BMW iX 2022 Review

Intro, Price, Options and Verdict

Introduction

The BMW X5 has been a popular choice for SUVs that never see an offroad situation in their entire lifetime. It’s the archetype of the SUV that is more likely to be used on the school run than for slogging across a field. Instead of simply putting an electric drivetrain in the X5, though, BMW has created a new car in this important size class. It’s called the iX and is another new all-electric BMW that has arrived alongside the i4. This is the production version of the iNEXT concept, so how close has BMW kept to its original vision, and is this the electric X5 we’ve been waiting for?

Price and Options

There are two drivetrains available with the iX, and here it diverges from the strategy taken with the i4, where the battery size is the same, just the motor power and driven wheels are different. All versions of the iX are all-wheel-drive, but the iX xDrive40 has a 326hp motor and a 76.6kWh battery (71kWh usable), while the xDrive50 has a 523hp motor with 111.5kWh battery (105.2kWh usable). Since our original test drive, BMW has also released further details of an M60 version of the iX, which boasts 619hp and the same battery as the xDrive50.

Like the BMW i4 eDrive40, the iX xDrive40 and xDrive50 come with Sport and M Sport trim options, with £3,000 between them. There are Comfort and Technology versions of the xDrive40 listed on BMW’s website, which appear to be M Sport cars with some pre-selected option packs. The iX xDrive40 M Sport Comfort for example comes with electric heated seats offering a massage function and a heated steering wheel, because the £1,900 Comfort Pack is already included.

The Sport trim comes with 21in wheels, but you can add a different design for £250 or 22in rims for £1,350. The M Sport also comes with a different 21in design, plus two 22in options for £1,000 or £1,350. The basic colour of all iX varieties is white, with black, grey, blue, and light blue/green all costing £795. With the M Sport you can also choose a dark grey or red for £1,890. There are oyster, black and mocha free interior choices, stone grey for £450, or Amido (black) or Castanea (brown) for a considerable £3,250. Our test car was a grey xDrive40 M Sport with the stone grey interior and upgraded 22in wheels.

There are lots of option packs you can add on for extra features. The Visibility Pack including BMW’s long-range “Laserlights” headlights is £2,000, the Technology Plus Pack with interior camera, Parking Assistant Plus, and a Bowers and Wilkins sound system is £5,000, the Comfort Pack (including those massage seats and heated steering wheel) is £1,900, while the Comfort Pack plus (which adds rear heated seats among other things) is £3,900. The Sky Lounge Pack with the innovative panoramic sunroof we will discuss later costs £3,500. Then there is a range of individual free and costed add-ons as well.

Even without any of these options, whichever version of the iX you go for, this is not a cheap car. The base level xDrive40 Sport still costs £69,905, and the xDrive50 Sport starts at £93,905. The M60 will be a whopping £111,905, although this is likely to include some option packs as standard like the i4 M50. Once you add options, even to the xDrive40, this car will be priced at the premium trim levels of the Mercedes EQC, which offers similar range but more performance. The xDrive50 is well into Tesla Model X price territory, and beyond.

Design, Comfort and Storage

Exterior Design

BMW has toned down the looks a little since the iNEXT concept. The kidney grille isn’t that much smaller but has been less accentuated in other ways, such as no longer sporting a brightly coloured rim. But this new giant grille, also seen on the BMW i4, is likely to be the big dividing factor over the iX’s looks. The majority opinion appears to be negative, and although this grille is a significant feature of BMW branding, there is no need for an air intake of this nature on an EV, so the more subtle kidneys of the i3 and i8 might have been a more sensible design inspiration.

Although the iX is more angular than previous BMW SUV generations, particularly at the front end, the overall appearance isn’t as radical a change as some brands have made for their electric-only models. Volkswagen has diverged more clearly with the ID. range. The iNEXT featured suicide doors, like the i3, but thankfully these didn’t make it into the production iX. Even though they can make it easier to get into the rear seats once open, suicide doors can also entail rear doors that won’t open without the front ones being opened first, as with the Mazda MX-30.

The iX is very much an X5 electric replacement in terms of dimensions. It’s a couple of cm longer, but also a few cm thinner, and about 5cm shorter too. The iX’s wheelbase is longer, as well, which should mean more room for the passenger cabin. However, the bonnet is longer than, say, a Tesla Model X, so you’re not getting the full benefit of a pure electric platform. Overall, the iX is quite far from drop-dead-gorgeous, but most of that is due to the oversized kidney grille. This, allegedly, is self-healing, so that if it gets scratched or scuffed it will somehow smooth out again with time.

Interior Comfort

BMW has simplified the interiors of its new electric cars, but the iX and i4 are not as radical a departure from the norm as the i3 was, apart from the huge, curved screen that dominates the dashboard. There are also fewer buttons on the central part of the dashboard, but in most other respects this is a BMW interior as you would expect.

