The BMW iX3 should appeal to EV fans, but it isn’t as comfortable as it could be.
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 Tesla Model Y.
It’s the BMW equivalent of the Monsters Inc story. Until now, the company has used the frowned upon gas 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. This is very low in comparison to the Tesla Model Y, which gives you a distance of 326 miles.
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.
Our Rating: 6/10