The BMW iX3 represents the beginning of the Bavarian powerhouse’s bold new era of design, engineering and innovation, also known as the Neue Klasse – and what a debut.
Not merely an electric version of BMW’s mid-size SUV like the last one, the new iX3 began as a clean sheet of paper. Underneath is a brand-new, bespoke electric-car architecture and the sixth evolution of the company’s EV powertrain technology that combines extra energy-dense cylindrical battery cells with more efficient e-motors to deliver a once-unfathomable 500 miles of range.
This also marks the first time BMW has used an 800-volt electrical system in one of its electric cars, with the benefits immediately obvious; the car can charge at 400kW – more power than almost any rapid charger in the UK can currently deliver.
Then there’s the Heart of Joy, a little box of electronic wizardry that masterfully co-ordinates every element of the driving experience besides the weather and traffic. Yet it doesn’t feel like some kind of racing simulator. The iX3 handles, rides and even responds like a BMW should.
Finally, the retro-futuristic styling draws inspiration from the icons of BMW’s past, while inside, the new Panoramic iDrive set-up rips up the rulebook of cars’ interiors and projects all the vital information along the base of the windscreen – precisely in the driver’s line of sight.
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