Whichever seat material you choose, the inside gives off a strong sense of quality and luxury. The front seats have integrated, non-moving headrests and are contoured with extra bolsters at the sides and back to provide a firmer grip in corners, although not as much as truly sports-focused seats. The result is comfortable and more than capable of keeping the driver fresh on a long journey. The car we test drove had a suede-effect blue material on the seats and some parts of the dashboard and doors, but there are other options.

The central console controls can be specified as clear plastic with a cut-crystal appearance, if you’re a fan of bling. This console has two levels – one including the arm rest and controls, and one lower down and further forward with a couple of cupholders plus the wireless phone charging pad. The arm rest incorporates a cubby.

The two outer rear seats also have integrated, non-moving head rests, and the middle one is wider than on many cars we have tested. There is no bump in the middle, so the middle passenger has a decent amount of legroom. There is plenty of that for the outer passengers, too, and lots of headroom. Tall adults should have no trouble travelling in the back of this car. There are ISOfix points on the two outer rear seats, too, for child car chairs.

If there is no middle rear passenger, the seat back can be pulled down to make an armrest with integrated cupholders. The rear passengers benefit from two USB-C ports each, which are unusually situated on the back of the seat in front rather than centrally, so you can plug your device in and store it in the pocket beneath. Rear passengers also have their own discrete controls over air conditioning.

The most unusual aspect of the interior is the panoramic sunroof that comes with the £3,500 Sky Lounge option. At first, you will think this is just fixed pieces of glass as with some other panoramic roofs, such as Tesla’s. But in fact, it’s made of a special liquid crystal that can switch from entirely transparent to opaque at the flick of a switch. It’s incredibly cool technology.

Storage and Load Carrying

The iX sits in the large sector of SUVs, so you would hope that load-lugging would be a forte. And it is, mostly. The boot release is electric with a kick-function that works well. The basic capacity is 500 litres, which is a bit less than an X3, let alone an X5. However, that’s still plenty for a few suitcases to go with a full complement of passengers in the front.

The rear seats go down in a 40/20/40 split, so you can just drop the middle for a long item like a ski bag while still having two rear passengers. This must be done manually, but the 60/40 sections can be released with switches at the rear for maximum convenience. Drop all three sections forward and you get 1,750 litres, which is still below some X5 configurations but otherwise up there with a Skoda Enyaq iV. The Tesla Model Y and X are ahead, though, so if boot capacity is your biggest criteria then the iX isn’t quite the pinnacle. But most baggage needs will be catered for.

If you do need to carry more, the roof can accommodate up to 100kg, and the iX can tow as well. Unbraked, the limit is 750kg, but braked it can go all the way up to 2,500kg, so a caravan would definitely be possible, although this does have a major effect on EV range. The electronically retractable towbar is an £995 option.

In-Car Entertainment and Controls

The iX’s controls are even more of a departure than the i4’s. The steering wheel is a non-symmetrical hexagon, which is a brand-new design for BMW, and although the buttons are on the same sides of the wheel as other BMWs, their appearance has been altered a fair bit. This is an improvement because they are more substantial and have a higher sense of quality. The cruise control is operated via the buttons on the left, while the media, phone, and voice functions use the buttons on the right. There are, of course, discrete stalks for the windscreen wipers and indicators/lights, which will please those who find Tesla’s consolidation of these functions a step too far.

Unlike the i4, there is no gearstick-like contraption for selecting drive modes. Instead, a rocker is used. This is not an uncommon move with EVs, although we have to say we prefer the i4’s stick because it’s extremely easy to use without looking. With the iX, you pull the rocker down one more time after drive to select B mode with more aggressive regeneration and one-pedal driving. There’s a button to enable auto hold and the start button can be found in this central section too. You get a separate parking brake, but it’s not essential as the car will engage this automatically when you turn off the system anyway.

The dominant aspect of the interior controls is the giant curved panel that spans the dashboard, however. This looks like one screen but is in fact a 12.3in panel behind the steering wheel and a 14.9in one next door for media, entertainment, setup, and navigation. The instrumentation section has a digital readout of the speed in the middle, a non-digital version on the left, and engine power or regeneration on the right. Remaining range and other notifications are arranged along the bottom.

The larger media display can be operated by touch and the rotating knob in the central console, which is a mainstay of BMWs and presumably included to cater for previous brand owners. But this new media display is both much bigger than ever before and showcases the latest connected functions BMW has to offer. You can use buttons in the central console to get to specific sections of the menu quickly, or return to the sat-nav map, but you don’t need to.

The menu layout is logical. Finding an address on the sat-nav is keyword based so you can either enter a postcode or partial address to find a location. However, we have never liked the BMW sat-nav maps – there is so much going on that it’s hard to see the route. Fortunately, the HUD on the iX is excellent. It includes mapping information when in navigation mode, not just the next turn, and is easier to see than the sat-nav map, which as we said we find too colourful and busy to be clear.

There are some discrete buttons for important features like window demisting, but the main climate control functions have been subsumed into the infotainment screen. We’re not entirely sure this is a step forward, though, because changing climate control temperatures is something you may want to do when driving.

