BMW iX xDrive50 travel test: with BMW to Berlin

The luxury car ethos has changed a lot in recent years. The excess of comfort, space, silence and speed is no longer enough. Nowadays, people also want a higher seat in traffic, so add an electric motor right away, “but then I don’t want to be at a charging station every two hours.” The answer to all your world number one problems can be found in the all-electric BMW iX xDrive50. We did the final test in an EV-luxury and took a well-packed uber-SUV to Berlin.

What is the BMW iX xDrive50?

After a promising early start in 2013 with the i3 and i8, BMW’s electric program has moved downstream. The competition took hold and the brand was allowed to search for a new relaunch of the innovative i-range range. It started with the BMW iX3, which is an EV version of the standard BMW X3. A cautious start, but with the next model it was decided it was time for a major. The ultimate expression of what a BMW electric luxury car could look like in the i range.

The result is the BMW iX, a 4.95-meter, five-seater electric SUV that should completely wipe out the gasoline-powered competition into oblivion. A look at the spec sheet shows that this is not a half-hearted attempt. In the iX xDrive 50 configuration, the WLTP has a range of 630 kilometers. 523 horsepower and no less than 765 Nm of torque come from two electric motors driving both the front and rear axles.

The result is an acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.6 seconds, and a top speed of 200 km/h after not so long. Once off the highway, up to 200 kW can be charged using a suitable DC fast charger. The 105.2 kWh battery pack then charges from 10 to 80 percent in about 34 minutes. Or in other words, a range of ten kilometers per minute. So range anxiety shouldn’t be an issue on our trip.

How do you drive?

Before we leave, it is noticeable that with a 100% full battery pack, the indicated range is only 520 kilometers. As with any other electric vehicle, the indicated range is lower than the WLTP number. However, at a price of €134,218.04 as our test car, most buyers will soon experience their first electric vehicle inconvenience. Fortunately, the range is still more than enough for a 4-5 hour drive on the highway. Fully loaded with luggage, passengers and electricity, we travel comfortably towards the German border. The silence in the cabin is impressive, as is the amount of legroom for each passenger. Even for people over two meters tall, sitting straight is not a problem at all.

In the driver’s seat, the driving position is comfortable, but sporty. A reflection of the driving behavior of the BMW iX xDrive50. The power around 100 km/h is great, but the power above 100 km/h may be more than that. Once you get past the German border, the foot goes all the way to the ground, and this is where the iX shows its true strength. Acceleration is about the same at any speed below 180 km/h. The massive 765Nm of torque pushes you and your passengers up to 200 in no time, and even at top speed, the iX doesn’t seem too impressed by the whole scene. Meanwhile, hydraulic suspension disguises the German concrete panels as a kind of extra bass line for your German techno. Only the sound is able to penetrate the cabin a little.

Consumption at higher speeds remains reasonably limited. At 100 km / h, the consumption is 21.1 kW / 100 km, and at 120 km / h this increases to 23.1 kW / 100 km, and even at higher speeds the total consumption remains about 30 kW / 100 km. In other words, at a speed of 120 km / h, the charging distance is reduced by about 43 km.

The number of fast charging stations in Germany has now exceeded seven thousand in more than two thousand locations. Especially along the highway, finding a suitable fast charging point above 200 kW was not a problem. iX also helps you with this by indicating appropriate shipping locations. If the final destination on the navigation system is further than the range allows, the most convenient stop is included in the trip. The battery pack will then be preset so that the highest possible charging speed can be achieved. Speeds of up to 150 kW were achieved quite smoothly, even when no pre-conditioning was performed.

strength point

The thing the BMW iX xDrive50 does particularly well is making you forget what kind of engine it is. In this case, this is not an attack in which the drive has no character, but rather it can do everything the non-electric competition does. The power path can feel like a kick in the back when you pedal deeply, but at the same time it’s as calm as an air mattress gently swaying above sea waves.

Plus, you almost forget it’s an EV because range won’t quickly become an issue. BMW is considering road planning and on vacation, the driver will need to stop sooner than the car. Driving Assist Professional for the BMW iX offers a lot of safety systems, the shortcuts of which I will give you.

Concretely, the vehicle will adaptively follow the vehicle ahead at a distance, automatically slide off the road with blinking light and prevent itself from overtaking the drivers on the right. In addition to sign recognition, this provides a very complete package when it comes to highway driving.

There’s a lot to be said about the design, especially since the introduction causes so much controversy that the Mustang Mach-E may have had it as well. However, there is no denying that the BMW iX has a lot of “road presence”. It’s a car you’ll definitely look at for a second time, especially in the stunning Aventurinrot III color with gold accents.

Weak points

In terms of design, it’s exactly the iDrive system where the stitches are. It was decided to give the popular rotating handle a glass look on a wooden background. Not only does this look like it’ll be out of date in five years, the white codes are also unreadable even when a little sun shines on them.

The ambiguity continues when we scroll through all the applications and menus on the multimedia screen. There are fewer applications on the average phone and this causes frustration and distraction while driving. Luxury is the possibility of choice, but in this case less would be more

When the rear passengers have a lot of space, this unfortunately does not apply to luggage. The space, estimated at 500 liters, seems sufficient, but the trunk is cut diagonally. This ensures that the space becomes noticeably smaller the larger the stack. There was only enough luggage space for four people to get away from for the middle of the week. In addition, the electric tailgate does not automatically stop at the low roof, which leads to some very tight parking in cramped parking garages.

equipment

There is no shortage of technology in the BMW iX. Both the front and rear have enough gadgets to allow a good vacation trip. For example, the main electric car is equipped with a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 14.9-inch multimedia screen. Despite the fact that the iDrive system has become less visible in this version, the process is still easy. The rotary knob and touch screen capability are easier than just a touch screen. Here, there is more.

The navigation system shows you which way to go in three different places. Whether on the multimedia display, the dashboard or on the head-up display. On the multimedia screen, the iX displays camera images with arrows pointing you in the right direction.

A Bowers & Wilkins speaker system has also been added. With over 30 speakers spread across the entire cabin, you can’t escape the bass vibration through your seat and the pedals. Thankfully, this can still be set, but from the factory, music will vibrate across the cabin even on light settings. Then you have to be careful when removing the soda cans from the cooled center console.

In addition to plenty of legroom, the rear also has individual climate control and heated seats. A total of four cleverly integrated USB-C ports can be found in the rear of the front seats. There is also an interesting sliding element here. This is the basis for many of the accessories that BMW offers for the rear space. Think a clothes hanger, a tablet stand, or even a foldable table.

Conclusion BMW iX xDrive50

As a concept, the BMW iX is a no-brainer. Driving over 500 km electric in an SUV with the BMW badge is tempting for many people. As a holiday car, it completed its mission with more than enough. We sent the navigation system twice in the wrong direction. That’s not a problem, but thanks to the many augmented reality stocks, you’ll quickly be tempted to agree with BMW, even if you see that Berlin is already straight ahead. Also, luggage space in the negative sense, it’s too narrow for a large SUV.

However, here are some points of the vacation trip that are mainly thanks to BMW iX very comfortable. The navigation system thinks carefully about planning the trip as efficiently as possible. When it’s finally time to recharge, a short 30-minute break will work. The most impressive thing is the iX’s feeling at home on the highway. Acceleration is impressive at any speed and feeling anxious about range leaves you well in the rearview mirror too.