Tesla has lost its exclusive right to EVs with a decent range. For example, BMW finally gives a serious answer with the iX, especially if you choose the 50. But the 40 is also very worthwhile. How does this über-EV do if we take a closer look at it?
The first cars of the modern electric era had a modest range and were therefore only interesting for urban use. That picture changed in 2012 when Tesla introduced the Model S, an EV with a decent driving range. That Model S has remained the model for the auto industry for almost ten years, but now there are finally a few brands with a backlash. For example, the BMW iX is an EV with extremely mature proportions and according to the manufacturer and depending on the version with a full battery, it will come as far as a Model S.
Under the floor you will find a large battery pack and the electric motors between the wheels. The basic version is the iX 40 with a maximum of 326 hp and a net battery capacity of 71 kWh, with which you should be able to reach 425 km according to the statement.
Driving in daily traffic is above average smooth, although the Tesla sprint times of just over two seconds for 0-100 km/h are not in it. In practice, by the way, absolutely no loss.
Not silky smooth
In our test, we covered 298 kilometers with the iX 40 on a full battery. Not earth-shattering. The iX will probably get you 50 to 440 kilometers, slightly below the actual driving range of the Model S Long Range (500 km) as we measured in the large range test of AutoWeek 12, 2020. But admittedly, we just have 40 in the iX. kept up with traffic and not touched the power pedal overly silky smooth. If you do your best you will certainly get further than 298 km.
To provide your almost empty battery with fresh power as quickly as possible, you peak at 150 kW with the DC fast charger in the iX 40; the iX 50 can handle 195 kW. The 40 to 11 kW are connected to the regular AC charging station. BMW provides the iX very conventionally with coil springs and only front-wheel steering. There is nothing wrong with that, as it turns out in practice. When it comes to chassis technology and steering behavior, BMW keeps its name high. The car feels solid, is nice and stable on the road and we don’t miss 4WS. We don’t have any problems with maneuvering, and at highway pace the BMW is wonderfully stable with a steering system that gives more than enough feeling.
The iX is a hefty SUV, slightly larger than the X5. In all directions you have more than enough elbow room behind the wheel, although the seats are on the short side. The latter is also the case in the back seat. The headroom is very good there due to the high continuous roofline. The seat of the BMW bench is also quite low, so your knees have to make a sharp angle.
The trunk of the iX measures 500 liters, which is slightly disappointing, with a neat storage compartment under the floor for the charging cable. It prevents you from having to put a dirty and/or wet cable between your clean luggage. You can connect a serious cart of no less than 2,500 kg to the automatically folding towbar. That’s what you’ll have to do. The car does not offer extra luggage space at the front, such as with the Teslas, the Porsche Taycan or Audi RS E-tron GT; the hood is stuck. With the iX, you can also top up windscreen washer fluid under the logo on the nose. Changing a light bulb quickly becomes a challenge.
swipe
On the dashboard, BMW has cut back considerably in the number of buttons and switches, so that you now have to swipe through menus for even the simplest things. To control the amount of braking on the engine, perform four steps. The operation of the air conditioning and the heating panels around the driver and passenger also requires a lot of attention and therefore distracts you more from traffic than necessary. This also applies to something as simple as choosing a different driving mode. With the buttons that are still there, it’s not all cake and egg. The volume knob (actually it is a role) on the center tunnel does not work well, you quickly slide your finger over it and hold your finger more firmly against it, then you press the role too easily into the mute position. The alternative is to control the volume by gesturing in the air, but that doesn’t always work well. We are more used to it from iDrive pioneer BMW.
As usual, when it comes to safety or comfort-enhancing systems, BMW is at the forefront with the iX. By default, it lacks little. The iX 40 is available from €87,330.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl