BMW iX3 review: BMW’s first fully electric SUV

With the arrival of the BMW iX3, the X3 becomes the first model in which the Bavarian brand offers customers a full choice of powertrains: petrol, diesel, plug-in hybrid or fully electric.

It therefore combines BMW’s familiar attributes with emissions-free driving. However, there is a trade-off: it is less powerful than its rivals and does not offer four-wheel drive.

To find out what BMW’s first fully electric SUV is really worth, Razão Automóvel travelled to Munich to put it through its paces. Here is a closer look at the new iX3.

A family resemblance

From the outside, the differences from its combustion-engined siblings are easy to spot. The front of the new BMW iX3 is almost completely sealed off, as cooling the electric motor requires far less airflow.

Its partly closed-off “nose” also gives the iX3 a subtly different character. Optional blue highlights along the lower bodywork further distinguish it from the combustion-engined versions.

In design terms, nearly everything else on the exterior is much the same. Apart from the specific wheels and rear diffuser, it takes a particularly sharp eye to immediately notice that its ground clearance is lower than that of an X3 xDrive30d, for example: 179 versus 204 mm.

Conventional cabin, familiar quality

The cabin also looks and feels familiar, with blue accents added to selected surfaces, including the engine start button, the transmission selector lever trim and the ring surrounding the BMW badge on the steering wheel.

This interior will appeal to buyers who favour a conventional overall layout and have little interest in adapting to a more progressive dashboard, such as the more technology-focused cockpits - though with lower perceived quality - found in models such as the Ford Mustang Mach-E and Tesla Model Y.

In the iX3, overall quality is high, whether in the trim materials, fit and finish, or the feel of the various controls and buttons. As in the X3, there is generous space for four occupants, meaning that two passengers measuring 1.90 m can travel comfortably in the second row even with the panoramic roof fitted.

The intrusive central tunnel nevertheless remains. Curiously, it is hollow, given that there is neither four-wheel drive nor exhaust piping to route through it; it exists because the platform was not originally designed for electric models.

The rear seat backrests can be set to different recline angles and folded individually in a 40:20:40 split. With a capacity of 510 to 1560 litres, the boot volume has barely been affected by the electric powertrain, losing only 40 litres.

In the boot, the floor can also be lifted to access a compartment for storing the charging cables, although the space beneath the floor of an X3 is noticeably larger. Towing capacity is up to 750 kg; a diesel X3 can tow 2000 kg, although the Audi e-tron matches the iX3’s figure.

Electric, but without four-wheel drive

Unlike every other member of the X family, from the compact X1 to the imposing X7, the BMW iX3 cannot be specified with four-wheel drive. This may be a slight disappointment to prospective buyers in colder northern European countries and to some off-road enthusiasts.

As well as making demanding unpaved tracks more difficult to tackle, the lack of four-wheel drive also slightly compromises its road behaviour, particularly through fast bends or wider roundabouts taken at higher speeds.

Despite its rear-biased 43%-57% weight distribution, the tendency towards understeer may require correction before the sophisticated stability-control system, featuring wheel-slip limitation, can put the SUV “on rails”. This becomes more apparent in lower-grip conditions such as ice and snow.

The competitive landscape does the iX3 no favours either, since both the Audi e-tron and Mercedes-Benz EQC have 4×4 drive.

Why the BMW iX3 has no four-wheel drive

The absence of propulsion at the front axle is easily explained. According to BMW engineers, fitting a motor to drive the front wheels would have been straightforward, as there is sufficient room for one.

At the beginning of the project, however, the iX3 was intended solely for the Chinese market. As demand for electric SUVs grew on this side of the world, BMW decided to sell it in Europe as well, also aiming to shorten the wait until the BMW iX5, known as the iNext project, is ready; it is expected to launch in the fourth quarter of 2021.

The electric X3 is not built at the world’s main X-model factory in Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA, either, as demand for battery-powered SUVs there is almost non-existent.

Instead, it is produced exclusively by Brilliance, BMW’s Chinese co-operation partner, in Shenyang. From there, it will be exported to Europe at the start of next year: made in China, but to German quality standards.

A powerful motor, but only one

Measuring 4.73 m long, the iX3 uses a synchronous motor in which rotor excitation is generated by an electrical energy supply rather than fixed permanent magnets. This avoids the use of rare metals in magnetic components.

Installed on the rear axle alongside the power electronics and transmission, within a space created by this model’s specific subframe, the motor produces 286 bhp (210 kW) and 400 Nm of maximum torque.

The motor is certainly powerful, but having only one means the iX3 is outperformed by similarly sized rival electric SUVs, which is unusual for a BMW.

