The look of the iX is very eye-catching, it’s hard to not notice its big nose (the grille!) The design of the iX comes from Li Tianyuan, a Chinese designer who used to work at BMW. And after you look at it for a longer time, you will notice that the iX doesn't really look like any other BMW cars. If you have to find a lookalike, it’s probably the little guy from the beginning era of BMW i series -i3.
BMW used a specially customized carbon fiber composite body on the i3 for the first time, and it is still the cheapest "full carbon" car model on the market. After the first round of testing of the i3 and i8, BMW didn’t explore more on the road of pure electric for several years. The iX3 and i4 are both based on the gasoline-electric CLAR platform - until today, the BMW iX (chassis code i20).
The pure electric platform also means that the iX will no longer have a "universal platform" that can be used as an alternative excuse, and all its performance will be recorded as the true strength of "BMW electric vehicles".
From i3 to iX, you can see it as BMW took its time to evolve the original i3 to a large pure electric SUV of X5 level. Compared with other examples, the i3 is very similar to the Audi A2 with an all-aluminum body in 1997: the same high cost and applaud, but it has provided the way for the wide application of the Audi ASF all-aluminum frame.
First, let’s start with space. BMW has given the iX a high degree of flexibility on space. The slender dash-to-axle (front wheel axis to the front door pillar) of traditional longitudinally mounted fuel luxury cars (such as X5) has been shortened, and the 3-meter long wheelbase is maximized, offering more space to the back row.
And when you open the door and get in, you will feel more of the spacious interior, the armrests are wide, the iDrive control area is within reach, but the front is no longer connected to the center console.
This arrangement actually has high demands on the interior design - if you don't get it right, it will look like a van. The approach of iX is to use simplicity, embellished with micro magnificence, and create a sense of exquisite luxury in a modern sense.
The one-piece dual-screen is presented as a suspended surface with a hidden bracket. Although the curvature is not amazing, the center control screen can be tilted toward the driver at a 6-degree angle, reproducing BMW's "driver-centered" tilting center control in the digital age. In addition to this, the entire front center console is all wrapped in a large piece of leather.
The exquisiteness alsol reflects in details. The iDrive central knob has now been replaced by a crystal. The physical buttons are hidden in the wood trim panel. The seat adjustment control has been moved to the door panel, which is also in crystal texture.
It might take a little time to get used to the hexagonal shaped steering wheel, the sense of spaciousness brought about by the lightweight interior styling is also a bold move at the car’s price range. BMW has given the iX the full space flexibility advantages of electric vehicles which is actually also reflected on the i3.
The 523-horsepower dual motor can make the iX xDrive 50, which weighs more than 2.5 tons, accelerate to 100km/h in 4.6 seconds. There is also said to be an M Performance version of the iX M60 soon, and it's hard to imagine who will not be satisfied with this power.
If powerful performance is only the basis of today's high-end electric vehicles, then BMW's drivability of iX is the foundation of "BMW electric vehicles". The iX has a light center position, but has a clear steering feel at both ends.
iX is BMW's "sum up" of the previous BMW i series, and it is also a "trailor" of the future BMW pure electric models.
In the coming years, we will also see the pure electric "new i3" based on the 3 Series, and we will see a new pure electric flagship sedan (i7, or the same platform as the iX). By 2025, BMW will truly embrace its new era - New Class. It is named after the 1962 BMW car New Class.
The iX plays such an important role too. The current iX platform is a pure electron configuration, but it is not enough to meet the needs of low price. Most of the body is aluminum + a lot of carbon fiber + new composite materials.
The iX certainly has some room for improvement, but is also full of little surprises, the iX has one of the best driving performances in electric vehicles today, good balance of handling feedback and NVH, a thoughtful interior layout, with more than 30 speakers!
