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BMW is getting serious about its switch to EV with the striking iX arriving in November and offering a range of up to 380 miles
BMW has released full details of its new range topping EV, the iX, which it hopes will take the fight to the Tesla Model X when it lands in the UK this November.
Priced from £69,905, the new iX has a range of up to 380 miles and is offered in both xDrive40 and xDrive50 variants, with a choice of Sport or M Sport trim.
The entry-level xDrive40 boasts 326hp, good for 0-62mph in 6.1 seconds; the 523hp xDrive50 can do it in 4.6 seconds.
As indicated by the xDrive branding, both are all-wheel drive.
There are two different batteries available. The xDrive40 has a 71kWh battery, which gives a driving range of 257 miles.
The xDrive50 has a much larger 105.2kWh battery, which takes the range up to 380 miles on a single charge.
Both have the BMW Combined Charging Unit for high-speed DC charging: top it up from 10% to 80% in 31 minutes with the xDrive40, or 35 minutes in the xDrive50 – the latter aided by more powerful 195kW capability.
The xDrive50 can take a range of 90 miles in just 10 minutes.
BMW adds that both come with a BMW Charging card and app, for 12 months’ free access to BP Pulse and Ionity Plus high-speed chargers.
Inside, the latest BMW iDrive Operating System 8 features. The firm is promising “intuitive” interaction between driver and vehicle, aided by an Intelligent Personal Assistant.
The BMW Curved Display has two screens, a 12.3-inch driver display and 14.9-inch central screen, both mounted beneath glass.
BMW’s new tech extends to a Digital Key Plus, which links with the latest Apple iPhone U1 chip. This senses when the owner is approaching and switches on the lights, unlocking the doors just before they reach the car. No physical key is required and, if they don’t need to charge it, they don’t even need to take their iPhone out of their pocket.
The functionality allows the owner to share a Digital Key with up to five others too.
The iX is a big car: almost five metres long, nearly two metres wide and 1.7 metres tall. BMW says it combines “the functionality of the X5, the dynamism of the X6 and the imposing appearance of the X7”.
An undeniably imposing appearance at the front is heightened by the enlarged kidney grille, behind wheel are hidden an array of camera and radar sensors.
Not everything is XL-sized: the full LED headlights are the slimmest ever to feature on a production BMW.
Standard on Sport models is the BMW Live Cockpit Professional system, wireless smartphone charging, four-zone climate control, heated front seats and a climate comfort windscreen. 21-inch wheels are standard too.
M Sport gets an alternative design of 21-inch wheels, plus an aerodynamics package including M Sport front, side and rear aprons, rear diffuser and wind-cheating air curtain. There are M Sport brakes, dark rear glass and an Anthracite roof lining.
Impressively, a premium Harman Kardon sound system is fitted as standard, with an even more upmarket Bowers & Wilkins Diamond Surround Sound system optionally available – with standout features including 4D audio that uses bass shakers in the front seats.
The entry-level iX xDrive40 Sport is priced from £69,905 while the iX xDrive50 Sport starts from £91,905.
BMW adds that an even more potent model boasting more than 600hp, the iX M60, will arrive later, giving “exceptionally sporty all-electric driving performance”.