Performance, Running Costs, Range, and Safety

Performance and Driving

BMWs are meant to be drivers’ cars, even the SUVs, and although the iX is a big and heavy vehicle it handles itself commendably well. The xDrive40’s 326hp propels it to 62mph in a rapid 6.1 seconds, whereas the xDrive50’s 523hp means it takes an extremely fast 4.6 seconds. That’s not quite as quick as the latest Tesla Model X Long Range, but it’s not far off. It’s certainly one of the quickest SUVs of this size around.

The car we drove was the xDrive40, which feels fast enough for a big SUV and is slightly lighter than the xDrive50 (2,365kg versus 2,510kg), so a little more agile around corners. The steering is light enough to make navigating a cramped urban environment easy, although you definitely have to be wary of the bulk of this car. It’s likely that town travel will be a large part of the iX’s duties. The iX also feels poised on country A roads. You feel the weight, but the solid acceleration and all-wheel-drive inspire trust.

The final frequent habitat for the iX will be highways, and here it is very much in its element, at least where driving stance is concerned. This car sits very confidently at 70mph, although we’re prefer the range of the iX xDrive50 (of which more in the next section) over the xDrive40 for long motorway runs. The aerodynamics are surprisingly good, though, with a drag factor of 0.25Cd. This isn’t as good as a Tesla Model Y (0.23) or Tesla Model X (0.24), but the iX is still one of the most aerodynamic cars in its class.

BMW’s trick Integral Active Steering is included on the xDrive50 as standard, but not an option on the xDrive40. This adds steering to the rear wheels, which turns them outwards when cornering at lower speeds and matches steering direction when at higher speed, in both cases improving stability. Our test car didn’t have this, but it is much lauded feature. All cars also get BMW’s Iconic Sounds, which are Hans Zimmer-composed audio outputs that replace the non-existent engine noises to add drama. They are a bit odd, because they make no attempt to sound like a petrol motor, but we must admit rather liking them.

Range and Charging

Although the iX xDrive50 is much faster than the xDrive40, the more significant everyday difference is the range. The 71kWh net battery in the xDrive40 supplies up to 257 miles of WLTP range, which is on par with less expensive alternatives such as the Volvo XC40 Recharge Twin AWD, but behind many SUVs from the Volkswagen Group. The xDrive50, on the other hand, uses its considerable 105.2kWh net battery to deliver 380 miles of WLTP range, which is even ahead of the Ford Mustang Mach-E Extended Range RWD, and way ahead of either the Tesla Model Y or X.

BMW backs this up with 200kW fast charging on the xDrive50, which means charging from 10 to 80% takes just 35 minutes with a fast enough supply. AC charging is supported up to 11kW, so charging from 0 to 100% would take 11 hours, but more like 16.5 hours with a 7.4kW single-phase wallbox. The xDrive40 peaks at just 150kW with DC, but as the battery is smaller it’s possible to charge from 10 to 80% in 31 minutes. Charging from 0 to 100% on the 11kW AC would take 8 hours, but a more normal 7.4kW home supply would take more like 12 hours.

BMW supplies the iX with a charge card and subscription that gives access to 170,000 charge points across the UK and EU, including IONITY’s. The latter’s 350kW units will enable fast enough DC for the xDrive50. All iX models have a heat pump so shouldn’t lose so much range in cold weather as some EVs.

Running Costs

The iX is not the cheapest EV in terms of electricity consumption. On the now non-existent 14p per kWh supply we still use for reference, both the xDrive40 and xDrive50 cost 3.9p per mile. This is more expensive than the BMW i4 and other non-SUVs but is actually decent in its class. The Tesla Model X is less efficient, but the Model Y considerably cheaper. The Ford Mustang Mach-E is also cheaper, but the majority of large luxury brand SUVs aren’t.

The basic guarantee is for three years. Paintwork also has a separate three-year warranty, but there’s a 12-year anti-corrosion warranty on top of this. BMW “i” cars have the typical eight years / 100,000 miles battery warranty, too, although this stipulates you keep to the service and inspection schedule, and no percentage capacity is stated.

Insurance will be expensive, though. The xDrive50 is in group 50 at all trim levels, but the group for the xDrive40 hadn’t been announced at the time of writing.

Safety

The safety tech in the iX is comprehensive whatever trim level you specify. BMW includes a reversing camera in all cars. There’s blind spot detection, which expresses itself as an orange triangle that appears on the wing mirror when a vehicle is coming up on either side. Cruise control is also standard with adaptive capabilities and stop and go in traffic. Lane keep assistance is included, too. These are all part of the bundled Driving Assistant Professional package, which also provides lane departure warnings and collision reduction including cross-traffic.

If you want a 360-degree or panoramic view with your parking camera, you need Parking Assistant Plus, which is a £750 option or can be purchased as part of the hugely expensive £5,000 Technology Plus Pack. It also turns the car’s cameras into dashcams for the Drive Recorder system.

Key Specifications

*based on electricity costs of 14p per kWh