BMW iX review

Not much has changed inside, and it didn’t need to. The iX has a fine interior, full of straight edges and diagonals and a real sense of openness.

Even the steering wheel. Which wasn’t a wheel pre-facelift. Nor comfortable to hold: because of how the rim was angled inwards at quarter-to-three, your elbows were naturally pushed into your sides. BMW has acknowledged this, it seems, because a regular, round wheel is now standard on M Sport trim. The M70 still has the hexagonal one, though.

Sweeping ahead of you is the huge two-parts-blended display. It stands proud of the dash on elegant metal brackets that should be holding up bookshelves in a modernist house.

The touchscreen is big enough that you can reasonably have several windows open to show both entertainment and map, or map and energy use. The instruments are configurable too, although without the option of the most legible design ever invented: circular dials. Still, the huge head-up display also imparts plenty of read-outs, so you'll never feel uninformed. It’s just finding the right bit of info that’ll challenge you.

The iX debuted a new operating system, which necessitated a bonfire of the switchgear. Much control has been ceded to the screen. Or voice, provided you don't feel silly talking to your car and being misunderstood one time in three. Things being what they are, the system is designed to accept regular over-the-air updates. The voice activation is better now than it was, but still imperfect. And until it’s bang-on, we can’t really see the point of using it.

Are there *any* buttons?

Fortunately the iDrive controller remains, even though it’ll be killed off in the Neue Klasse cars. Pity, because it’s a great way to do many tasks. It's made of clear glass now, yet it retains a top surface that's sensitive to you writing letters with your finger like an old PDA. An effective form of input, actually.

Cleverly, several of the remaining switches have three horizontal bars in their icon. With these, a long-press will summon a relevant menu on the screen. So press the map light button and it switches on as per. But long-press it and the full screen menu for interior lighting pops up: ambient light, dimmers, etc. Excellently there's also one of those for the driver-assist menu. Otherwise turning off the default-on lane-assist steering interference system (which is too hyperactive for normal single-carriageways) needs multiple jabs at the screen.

Phone connectivity and integration is superb. This was the first car where the phone's maps showed up in the driver's screen and the HUD. If the car gets low on charge, it triggers Apple Maps to give you a charging station. BMW has further refined this connectivity for this facelift, with improved functionality on the My BMW App. The route suggested by the navigation system can be customised to include charging stations.

Does it feel lounge-like inside?

We loved the iX when it first landed, and although the Curved Glass display has become more familiar as it’s appeared throughout the range, it’s still impressive. The iX has a minimalist anti-SUV vibe and actually feels more like an MPV from the driver’s seat – a legacy of the wide, sloping windscreen and not being able to see the bonnet, as much as the cabin design. We have no problem with that.

The materials are pretty wild. Some of the buttons are glass. The wood is modern open-pore with backlit switch icons shining through. The mid-life upgrade brings a newly revised M Sport trim that includes new, multi-function seats finished in an Alcantara/Sensatec blend. Natural leather is an option, though, even though BMW offers Veganza and other sustainable materials elsewhere in its range. Note the arrival of dark silver trim finishers inside rather than the previous copper accents.

There are some elements though – the leather-effect wrap on the doors, for instance – that aren’t befitting of a car costing as much as the xDrive60 does. And as much as we love real buttons on the steering wheel, visually it comes off as a bit… basic.

Will I fit a lanky family in it?

The iX is really roomy, with a flat floor and one of those multi-level central storage consoles common to EVs. Good, because the glovebox is tiny.

In the back, three fit abreast easily thanks to the flat floor, but anyone sat there will want the driver and front passenger to raise their seats for extra foot room. The flat bench is rather less convincing, as is the placement of the USB ports in the backs of the front seats.

The boot is generous, but not vast. 500 litres (or 1,750 with the seats dropped) is the same as the M3 Touring. Open the bonnet and you'll find no frunk. Or froot. Cables go under the boot floor. Which is almost hip height, so might be a challenge for old dogs.