there’s a power uplift, a bigger battery for additional range, and some aesthetic ‘finessing’.

What changes does the facelift bring?

Well, the iX is still very much its own thing, and not trying to be a sports-SUV. Effective car design usually takes time to settle, and if you like something immediately, chances are you’ll be bored of it within a few years. Fair to say, however, that the iX still manages a degree of WTF?-ness, even now.

But this facelift is pretty astute. The most egregious element – the outsized kidney grille – gets new vertical and horizontal framing, and the LED headlights fresh diagonal elements. A larger proportion of the front and rear aprons is now finished in body colour, which helps calm things down. Mind you, there’s also the option of the Iconic Glow illumination for the grille surround which blings things right up again. It’s standard on the M70 version. We’re not fans.

In M Sport guise, things are more sculpted at the front and the diffuser is finished in high gloss black. The M Sport Pro package adds a darkened shadow line for the head- and tail-lights. That’s also standard on the M70, and it’s the best-looking/least offensive, depending on your personal perspective. Note also that seven new colours are available, and four new alloy wheel designs. BMW is good at both.

Any changes to the interior?

The iX’s exterior design may have sent the internet into apoplexy, but its interior was and remains a masterclass. As distinctive as the i3's cabin – which we still love all these years later – the intention was to create a lounge ambience. Job done. Its Curved Glass display set the standard and has been rolled out across the BMW model range since debuting in this.

Unusual materials include matte wood with lit graphics showing through, an optional denim-like recycled fabric, a glass iDrive knob. Straight lines and diagonals dominate. OK, your sitting room might not actually be much like this. But your sitting room is surely not at all like the cabin of an X5.

What goes on underneath?

The flat floor, long wheelbase and width all boost the space. Which makes it bulky on the outside too. Like the i3 and i8, this is a wholly bespoke structure. The cabin sits in a three-dimensional box-frame of carbonfibre. There's a lot of aluminium too. None of this is shared with the X5. But the motors, battery design, and the high-voltage electronics are modular versions of what's used in the iX3 and i4. Those electric-drive parts are unglamorous, hidden and most of us don't know how they work. But they're critical to how efficiently an EV runs, how smoothly it drives and how fast it recharges.

The upgrades bring new cell chemistry that results in 30 per cent more usable energy content, according to BMW. The battery pre-conditioning has been reworked so that the iX can reach peak charging speeds more quickly. And there’s a new heat pump, too, to boost efficiency. New inverter tech is said to reduce losses during the energy transition from battery to motors.

Tell me about the revised model line-up.

There were three versions before and there are three revised ones now. The xDrive40 and xDrive50 have been succeeded by the xDrive45 and 60, and the previous M60 becomes an even spicier M70.

Now, as Q used to say to 007, please pay attention. The entry-level iX xDrive45 has a new 94.8kWh battery and is up 80bhp to 402bhp and 516lb ft overall. BMW claims a range of 374 miles in that form and 2.97 mi/kWh. You can have it in Sport or M Sport trim, priced from £74,700. It’ll do 62mph in 5.1 seconds, so it’s a second faster than the old xDrive40.

The iX xDrive60 starts at £92,200 and runs a new 109.1kWh battery with 536bhp, 564lb ft and the eye-catching claimed range of 426 miles. It’s available only in M Sport Trim, and will do 62mph in 4.6 seconds. Both these models are limited to a top speed of 124mph.

Top of the range is the iX xDrive M70, which can reach 155mph, has – gulp – 650bhp and a maximum of 811lb ft when Launch Control mode is activated. Its battery is slightly smaller, at 108.9kWh; its range is 366 miles. It gets M Sport trim and the M Sport Package as standard, a model-specific kidney grille, black exterior mirror caps and bespoke 22in M light alloy wheels. It costs from £113,300, which is a chunk less than the previous iX xDrive M60.

BMWs are supposed to be uncontroversially excellent to drive. How do the upgrades feel?

As good as ever without fully involving you in the process, as is the case in the best BMWs of yore. It’s a big car, though, and categorically not a Z4. We only had time to sample the M70 on a short route above Barcelona, and deeper findings on the whole range will come as soon as we drive them. The M70 has ballistic acceleration, but probably rather more than you need. The calibration of all the controls is intuitive, so it's very satisfying at a less banzai pace. The steering is accurate, the acceleration smooth and prompt – to say the least – and it manages its considerable weight with aplomb.

It also has a Sport mode, as before, and BMW says that the chassis and suspension of each of the revised iX variants has been carefully tuned to match their respective power outputs. Even so, our original conclusion that this car is primarily about comfort, silence and relaxation still stands. We won’t know for sure until we drive the revised iX45 and 60, but we suspect the less powerful versions will continue to make a stronger case for themselves than the fast one.

What’s the sustainability story?

Well… the motors are the electrically excited synchronous type. One of the main advantages is they can keep kicking out big torque all the way to high revs, and they're efficient doing so.

Because they have no magnets, they don't use rare-earth metals, one of the earth's resources that EVs threaten to put into short supply. BMW is also careful to use little cobalt, and to source it traceably. Renewable energy is used to make the body's substantial carbon fibre frame, and to run the battery cell plants, and the iX assembly plant. There's also a lot of aluminium in the car, half of which is recycled.

The leather is sustainably tanned using olive leaves instead of some of the usual noxious chemicals. The carpet is partially recycled ocean plastic. One upholstery option is wool (so, non-vegan then) with recycled polyester. An independent audit by TUV shows its lifetime carbon footprint is 45 per cent less than an X5's. Hmm, maybe another enormo-SUV isn't the best point of comparison, guys.

The iX was conceived to be a showcase for BMW’s efforts in the fast-moving EV world – in terms of materials, aerodynamics and driver assist. Both BMW and its rivals have caught up in some respects, but the iX remains an impressive achievement nonetheless. The visual tweaks and new colours help allay lingering doubts about the iX’s divisive styling. It’s still some way short of pretty but at least it’s interesting, and will be regarded as an important staging post on BMW’s electric journey.

As before, BMW isn't selling the iX as a driver's champion. If you want a traditional BMW sports saloon that happens to be electric, the i4 is still your car (although don’t expect that to handle as engagingly as a 330e. And don’t expect that to drive as engagingly as an M3). The iX remains a big, comfy home-on-wheels, and a vast amount of technology has been poured into making sure the driver is soothed while the passengers kick back. It's pretty efficient for a full-size e-SUV, more than ever thanks to the latest raft of upgrades. And in the shape of the latest iX xDrive60, the claimed range has now headed past the psychologically significant 400-mile mark. It can recharge pretty rapidly too.