Complete Guide To The BMW iX

Labelled by BMW as its technology flagship the BMW iX is the latest electric car in the BMW range and is just as radical and advanced as the BMW i3 was when it launched in 2013. The BMW iX is a luxury SUV with an electric drivetrain. 

The BMW iX features state of the art materials such as aluminium, steel and plastic reinforced with carbon-fibre. The car is built using a carbon cage which uses carbon-fibre and other composite materials which gives strength and lightness to increase safety and efficiency. It also gives the iX a special feel when opening the doors and boot as the exposed carbon looks incredible. 

There are two battery options, the xDrive 40 comes with a 71kWh battery, whilst the the xDrive 50 comes with more power and the larger 105kWh battery. Both models have four wheel drive and an electric motor on each axle. The xDrive 50 has a 380 mile electric range and 526bhp which allows accleration from 0-62mph in just 4.6 seconds. 

Discover the iX in more detail in our guide or click to view the iX model page.

The BMW iX is about the same size as a BMW X5. 

Like many new BMW's it has unique styling which stands out from the crowd, especially in brighter colours. 

It features sharp lines and creases which indicate the power available. All the wheel choices are stylish and start at 21" whilst the range topping diamond cut alloy wheels on this car are 22" and feature an aerodynamic design. The large grille at the front is part of BMW DNA and it incorporates many of the car's radars and sensors to support the driver. Other touches around the exterior design include the narrow LED lights which when you walk up to the car perform a welcome with an exterior and interior light dance. As well as the integrated electric door handles which reduce drag.

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The interior of the BMW iX is a minimalist masterpiece, packed with technology. 

The dashboard features the latest BMW iDrive, iDrive 8 which is displayed on BMW's Curved Display. This consists of a 12.3" digital driver's display and a 14.9" infotainment screen. The whole set up is high resolution and looks visually stunning. Whilst iDrive 8 features crisp and futuristic looking graphics, it is more intuitive to use and can learn what the driver needs and when. 

The rest of the cabin feels modern also, with the hexagonal steering wheel, crystal elements, wood effect materials, styled air vents and metal trim finishes. It feels light and airy especially in the cream leather that our car had. All the materials are sustainably produced with the floor mats made from recycled fishing nets, the leather is tanned using olive leaves and the wood is responsibly sourced.  

There is also a wireless charging plate for your phone, lots of USB-C ports and storage around the cabin. The experience is completed with the ambient lighting. 

One of the most incredible features is the electrochromic sunroof which is a large single piece of glass, the largest fitted to any BMW. The glass features liquid crystal technology which when a voltage is applied the crystals disperse to provide shade in less than one second. The shading effect can be controlled using a button on the roof. 

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The experience of driving and owning the BMW iX starts before you even get into the car. The car knows exactly where the driver is and once within three meters, the iX performs a welcome by unlocking the car automatically, performing an exterior and interior light dance, creating a light carpet by the door and prepping the interior by turning on iDrive and warming the interior. 

The theatre continues as soon as you turn the car on as you are met by a futurist sound composed by Hans Zimmer. Once on the move the iX has accurate controls with precise, light steering and easy to judge accelerator and brake pedal even when the regenerative braking is active. It feels maneuverable and you forget the car's size and weight. 

The iX feels fast with good body control which means you can enjoy your favourite roads and have the confidence to overtake or pull out of junctions due to the instant torque which is available immediately. 

The top of the range BMW iX that we drove comes as standard with air suspension which gives a supremely comfortable ride no matter what the road surface conditions are like. 

One thing you'll definitely notice when driving the iX is the silent drivetrain, there is hardly any noise from the electric motors and other noises such as wind and road noise are barely noticeable. This combined with the luxurious and minimalistic interior ensures the iX is a really relaxing car to drive.

Despite its size the iX is really easy to maneuver partly due to the technology it uses. It features all-round cameras and sensors, can park itself and also has a feature called reverse assistant which remembers the last 50 yards of driving forwards and can then reverse automatically the exact same way you drove forwards. This is especially useful for navigating tight spaces.

