Yahoo Autos The iX Isn't Like Any BMW, Past or Present
The BMW iX is its own thing. It’s not an electric take on the X5 or any of the brands other X models. It doesn’t share a platform with other BMWs, electric or otherwise. It doesn’t claim to be good around a corner, and it doesn’t try to make you think it’d be good off-road. It’s very good at what it does, but what it does are things that aren’t hallmarks of BMW, past or present. It’s a confusing thing. Here’s what you learn after spending some time with it.
The Interior is Interesting
For a minute, BMW’s interiors all felt the same. iDrive module, big screen hovering above the center stack, screen in front of the driver for gauges, and that’s it. Easy, effective, comfortable, familiar, if a little boring.
The interior of the iX is anything but boring. There are essentially no buttons, a normal thing for BMW, but now even most of the climate controls are in the iDrive. Not great if you want to twist a knob to change the temperature, but clean from a design perspective. The screen for the iDrive is connected to the screen for the gauges and floats over the dash on small stalks. The seats–which don’t do a great job holding you in during cornering but are comfortable–have an attractive diamond stitch.
Then there’s the iDrive controller and the center console. In our test car, the console was wood with buttons embedded underneath. The iDrive controller, along with volume and even the seat controls on the doors, were crystal. There are also copper accents, something you don’t usually see in a car. Just a nice, comfy place to be, if a bit unBMW.
It Drives Great, But Not Like a BMW
The odd thing with the iX is that it is quite nice to drive. The electric motors, which make 516 hp and 564 lbn-ft, are instantly responsive, though don’t provide thrilling acceleration like the ones in a Tesla Model X. It’s deeply comfortable around town and on the highway. It soaks up bumps and is wildly quiet at high speeds, which it can get to rapidly. Unlike most BMW models, even the X SUVs, the iX is soft, floaty, disconnected. The steering is light and devoid of feel, like most crossovers. That makes it relaxing.
That’s an odd thing to say about a BMW, the brand that’s been toting that Ultimate Driving Machine tagline for decades now. This is not a driver’s vehicle in any sense of the word. It’s a device to get from point to point, but with all the weight from the batteries, the light controls, and the gripless tires, it won’t be a hoot.
That makes it the most crossover-y BMW. It may have X in its name, like BMW’s SUVs, but there’s something distinctly more crossover about the iX than any other BMW in the US, even the X1 and X2 that share their platform with Mini. The iX sits low, making it easy to get in and out. The load height for the trunk is also low. It’s easy to get a car seat in the back.
It Does EV Things Well
Since nearly all EVs we get in America have similar power delivery, with instant torque off the line, the differentiating factors can be slim. BMW hasn’t opted for the sort of acceleration that challenges the laws of physics, but rather has created an EV with smooth power delivery that can provide nearly 400 miles of range and is quick to charge, two key things for modern EVs. On a 150 kW charger, the iX went from 48 percent to 89 percent in 37 minutes. Slow, if you’re used to stopping at a gas station, but pretty quick if you’re filling up an EV.
When you’re moving, it’s much more impressive than accelerating from a standstill. The power, no matter how quickly you’re driving, is instant, making passing a slower car a breeze.
Just Don’t Look At It
BMW gets a lot of flack for how many of its cars look. The iX should get more. Everywhere you look there’s an even more questionable exterior design decision. The grille is crazy. The headlights are too narrow. Most angles make it look frumpy and dowdy. The body extends too low in profile and makes it look like the VPG MV1, a vehicle that appeared to have been designed without the lights turned on in the studio. It’s cool that you can see bits of carbon when you open the doors and trunk, an exposed nod to its construction, but you have to hunt for that. It might be the lone positive of the design.
This is a wild turn for BMW, a vehicle that truly makes no claim to be a driver’s car. Even the i3, the small city car, was delightful to drive. A little scamp! While the parts you interact with on the iX, the interior, the charging, the materials, the motors, are all first rate, this is transportation. It does it brilliantly, but it’ll leave you longing for some of that classic BMW magic.
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