It’s not often that a carmaker’s boss says that the model he is launching is the most important in the history of his brand.
But this is exactly what Peter van Binsbergen, CEO of BMW South Africa, said during the recent introduction of the all-new BMW iX3. The Neue Klasse generation of vehicles is boldly being claimed as the reinvention of the brand. This is a massive statement in a world where woke makes you go broke. Just ask Jaguar.
The iX3 SUV is an all-new-generation, battery electric vehicle (BEV) that brings class-leading range, fast charging, driving dynamism, and digital tech to the market. Built in Debrecen, Hungary, the first variant to roll off the production line was the iX3 50 xDrive.
Generous range
The vehicle has a high-voltage 108,7kWh battery with cylindrical cells and 800-volt technology powering a pair of electric motors. Power consumption is said to vary between 17,9kWh/100km, and this sees claimed range figures of 679km to 820km.
I can’t comment too much after our brief media drive. But because I had more urban traffic to contend with – a BEV’s bread and butter – I can say I was close to the claimed number.
Just as important as the range is the ability to get the battery charged. The advances brought by sixth-generation BMW eDrive technology have a significant influence on the charging experience too. A maximum charging rate of 400kW enables one to charge the BMW iX3 for just 10 minutes and gain 372km of range.
The only downside here is that South Africa only has three 400kW chargers in the entire country. The rest vary from 350kW all the way down to 7kW. But most owners will come home and charge their vehicle on a wall box overnight.
Lighting fast
The combined output of the BMW iX3 50 xDrive is 345kW of power and 645Nm of torque. The claims are a 0-100km/h sprint time of just 4,9 seconds and an electronically limited top speed of 210km/h.
It felt every bit as quick when we drove it. Just like the latest Volvos, the pedal-to-power progression is so smooth. None of this jerky electric car stuff in and around town when you touch the accelerator or when you want to join the highway.
The BMW iX3 50 xDrive is all-wheel drive, as the badge suggests, but when cruising and you don’t require all the power, the vehicle defaults to rear-wheel drive.
Entry-level model
There is an entry-level iX3 40 coming early next year. This rear-wheel-drive-only model will offer an 82,6kWh battery powering a single electric motor.
The rated output for this entry-level derivative is 235kW and 500Nm and accounts for a 0 to 100km/h time of 5,9 seconds and a 200km/h top speed.
I simply do not have the space to detail every new feature in the interior of the BMW iX3 50 xDrive. I was almost too afraid to start playing with all the buttons and settings on the fly, in case I changed something I didn’t like and then couldn’t get it back to the original.
Tech fest inside
What I can say is that it is a digital feast inside the vehicle. I absolutely loved the new BMW Panoramic Vision, which puts all the information you need across the base of the windscreen.
The iX3 comes with a new digital BMW Panoramic iDrive, which is based on the newly developed BMW Operating System X.
Figure that out and you can do anything inside the vehicle.
Since almost every higher-end BMW is specified with an M Sport package by the customer, BMW has made the package standard across the range.
Vehicle pricing
BMW iX3 50 xDrive R1 690 000
BMW iX3 40 R1 498 000
Pricing includes five-year/100 000km BMW Motorplan, two-year/unlimited-kilometre vehicle warranty and an eight-year/100 000km to 160 000km high-voltage battery warranty.
