There’s the stunned silence after something utterly inexplicable happens. My son and I crossed the road, walking side-by-side in disbelief, barely a word being spoken between us. The only noise came from cars meandering home, no human interaction, no celebration. It was an evening that promised much after Anthony Gordon put England 1-0 up against Argentina. It was an evening that descended into despair as Thomas Tuchel put on an in-game management disasterclass, doubling down on his idea to give Lionel Messi the freedom of Atlanta and gift wrap the game for Argentina. The stunned silence was only emphasised when we returned to the BMW iX3.
It’s a silent, calming presence. The electrical whir as we pulled away was the only sound, the outside world blocked out for the funereal procession home. Rather than belting out World in Motion in celebratory mood through the really rather good Harman/Kardon stereo, the only thing said was, “I don’t think I’ll sleep much tonight.”
Despite the near inevitability of an England capitulation, it still results in a zombie-inducing state of shock. The pub, once buoyant and bouncing, turns to heads in hands and exits without so much as a goodbye. From optimism to delight to despair, it was the full gamut of emotions wrapped into 90 baffling minutes.
Still, for the purposes of this review, at least we didn’t lose to Germany. On penalties. Again. The BMW iX3 was the perfect arm around the shoulder, don’t worry about it mate, let’s get you two home and we can confront this tomorrow. Let’s get those massage seats on and take the sting out of this.
Living with the BMW iX3
My week with the BMW iX3 had started much better. A trip north to visit friends in Tutbury was ticked off with consummate ease. The major selling point, even USP for the time being, is the 108.7kWh of usable battery. This offers a claimed range of 500 miles. Now, obviously you won’t actually do 500 miles on a charge, but 350+ is easily doable, 400+ more than possible.
Motorway driving is the enemy of range, particularly as the BMW iX3 pulls of that luxury trick of masking its speed. I could’ve sworn I was only doing, er, 65mph… This meant a stop on the way home, but six minutes and £12 was more than enough to see the journey through. It supports rapid charging of up to 400kWh if you can find a fast enough charger.
The BMW iX3, then, diminishes range anxiety to the point of all but eliminating it. If you’re doing a 350-mile journey, you’re probably going to want to stop at some point. Getting recharged isn’t much of an inconvenience at all. This is a huge step on from the first EV Beemer I drove, i4 M50. It’s much smaller range really clipped your wings on long journeys.
Away from the battery, the Neue Klasse (New Class, if your German is a bit rusty) framework takes advantage of EV technology. This is the first of 40 new models on the architecture and it’s a great start. There’s loads of space, neat features and a sense of opulence.
The way information is displayed to you has been evolved here, too. You get the touchscreen and binnacle, but there’s also a thin screen embedded beneath the lip of the bonnet stretching wingmirror to wingmirror. Customisable, it displays information you want, from maps and trips to weather and media.
What’s the BMW iX3 like to drive?
I was worried that this might all prove a bit distracting. Throw in a heads-up display and there’s a lot of digital interaction. Given we were in the midst of a sun-baked heatwave, however, I rarely drove it without Polaroid sunglasses on, so the heads-up display was invisible anyway. You don’t need it, so don’t miss it.
The screen, however, can be distracting. Everything is embedded in it, even adjusting lumbar support and turning on massage seats. These feel like they should be buttons down beside the seat itself. BMW has also opted to put the air vent adjustability in here, too. I’ve no idea why manufacturers have felt the need to reinvent this functionality.
Another minor annoyance is the steering wheel. It’s beautifully shaped and fits perfectly in your hands, but when parking you can’t tell if it’s the right way up or not. You can remove this hassle by using the self-park functionality, which is comfortably the best I’ve seen so far.
The adaptive cruise control works flawlessly on the motorway, helping to ease longer journeys along. The regen braking features an auto function which works in a redesigned way, in that it actually works. BMW has also engineered it so that it brings you to the softest of stops; your head won’t move forward when stopping, which is a weird sensation initially but deeply impressive. On tight country roads, however, it panics at passing cars, so back into the touchscreen to disable it.
In such a setting, the weight soon makes itself felt. 2360Kg before putting anyone or anything in it is heavy, but aren’t all EVs? And besides, you won’t buy this to B-road bash. 464hp and 645Nm of torque propel it from 0-62mph in 4.9secs, although it performs this calmly and gracefully, too.
Conclusion
The ride quality is on the firm side, but nothing to put you off. For now, the BMW iX3 is on a passive steel coil suspension, with an adaptive suspension in the offing further down the line. On wonky tarmac there’s a lot of lateral movement, but the hydraulic rebound smooths out all but the worst imperfections.
Starting at £60,250, the BMW iX3 50 tested here comes in at £71,462 after options. The ones I would definitely look to spec are the panoramic glass roof (£1,275) which heightens the sense of space in the cabin, parking assistant pro (£775), multifunctional front seats (£775) and the technology pack (£1,700) if only for the Harman/Kardon audio. Other details are aesthetic and a towbar, should you need one, is £1,025. You could quite easily keep it below £65,000. This doesn’t feel unreasonable for a luxury family SUV.
Most importantly, however, the BMW iX3 represents a major step forward for EVs. The combination of innovative technology and design, combined in a car that you actually want to drive, is significant. Perhaps this is the first time that the electric option is more appealing than the ICE or hybrid. It doesn’t feel like a blunt instrument designed to defy physics, rather it feels like a car. It might just catch on.
The morning after that drive in stunned silence, the iX3 remained the calming companion I needed on the commute to work. Easing traffic as schools gradually break up for summer resulted in quieter roads. A stop in Richmond Park for a coffee and a stroll helped to bring me back around. The quiet isolation of the iX3 was what I’d needed. Chopin, a massage, a flat white, a walk in the sunshine. If only he hadn’t gone to a back six. If only…