New BMW iX3 kickstarts a fresh era with over 800km of range

‘A brand fresh expertise for BMW.’ Stark words, straight from the mouth of Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the BMW Board, because the fresh iX3 launches. This isn’t merely a brand fresh electric SUV – it’s the origin of a complete fresh chapter.

‘Neue Klasse’ is a phrase familiar to BMWistas from a complete fresh chapter of the firm’s history launched in the 1960s. Six a protracted time on, it’s time for Neue Klasse 2.0 with this reborn iX3 as its first product. Because why wouldn’t you initiate up a complete fresh revolution with a gigantic-promoting SUV?

It’s a reasonably aerodynamic one, too. Its butch, correct look may well well presumably play usefully to glossy crossover tropes but its inch decide fits the most up-to-date BMW i4 sedan, enabling some comparatively punchy headlines – chief among them a WLTP vary decide of 805km.

BMW tells us this automobile has skipped a expertise across the board, so gigantic are the Neue Klasse tech leaps, and a near doubling in vary over its predecessor may well well presumably gather spherical many electric automobile sceptics. Indeed, the product folk reckon various folk will most likely be clambering into their first BEV here.

We suspect the styling may well well presumably light debate up most, but whichever skill you swing it, no longer much less than this is in a position to well presumably stand out in a busy electric SUV crowd. And bravo BMW for sticking to the catch guns of the popular conception automobile.

It debuts the fresh face of BMW X devices, its kidney ‘grilles’ extra vertical than the sedans and wagons to follow and a sure visual nod to the major Neue Klasse devices over 60 years in the past – now highlighted by assignment of illumination reasonably than chrome.

Its slim glasshouse contributes to the monolithic search for while also serving to slice out its gorgeous aerodynamics and headline 0.24 inch coefficient. Flush door handles complete an unmistakably electric search for. Though luckily it retains traditional mirrors…

The car launches in punchy iX3 50 xDrive spec, which puts 345kW by blueprint of all four wheels to allow 0-100km/h in underneath five seconds. It’s underscored by 108kWh of useable battery and 800V charging architecture, which permits as much as 400kW of swiftly DC skill.

BMW claims a 372km top-up is most likely in 10 minutes to ebb away any lingering vary alarm you’d occupy. Mixed efficiency peaks at 15.1kWh/100km.

Under all of it is a extra sustainable automobile elephantine-dwell; BMW’s sixth-gen eDrive expertise is lighter, more inexpensive to catch and suffers much less energy loss in operation, while spherical a third of its affords are categorised as reused subject.

They claim a third-smaller carbon footprint than its forebear, even supposing you’ll silent occupy to power spherical 20,000km earlier than that footprint shrinks over a petrol X3.

Within there’s revolution, too, the cabin staying nearly about as factual to the conception that automobile because the outer panels. Entrance and centre is a wraparound projection, stretched between the front pillars and taking the residing of a passe instrument cluster.

It’s complemented by a 17.9-lag touchscreen, angled at the driver and with key functions a straightforward finger stretch from the curiously formed steering wheel.

A 3D head-up show isn’t very any longer major. There’ll be heaps to fetch our head spherical when we power the fresh iX3 – but BMW promises it’s worked arduous on useability on the transfer, and an preliminary fling spherical in the studio feels correct to us.

While there’s no longer a passe starter button – a la particular Californian EV makers – you silent flick on your indicators and wipers in the standard BMW skill while a physical volume dial stays ‘major for prime of the vary audio,’ in maintaining with the engineers we spoke to. Phew!

Under the pores and skin, fresh map architecture deploys four excessive-performance computers for 20 times the processing energy of BMWs earlier than it, headlined by the chintzily named ‘Heart of Joy’ machine which draws the full dynamic systems together to – hopefully – raze particular that this automobile can silent place a smile on your face just like the a protracted time of BMWs earlier than it.

The active safety systems are designed to work with you, reasonably than against you, by assignment of one thing called ‘symbiotic help’ which affords a lighter contact if the auto is conscious of you’re wide awake and actively engaged in using.

The suspension gains hydraulic bump stops but no air spring or adaptive damping alternatives, neither is there four-wheel steer (it’s reserved for better devices). Though the fresh iX3 weighs a portly 2360kg, its 49/51 front/rear weight atomize up reveals promise for natural handling and balance.

This automobile measures 4.8m prolonged and possesses a 2.9m wheelbase, its bespoke EV platform pushing the wheels to each and each nook to raze the iX3 no longer finest search for sharper, but provide extra room interior – legroom supposedly fits the upper X5.

Boot location is a mite better than the outgoing iX3, starting at 520 litres, even supposing this time even supposing there’s also a frunk; it affords a modest 58 litres however the product bosses divulge it’s major to expose potentialities ‘here is an EV’. Its hidden set ensures it goes heavy on the recycled affords, too.

Further flexibility comes from bi-directional charging and thus automobile-to-load skill – turning this into a energy bank on wheels – while some markets can pipe energy support to the grid or energy their home for the length of storms.

Production begins later in 2025 in a Hungarian manufacturing facility fed by renewable energy, with Aussie gross sales touted for mid-2026. No phrase on pricing correct yet, but in Germany it starts at the the same of $120,000 and sticks halt to the iX3 earlier than it, irrespective of such quantum leaps (or claims thereof…) in each and each location. Cheaper and presumably extra atmosphere pleasant rear-power variations will follow too.

Don’t quite like what you explore? An i3 sedan will follow, mimicking the Vision Neue Klasse conception, alongside the factitious or update of 40 – yep, forty – BMWs with Neue Klasse styling cues and tech in the following two years, irrespective of their powertrain.

It’s a brand fresh expertise, alright…