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There are three driving modes: Comfort, Eco Pro and Sport. Comfort is the default mode and allows for a balance between performance and range. Whilst Eco Pro tunes the air conditioning, throttle inputs and other features to minimise energy usage and maxmise regeneration to allow for a greater range. In Sport mode the iX comes alive with a more noticeable sound composed by Hans Zimmer, a heavier steering wheel and more eager throttle pedal. The iX is large and heavy but despite this, in Sport mode it is definitely fun to drive and reminds you of its BMW heritage. 

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The iX comes as standard in Sport trim which is packed with style and technology.

Standard equipment includes:

• 21" Diamond Cut Alloy Wheels
• Full LED Headlights
• Four Zone Climate Control
• Active Guard Plus
• Parking Assistant
• Harman Kardon Sound System

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M Sport adds further sports detailing inside and out, with M Sport bumpers and spoiler. The exterior upgrades are completed with M Sport specific alloy wheels and privacy glass. 

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No you don’t, in fact the quickest charging happens between 10 and 80%, so frequent top ups within this range can be more convenient and preserve battery health. 

Fully charging the battery will however give you the maximum range for longer journeys. The battery is designed to last the lifetime of the car even with frequent charges outside of the 10-80% range.

The iX can be charged from 20-80% capacity in just 20  minutes using a 150kw rapid charger.

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To charge the iX you simply open the charging port which is located under a flap like a fuel cap on the rear panel of the car. 

Then either use the charging cable supplied with the car or the charging cable attached to the charging station and insert the cable into the car. Follow the instructions on the charging station such as payment instructions and confirmation, then check the car is charging by ensuring the charging icon led has turned green. 

Lock the car and leave it to charge. When returning simply unlock the car and use the unlock button next to the charging port to remove the cable. If the cable belongs to the car return to the boot.

The fastest charging takes place between 10-80% battery capacity, outside of these charging is slower to protect the battery. Other factors also affect the charging rate such as – temperature (colder temperatures slow charging rate), the charging rate and the size of the battery. The iX supports rapid charging up to 150kW. 

Charging from 0% to 100% can take: 
• At home with a 3-pin plug, 33 hours to charge, giving 7 miles per hour charged. 
• Home wallbox, 21 hours, 11 miles per hour charged. 
• 7kW Public charger, 11 hours, 22 miles per hour charged. 
• 22kW Public charger, 7 hours, 34 miles per hour charged. 

From 20%-80%:
• 50kW Public charger, 60 minutes, 77 miles per 30 minutes charged.
• 150kW Public charger, 20 minutes, 231 miles per 30 minutes charged.

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At home to work out how much it will cost to charge your car, check the battery’s capacity and your electricity rate. It is likely that iX would cost around 9.25p per mile when charging at home and around 14.54p per mile when charging with a public rapid charger.

It is more likely that iX users will take advantage of rapid charging. At a public charger the costs can vary. Some are free for customers such as Pod-Points at Tesco. Whereas others can cost money, using apps such as Pod-Point and Zap-Map you can see nearby chargers, if they are available and how much they cost. Quite a common cost for public chargers was 30p per kWh or a flat rate connection fee often around £1 then free after. The rapid chargers I found at service stations also cost around 30p per kWh which whilst costing more than at home is much quicker to charge and still costs less than running a combustion engine car.

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The iX can be charged using a Type 2 connector or a CSS connector for rapid charging up to 150kw.

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It may not be possible to have a home charger installed at home due to reasons such as not having off-road parking, renting or having parking not close enough to your home. 

In these situations, it is still possible to run an electric car. In fact, with cars that support rapid charging it may be more beneficial to use a rapid charger once a week to keep the battery topped whilst not inconveniencing the driver. It is most convenient to charge an electric car where it is parked (which is almost 95% of the time for a car), using chargepoints at these locations. For most people this is at home, but other frequent destinations may also have chargepoints such as work, shopping centres and leisure centres. Then less frequent longer journeys can benefit from on-route rapid chargers found at service stations. 

Workplace charging and charging as part of a commute such as at a train station car park, in more normal times in particular serves as a good opportunity for people who cannot charge at home. As people often spend over 8 hours at work which is plenty of time to charge the car and most people’s commutes are less than 30 miles. I know that with my commute of 20 miles, I could commute every day of the week in the iX and only have to completely charge the car once every two weeks.

The fifth generation of BMW eDrive technology combines the electric motor, power electronics and transmission into a single package which enables power density around 40% higher than before. This provides greater efficiency and therefore a longer range. Plus the drivetrain takes up less space which means the car can be smaller and interior space is maximised. 

