BMW iX Review (2021-present)

What is the BMW iX?

The BMW iX is a large, premium all-electric SUV that takes on the likes of the Audi e-tron and Tesla Model X. It’s available with a couple of different battery options; a 71kWh battery in the BMW iX xDrive40 delivers an official WLTP range of up to 257 miles, while the BMW iX xDrive50 gets a larger 105kWh battery with an official WLTP combined range of up to 381 miles. The BMW iX M60i – the most powerful of the iX range – arrived later in 2022 with WLTP combined range of up to 352 miles.

This is the first BMW iX, and it starts a new era of design for the brand’s high-end electric cars. Cues from the BMW i3 electric city car are certainly there, but there’s no mistaking the brash modernity of the BMW iX. Oh, what was that about the grille? It’s enormous and hideous? Well, that seems to be the going opinion. To these eyes, at least, the iX can actually look at least interesting, rather than ugly, if it's specced in darker colours. It’s certainly divisive, but at least you don't have to look at it if you’re in the driver’s seat.

How practical is it?

It’s certainly big and roomy, but the quality and luxury of the iX are what's likely to sell it. The materials are seriously classy, you can add a bit of bling with cut crystal surrounds to the iDrive controller and in other key touch-points, and you can even turn the curved, 14.9-inch infotainment screen into a digital art installation. The whole car has a rather boutique finish, to the point where it holds its own against prestige brands such as Bentley and the forthcoming new Range Rover.

Up front, the flat floor and clear through-space in the forward cabin makes it very roomy, and the electrically adjustable seats with integrated headrests are really comfortable. The same goes for those in the back, where there’s masses of leg- and headroom, and the flat floor means that even a third occupant will be fairly comfortable. It does seem like a bit of a missed opportunity that there is no seven-seat option in the BMW iX, since the platform (shared with the X5) and carbonfibre ‘cage’ that forms the bones of the iX give it a huge amount of interior space. Still, if you want a large, seven-seat electric SUV then the Tesla Model X is your best bet.

The boot in the iX is big enough at 500 litres, or up to 1,750 litres if you fold the 40/20/40 split middle seats flat. You’ll have no issues with getting your golf clubs in there, but there’s no storage in the nose of the iX, as you get with the Tesla Model X and Audi e-tron – both of which also have bigger boots. Ultimately, the Tesla, with its five-, six and seven-seat layouts and enormous interior and luggage space, remains the most practical of the posh electric SUVs.

What's it like to drive?

Power isn’t in short supply in any of the iX models, all of of which have active all-wheel drive courtesy of dual electric motors. Even the xDrive40 has 322bhp and a 0-62mph time of 6.1sec, while the xDrive50 ups that to 516bhp and 4.6sec. Clearly, the last thing the iX needs is more power, but the high performance M60 adds even more, toting a frankly hilarious 610bhp to fire this BMW X5-sized SUV past 62mph in 3.8sec. The BMW iX M60 is also one of the first pure electric cars to have been fettled by BMW’s hot M performance division, along with the BMW i4 M50.

We’ve only driven the relatively moderate xDrive40, but even that feels anything but slow. Sure, it doesn’t have the sort of savage acceleration that you can enjoy in the Tesla Model X, and a Jaguar I-Pace also feels more urgent and agile, but the iX xDrive40 is quick, smooth and responsive.

It handles with real sophistication, too. BMW was said to have been aiming for a blend of the bigger X7’s refinement and comfort with the X5’s handling, and it got very close. The hexagonal steering wheel is a bit weird, but everything else about the iX is very natural; the pleasantly fluid steering and tidy body control make you feel instantly confident and at home. Even the adaptive brake regeneration is easy to get used to, although it’s a shame that you have to use the touchscreen if you want to adjust the strength of the regenerative braking. You can add adaptive air suspension, which may be wise if you do a lot of town or rural driving over patched up roads, as the iX has fairly firm standard steel suspension on the xDrive40, although it’s damped beautifully, so even if you do forego the upgraded suspension it’s never uncomfortable.

Refinement is hard to fault, too, and between that and the airiness of the cabin, there’s a real sense of serenity.

Technology, equipment & infotainment

Infotainment in the BMW iX is courtesy of the new ‘BMW Operating System 8’, which brings with it natural voice control and a tiled homepage that you can personalise, among other changes. The graphics are fantastic and the screen responsive, and you finally get Android Auto as well as Apple CarPlay, plus in-built satnav and all the connectivity and streaming functions you could want. It’s still nice to have the rotary controller for easier use of the system when you’re driving, although it does take a bit longer to find some of the sub-menus than it would have done with the more logical layered menus of the previous iDrive system. It’s also a bit of a faff to have the air conditioning controls integrated into the touchscreen system, although you can change the temperature without leaving the main screen readout, or via the voice control.
Equipment is also very good. Even the cheaper Sport version gets 21-inch alloy wheels, leather upholstery, heated seats, four-zone climate control (so those in the back can choose their own zoned temperature, too), ambient lighting, LED lights, the full gamut of infotainment that we’ve already mentioned, wireless phone charging and a head-up display. M Sport mostly just adds a sportier exterior look.

Overall, the BMW iX is just a delight to sit in and drive, even if the Jaguar I-Pace is more fun and the Model X more practical.

BMW iX running costs

The BMW iX is not a cheap car to buy, but it is comparable with rivals such as the Audi e-tron, the Mercedes EQC and the Tesla Model X. You can buy similarly-sized electric SUVs for a lot less if you’re willing to sacrifice the premium qualities and settle for the Ford Mustang Mach-E, the VW ID.4 or the Skoda Enyaq. Interestingly, BMW’s own excellent iX3 may well steal sales from the iX given that it goes further on a charge than the XDrive40 and costs less, even if it isn’t quite as spacious or cutting edge.

Fuel will be a lot cheaper than that of a comparable petrol or diesel SUV; even with rising domestic electricity prices, you’ll pay around 7p per mile in the all-electric BMW iX. That’s well under half what it’ll cost to fill up a petrol or a diesel car, and you could save much more if you use off-peak tariffs for cheaper electricity. Even if you don’t use cheap overnight tariffs or EV specific tariffs, a full charge in the xDrive40 will cost around £13, while the xDrive50 will suck up some £19 if you charge it from nearly flat to 100%.

VED road tax is also free for all pure electric vehicles, but other than that, you should expect fairly high tyre, servicing and insurance bills, in keeping with those of other large, luxury SUVs such as the BMW iX.

BMW iX reliability

The BMW iX is too new to have been included in any owner satisfaction or reliability surveys, but BMW has been building electric cars for many years since the brilliant little i3 arrived, which has proven fairly reliable. The i3 came fourth out of eight electric cars included in the 2021 What Car? reliability survey – ahead of the Tesla Model 3, though behind the Kia e-Niro, MG ZS EV and overall winner – the Mk1 Nissan Leaf.

However, while it’s fair to say that BMW is one of the most experienced electric car manufacturers after Nissan and Renault, the BMW i3 sits on a different platform and has different lithium-ion battery cells to the iX, so may bear little relation in terms of reliability.

The BMW iX comes with a three-year, unlimited-mileage warranty, and the high-voltage lithium-ion battery is covered for eight years and 100,000 miles.