This new facelifted BMW iX is a good measure of just how fast the EV world moves on. Four years on from its introduction (catch our original review here), BMW is giving its iX a mid-life refresh that goes way beyond the usual superficial nip and tuck that we might usually see.
Yes, there’s a revised look inside and out, but it’s under the skin where the real changes have taken place with vastly improved battery efficiency and, in turn, range. Consequently, this is the first all-electric BMW to boast a range of more than 400 miles and when the iX was already BMW UK’s third biggest selling electric car (the UK was already one of the iX’s best markets globally), that will do the ongoing appeal of the iX no harm whatsoever. So let’s see if in the real world the new iX can live up to those on-paper promises.
BMW iX – DESIGN
When the covers came off the iX back in 2021, it’s fair to say there a few sharp intakes of breath. That over-sized grille was not for everyone and the ‘painted’ front grille took some getting used to. However, the iX’s styling was always better in the metal than in pictures and familiarity with BMW’s latest design language has perhaps made it less offensive than four years ago.
A new striped grille as opposed to the mesh look from before improves matters together with a new front bumper with more body colour to give it a slightly more traditional look. That grille is also illuminated (for us, the jury is out on that), but there are also new wheel designs with a new whopping 23-inch wheel, LED front lights and a new rear bumper too.
Inside there’s a new steering wheel design and new seats (more on which later) and the curved screen displays as before and we still love the frameless windows.
BMW iX – POWER AND RANGE
It’s here where the biggest differences are most obvious with this new iX with three different battery levels across the 45, 60 and 70 models.
The most popular standard xDrive45 gets a new 94.8kWh battery with a range of up to 374 miles, while the 60 gets a 109.1kWh battery and a range of up to 426 miles (as we said in the introduction, the first time an electric BMW has boasted a range of above 400 miles) and the flagship 70 gets a 108.9kWh battery and a 366 mile range.
In fact, why you would choose the 70 over and above the 60 is anyone’s guess. With 659bhp, the 70 is fearsomely quick (0 to 60mph in 3.8 seconds), but then so is the 6o and even the 45 manages the same benchmark in a still frankly ridiculous 5.1 seconds. Nobody wants or needs an SUV of this size to go that fast. The 45 models are, unsurprisingly also the most economical at 2.97mls/kWh which isn’t earth shattering in all honesty, but we actually improved on that official state with 3.2mls/kWh during our test drive.
The 45 can manage a max charging speed of 175kW (which is pretty reasonable, but others are now better) and manage a 10-80% charge in 34 minutes. The 60 and 70 models can take a 190kW charge by comparison.
Let’s face facts, at 2.4 tonnes, the iX is hardly the skinniest of cars out there, especially when you consider it’s still a five-seat SUV (unlike the likes of the seven-seat Kia EV9). However, we praised the iX’s handling originally and, in truth, there’s little that has changed.
Given that heft, it’s creditable that BMW has developed the iX to handle as well as it does. Turn in is precise with sharp and direct steering and the ride, while a little fidgety on broken roads is generally pretty good. There’s little body roll through corners too. We didn’t find out whether the ride quality was as good on the 70 which sits on standard 22-inch wheels and has 23s as an option. It doesn’t take much of stretch of the imagination to think that as good as those 23s might look, that might be an easy to get on first name terms with your osteopath.
It’s actually not a bad driver’s car though and we actually quite like the Tron-like aural accompaniment as you accelerate too. Overall, the iX boasts a good driving experience but it’s by no means perfect. The steering wheel rim is too thick, for one, making it almost uncomfortable to hold and the lack of an easy way to adapt the regenerative braking while on the move is frustrating.
While almost all other car manufacturers enable you to adapt the regen via paddles behind the steering wheel, the iX requires you to go via the central touchscreen. Here you can choose between low, moderate and high or also an adaptive mode. That’s great, but it’s not something you want to attempt on the move as you dig through menus.
We’ve also touched on BMW’s adaptive regen mode before. It works well, using the forward radar and sat nav mapping to automatically adjust your level of regen, but it can sometimes feel a little unnerving when it lets the car coast when you were perhaps anticipating a degree of regen to slow you down, especially if there is another car ahead. For us, we preferred being able to depend on the constant feedback of one of the pre-set levels.
BMW iX – INTERIOR
As you perhaps might expect, not much has changed about the iX’s interior with this facelift. There’s a new steering wheel which (as mentioned previously) has a rim that’s way too thick to hold comfortably, while there’s also a new curved infotainment and driver display, though in reality there wasn’t much wrong with it before.
The one good thing though is that BMW’s operating system is quite intuitive and easy to use, even on the move, operated either via the central rotary controller between the two front seats or the touchscreen. The push buttons for the door openers are still present and take a bit of familiarity, but there are secondary manual levers further down if you really want them.
BMW has also fitted a new design of front seats with larger side bolsters for more support. While we can’t honestly remember the previous ones, these new ones are certainly comfortable and very supportive, holding you in place even when you’re driving a bit more enthusiastically.
SUMMARY
When we first drove the BMW iX, there was a lot of talk about the dominating front grille and its styling. Over three years on, it’s a bit more familiar having been added elsewhere in the BMW range, so that’s less of a factor.
And in reality, these latest changes, well they’ve only improved what was already a pretty good car before. The expansion in battery capacity and range is very welcome indeed and BMW has made tweaks elsewhere to make the new iX even more desirable. Yes, the list price is a little hefty at the wrong side of 70 grand and while the 60’s 426 mile range is temptin, it will set you back £92,200. The M70 meanwhile is an eye-watering £114,215. Ouch.
For us, stick with either of the 45 models however and you can’t go far wrong. This new BMW iX is better than ever.
FACT BOX
Model: BMW iX
Price: from £75,315
Power: Battery – 94.8, 109.1, 108.9kWh
Range: 370-426 miles
Average efficiency: 2.9mls/kWh (45)
Average charge time on a domestic wallbox: 12.8-14hrs
CO2 emissions: 0g/km
Rating: 9/10