With the iX, BMW not only wants to raise the convenience of electric driving to a new level, the Munich carmaker has also set itself the goal of taking the top position when it comes to the environment and sustainability.
The difference to the i3, the small electric city runabout with its unique design and revolutionary carbon body, could hardly be bigger. Eight years later, BMW makes another statement for the electromobility of the future. But this time it's a five-meter-tall, two-and-a-half-ton SUV, the iX. It will be at the dealer in November and the entry-level version with the designation iX xDrive40 will start at 77.300 euros. The iX xDrive50, which is equipped with more power and a larger battery, costs an impressive 98.000 euros.
Start of the electric era
For years, BMW has often been accused of not getting off the ground when it comes to electromobility, even though the i3 was so good in the summer of 2013. But now the switch has been thrown for the future. The iX initiates them. “It is our“ technology flagship ”and was designed as a battery electric car right from the start,” says the product manager of the iX, Carina Gärtner. And because you wanted to bring electric drive, sportiness, range, space and travel comfort under one roof, this could not be another small city electric car like the i3.
The fact that large SUVs like the iX, even if they are electric, are not viewed completely uncritically in public - at least in Germany - is of course also known at the corporate headquarters in Munich. There are always discussions about the high energy and water consumption associated with battery production and the use of various raw materials, some of which are extracted under inhumane conditions. BMW has questioned all of this very specifically and is playing with open cards when it comes to sustainability: complete transparency of the supply chains, especially for cobalt and lithium, no dubious middlemen, production of the iX and battery cells with green electricity, electric motors without rare earths, high use of recycling -Materials in the vehicle, use of secondary aluminum, worldwide compliance with social standards, no raw materials from deep-sea mining, 90 percent less chrome on and in the car, use of upholstery materials made from nylon waste and old fishing nets.
A masterpiece
If BMW keeps all these promises, customers can actually start their iX with a green conscience. You can expect wonderful peace and quiet and outstanding driving characteristics. "The iX provides a completely new experience of sovereignty," says Johann Kistler, the project manager of the iX, "our decades of know-how have gone into this car." Electric motor, compact, light and extremely efficient. The WLTP consumption figures show how economical. For the current top model, the iX xDrive5 with a total output of 50 kW / 385 PS, BMW specifies 523 kWh / 19,8 km. It would be around 100 percent less than a Mercedes EQC, Audi e-tron or Tesla Model X, for example. The iX xDrive20, its two engines together produce 40 kW / 240 PS, consumes 326 kWh / 19,4 km. A significant part of the efficiency is due to the sophisticated aerodynamics. The drag coefficient is 100. For comparison: the X0,25 has 5.
In the interior, the iX lets its occupants immerse themselves in a new kind of BMW world, which the i3 already did. But now it is fully digital and is revealed in the cockpit via a large, curved display with a brilliant display and intuitive menu navigation. If you don't want to use touch, you can choose the simple voice control or the well-known iDrive controller. The favorite buttons have also survived. BMW has only transferred them to the digital world.
State-of-the-art welcome
In the iX, digitization even begins before you even get started. As soon as you approach the car, the car communicates with the driver's smartphone (or key) and a whole welcome ceremony begins. The exterior and interior light are switched on, the doors unlock, the so-called "curved display" begins to wake up, the cell phone is automatically paired and the BMW ID is activated.
But it is still started manually with a button. Then pull the little seesaw to D, and off you go. The Bavarian Brocken starts moving gently and almost silently. But after a short step on the pedal, all reservations about weight and size are gone. The dynamics are impressive. The iX xDrive50 feels significantly lighter than it is and is extremely agile. Suspension and noise comfort are outstanding, especially when the air suspension is doing its job. However, it is not part of the standard scope of delivery. Just like the steering rear wheels. However, they are a worthwhile investment, because the stability in curves and the maneuverability when maneuvering or in the multi-storey car park noticeably increase.
Over 600 km range
The previously troublesome topic of range can safely be ignored with the BMW iX xDrive50. In its base is a battery with a usable capacity of 105,2 kWh. This means that 630 kilometers can be covered, at least according to the WLTP standard. Armed in this way, you should not only be able to tackle all everyday demands easily, but it should also make traveling much more pleasant. Especially since the developers have done a lot to keep the loading times as short as possible. With active route guidance and a selected intermediate stop, the thermal management of the battery brings the cells to an optimal temperature in advance, so that charging can be carried out particularly quickly on site. In the best case, this is possible with an output of 200 kW (direct current). In the first ten minutes, you can "refuel" up to 150 kilometers of new range. You haven't even finished your hot coffee at the rest stop that quickly.
Entertainment while charging
Those who charge for longer can in the meantime deal with the little gimmicks that BMW has given the iX. For example listening to a podcast. Or play with the indoor camera. Snapshots can be triggered by voice, gesture or touch and sent to friends by scanning a QR code on the display with the mobile phone. The camera is also useful if someone tamperes with the iX who is not authorized to do so. The anti-theft alarm system then sends a message to the owner's smartphone. One click is enough and you can see who is sitting behind the steering wheel without authorization.
What is still missing would be a streaming service like the one offered by Tesla, so that one can watch Netflix films or YouTube videos while it is charging. Product manager Carina Gärtner doesn't want to reveal too much yet, but she lets it be known that something similar will soon be submitted for the iX - as a software update "over the air".
Technical data
Five-door, five-seater luxury-class SUV; Length: 4,95 meters, width: 1,97 meters, height: 1,70 meters, wheelbase: 3,00 meters, trunk volume: 500 to 1.750 liters
iX xDrive40: two electric motors, front axle 190 kW, rear axle 200 kW, total output 240 kW / 326 PS, maximum torque: 630 Nm at 0 rpm, two single gearboxes, all-wheel drive, 0-100 km / h: 6,1 s, Vmax : 200 km / h (regulated), standard consumption: 22,5 - 19,4 kWh / 100 kilometers (WLTP), CO2 emissions: 0 g / km, efficiency class: A +, price: 77.300 euros.
iX xDrive50: two electric motors, front axle 190 kW, rear axle 230 kW, total output 385 kW / 523 PS, maximum torque: 765 Nm at 0 rpm, two single-speed gearboxes, all-wheel drive, 0-100 km / h: 4,6 s, Vmax : 200 km / h (regulated), standard consumption: 23,0 - 19,8 kWh / 100 kilometers (WLTP), CO2 emissions: 0 g / km, efficiency class: A +, Price: Euro 98.000.
In brief
Why: because it is driving a car in a new dimension.
Why not: because you can also cope with smaller sizes and less range.
What else: Audi e-tron, Tesla Model
When does he come: November 2021
What's next: In 2022, BMW will submit the iX M60, the first all-electric model from the performance subsidiary M GmbH. Power: 440 kW / 600 PS