The latest electric motors have an efficiency factor of 93% which is much more than a combustion engine which achieves 40%. It is also the highest ranking electric motor in the class.

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The brake recuperation in the BMW iX is adaptive to the conditions which makes driving the iX always feel natural. 

The iX uses data from the navigation system and sensors around the car to adapt the level of recuperation, for example when approaching a junction or traffic the recuperation is increased to feed energy back to the battery. 

On the open road, the recuperation reduces to give a coasting effect so that when the driver takes their foot of the accelerator it continues rolling forwards. Even in this setting the iX's intelligent sensors can detect if a car cuts in too close or if the traffic lights turn from green to red to kick in the recuperation immediately.  

The recuperation is both a safety feature and an energy saving function. 

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Not only does the satellite navigation in the iX help the car know when to use recuperation it also intelligently adapts the driving route to find the most efficient way to your destination, avoiding traffic jams or large hills which may use up battery. 

The GPS can also automatically include convienient charging stops if the journey's length is longer than the battery's predicted range.

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The BMW iX is eligible for the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme grant which contributes £350 towards the cost of installing a wall box. The iX also benefits from £0 road tax and £0 London congestion charge (although a £10 admin fee is still required each year). 

Company car drivers benefit as well as the BIK value is 2% for 2022/23 and 2023/24 at a value of £1,397. Whereas, a BMW X5 would have a BIK value of 37%, so the iX offers big savings. 

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The security function uses the overhead interior camera and is triggered if the alarm goes off. The iX will then notify the owner via the BMW app who can then access and save pictures from the interior and exterior cameras. 

These images can then be used to support insurance claims or simply to double check that your iX is okay.

The interior camera can also be used for fun, for example to take selfies on a roadtrip via voice command which can then be sent to friends and family.

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The BMW iX is the first luxury car to feature 5G technology to be in-built which allows over-the-air functionality. This combined with the fact that the iX has 20 times as much processing power as any previous BMW in car computer system allows it to process double the amount of data from the cameras and sensors, which in the future will allow for automated driving. 

The technology also benefits the driver with much quicker loading times for all of the car's functions and phone calls feature higher clarity. 

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The kidney grille at the front of the car is not simply a statement of style it houses a large number of sensors and cameras. These are used for the parking assistant, collision warning, evasion assistant and other functions. 

The grille is heated so that even in poor conditions the sensors still operate and the grille is coated in polyurethane which is self healing. So small scratches and chips can be removed by simply heating the grille up for five minutes using warm air or in 24 hours on a warm day. 

BMW names the grille as part of its 'shy technology' which are features around the car which are incorporated so subtly that they go unnoticed until needed. 

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An interesting feature is how you fill the washer fluid reserve. Rather than lifting the bonnet, you simply press the front BMW logo which pops up to allow you to fill the washer fluid tank directly. 

At the rear of the car, the rear BMW logo hides the washer jet for the rear camera. When the camera becomes dirty, the washer pops up from under the badge to clean the lens. 

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Sky Lounge is the BMW iX's panoramic sunroof. It is the largest single pane of glass ever to be fitted to a BMW and stretches the whole way across the BMW iX's roof. The glass roof can be electrochromically shaded to protect passengers from the sun or to give privacy. If you want to the full glass roof experience you can also revert the roof to full transparency. 

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The BMW iX is designed from the ground up as an electric car which increases the space inside due to features such as the completely flat floor, recessed centre console and floating dashboard. The flat floor allows space for three passengers in the rear and with the optional sunroof the iX feels spacious and light. 

There is also a large glovebox and door bins, cupholders, charging points and cubby holes around the cabin which further increase the feeling of space and the iX's practicality. 

The BMW iX also has a large 500 litre boot which has a practical shape, false boot floor, LED lighting and tie down points. Plus the rear seats drop at the touch of a button in 40/20/40 configuration. 

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The BMW iX is a unique proposition using advanced materials and technology previously unseen in any BMW or electric SUV. 

The iX features a sharply designed exterior, a beautiful interior, performance and practicality which could make it the perfect electric family car. If we were choosing out of the two variants we would choose the xDrive 50 M Sport due to its longer range, higher performance and sports detailing. 

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