Overview

Nearly a decade after the BMW i3 debuted as the brand’s first purpose-built electric car, with high-tech construction, a wonderfully unconventional interior and challenging looks, the new BMW iX is repeating the pattern. This enormous electric flagship is the German brand’s way of putting all its latest technologies into one vehicle, and in the process it has made one of the best electric cars on the market today.

The iX is SUV-sized, even if it’s not necessarily SUV-shaped – it’s more like a big estate car. It comes in three levels of power, starting with the iX xDrive 40 MSport, followed by the xDrive 50 MSport, and topped off by the mighty iX M60, which packs 620hp.

Its price tag puts it in contention with cars like the Audi E-Tron and Mercedes EQC at its lower end, and right up into the realms of the Tesla Model X and other luxury models by the time you’ve perused the spec sheet. At this stage it also comes into rivalry with more traditional luxury cars, and we wouldn’t be surprised if iX owners come into the vehicle having previously owned an X7 or a very plush Range Rover.

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For all that money, you get BMW Gen5 (fifth-generation) electric motor and battery technology, and an ‘intelligent material mix’ structure that incorporates carbonfibre, aluminium and high-strength steel. That results in a body that’s light but immensely stiff and strong, and means BMW can specify enormous batteries and very powerful motors.

The best iX for range is the xDrive 50 which can go a claimed 380 miles. But despite this, it still has performance that shames many a sports car, with quality of ride and handling that belie its enormous size and doughy proportions.

There’s space for a family of four, high technology levels as standard and if you charge at home it’ll cost peanuts to run – so what’s the catch? We’ll dive deeper into the BMW iX’s practicality, interior, running costs and what it’s like to drive on the next few pages.