That said, it still reaches 100 km/h in 6.8s, almost matching the X3 xDrive30i’s 6.4s, while top speed is restricted to 180 km/h. Up to 160 km/h, the iX3 is very quiet and quick; beyond that, it begins to lose momentum, as is typical of fully electric vehicles.

As is customary, the 80 kWh lithium-ion battery, with 74 kWh “usable”, is mounted between the axles. This helps stabilise the car, lowers its centre of gravity by 74 mm and adds an enjoyable dimension behind the wheel, both on secondary roads and faster routes.

In total, the battery assembly - comprising 10 modules and 188 prismatic cells supplied by CATL - along with the control unit, temperature-conditioning system and supporting structure, weighs 518 kg.

An electric alternative

The BMW iX3 may serve as an alternative to its combustion-engined “siblings”, but it comes with some handicaps. First, these internal rivals currently offer outputs of up to 510 bhp; second, they provide considerably greater range, especially the more affordable diesel versions, which are available with two output levels of 190 bhp and, coincidentally, 286 bhp.

Indeed, their claimed range is at least double the iX3’s promised 459 km, based on its consumption of 18.6 to 19 kWh (WLTP). Naturally, customers interested in the fully electric version have a very different mindset, but they remain an overwhelming minority.

Ultimately, the choice between the two powertrains will nearly always be determined by rational or emotional criteria, also depending on the country.

Average range, and weight too

Against rival electric SUVs, the iX3 offers more range than the Mercedes-Benz EQC at 414 km and the Audi e-tron 50 quattro at 314 km. It is almost identical to the Jaguar I-PACE at 470 km, but trails the Tesla Model Y Long Range at 505 km and sits a long way behind the Ford Mustang Mach-E at 600 km.

Its chassis set-up is slightly firmer than that of other X3 versions. This is due to the rise in total weight to 2.26 tonnes, 400 kg more than the xDrive30i. It is slightly heavier than the Jaguar I-PACE at 2208 kg, far lighter than the Mercedes-Benz EQC at 2495 kg, and considerably heavier than the Tesla Model Y Long Range at 2078 kg.

For that reason, it makes sense to retain the standard adaptive suspension with electronic dampers and overlook the adaptive M suspension that became available later. This can even be downloaded to the iX3 through remote, or over-the-air, updates.

The steering is direct, although it would be more convincing if it conveyed slightly more of the relationship between the wheels and the road. When the pace rises closer to the limit, the iX3 becomes more prone to understeer, as already noted.

As with other electric vehicles, drivers can choose normal D mode with three regeneration levels, plus a maximum recuperation setting in B mode. In the latter, the accelerator pedal also manages braking, making it possible in most circumstances to drive without touching the brake pedal.

Its operation is exemplary, and the preferred setting should be selected according to personal taste and the type of road being driven.

There are also three driving programmes - Eco Pro, Comfort and Sport - plus a coasting function that uses the car’s momentum without engaging the motor. Finally, there are digitised sounds created by Hans Zimmer, the film composer who worked on films such as “Interstellar”.

What about charging?

Where available, the BMW iX3 can charge at up to 150 kW using direct-current, or DC, charging stations. This is the same power accepted by the Mustang Mach-E and more than the Jaguar I-PACE supports at 100 kW.

Under these conditions, the battery can be charged from 0 to 80% in just over 30 minutes, while 10 minutes is enough to restore 100 km of range.

With alternating-current, or AC, charging, however, a full charge takes 7.5 hours using a three-phase 11 kW wallbox, or more than 10 hours on a single-phase 7.4 kW supply. In both cases, the CCS AC/DC socket above the right-rear wheel arch is used.

Lastly, an electric heater raises battery temperature when starting in particularly cold climates and in less severe conditions, while both the battery and cabin can be heated using a heat pump.

BMW iX3
Electric motor
Position
Type
Power
Torque
Battery
Type
Capacity
Warranty
Transmission
Drive
Gearbox
Chassis
Suspension
Brakes
Steering
Turning circle
Dimensions and capacities
Length x Width x Height
Wheelbase
Boot capacity
Wheels
Weight
Towing capacity
Performance and consumption
Top speed
0-60 km/h
0-100 km/h
Combined consumption
CO₂ emissions
Combined range
4×4 capability
Approach/Departure/Breakover angles
Wading depth (at 7 km/h)
Ground clearance
Charging
Maximum DC charging power
Maximum AC charging power
Full charging time at 11 kW
Charging time from 0 to 80% in DC

Authors: Joaquim Oliveira/Press-Inform