BMW iX3 review

The BMW iX3 is the company’s electric rival to EV SUVs such as the Audi e-tron, Mercedes EQC, Ford Mustang Mach-E and Skoda Enyaq.

It’s the BMW equivalent of the Monsters Inc story. Until now, the company has used scary old petrol and diesel to generate power, but now they’ve found out that laugh-a-minute electric actually works a whole lot better for everybody, and makes you smile, too.

So the iX3 is new, but just doesn’t look it. Up front, there’s the usual BMW grille, but it’s all a clever ruse because it doesn’t have to cool anything, so it has been sealed to help reduce drag and give the car’s range a small boost. A dimpled pattern breaks up what would otherwise be a big sheet of black plastic.

The 20-inch wheels are unique to the BMW iX3, too. Their heavily sculpted design helps to smooth airflow along the side of the car, improving range, although they look exceptionally vulnerable to kerbing.

Assorted blue highlights dotted around the iX3 – most obviously on the rear bumper where you’d normally spot some exhaust pipes – finish off the styling changes. There are also blue highlights around the ‘grille’, the badges and the sills.

Under the skin is a solitary 286hp electric motor that also generates 400Nm of torque and drives the rear wheels.

There’s an 80kWh battery pack that should give a range 285 miles – that’s according to the latest WLTP testing procedure. That’s a bit more than key alternatives such as the Audi e-tron and Mercedes-Benz EQC, but a bit less than the Jaguar i-Pace. In our test, admittedly in cold, wet conditions, the iX3’s range was a bit lower than the claimed figure.

A 285-mile range puts BMW right in the ballpark. It's better than a Mercedes EQC but not as good as a Jaguar I-Pace.

The iX3 should be compatible with almost every kind of charging station or power outlet, including super-fast 150kW chargers, which can give an 80% recharge in just 34 minutes. This means you can add 60-ish miles of range in about 10 minutes. There aren’t many 150kW chargers in the UK, but the network is growing.

Charging from less powerful outlets (such as a home wall-box charger or three-pin plug) will take longer – BMW reckons a full charge from empty will take around 12 hours. This will cost you around £13 per charge, which is a fair bit less than the equivalent diesel or petrol cost.

All electric cars feature brake regeneration – a system that uses the electric motor as an extra brake that can feed energy back to the batteries that would otherwise be lost as the car slows down. This always happens when you press the brake pedal, but the iX3 joins many of the latest electric cars  by giving the system the ability to bring you to a stop when you lift off the accelerator pedal, too. It allows for one-pedal driving, which (once you’re used to it) is an extremely relaxing way of dealing with urban traffic.

It’s not the fastest version of the X3, but it’s still pretty quick with a 0-60mph time of 6.8 seconds. Top speed is limited to 112mph, which helps to preserve range. It’s more than enough for UK drivers, anyway.

The first thing you notice when you get out and about in your iX3 is how quiet it is. There’s no noise from the engine and transmission, so you only notice a little wind and road noise as your speed rises.

Adaptive suspension is fitted to the iX3 as standard, so it’s pretty comfortable, although a Mercedes EQC still trumps it for out-and-out ride quality. However, the suspension stops the iX3’s body from rolling too much during cornering. The iX3 grips strongly, too, and its handling is doubtless helped by the fact that the batteries are stored in the floor, lowering the centre of gravity. Flicking the suspension into Sport model firm things up a lot, to the extent that it makes the ride too firm, but it certainly sharpens the handling and gives the iX3 a distinctly sporty feel.

All iX3s are well equipped. The Premier Edition comes with a 12-inch digital driver’s display and 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system, wireless phone charging, electrically adjustable leather seats, electrically opening boot lid, adaptive suspension (which lets you choose between soft, comfortable settings and stiffer, sportier ones) and a panoramic glass roof.

The top-spec car has a Harman Kardon audio system, a head-up display and an automatic parking system.