- New BMW iX3 spied testing
- Electric SUV gets near 500-mile range
- Sleek new ‘Neue Klasse’ styling
- Set to arrive later this year
Welcome to the dawn of a new age for BMW - as we get a first look at the incoming iX3.
For a while now, BMW has been talking about its incoming ‘Neue Klasse’ of vehicles - a fresh family of EVs that will adopt a sleek and minimalist new design language that, among other things, dials-down the firm’s oversized front grilles.
And this, the heavily refreshed iX3, will be the first proper production car to wear BMW’s Neue Klasse clothes and which is due to start rolling off production lines by the end of 2025.
The existing iX3 (first launched in 2021) was withdrawn from sale earlier this year ahead of the new model’s debut.
While these pics show a car that’s still disguised, it’s clear the new iX3 will look very different to its predecessor.
There’s a wider, digitally-enhanced and more modern front face, as well as what appears to be a more coupe-like rear end.
A new battery, called the ‘Gen6’, has an ‘energy density that’s 20 per cent greater than the prismatic cells previously used’, says BMW. .
It will, apparently, enable a range of up to 497 miles between charges. That’s properly massive, but BMW does caveat that boast by saying ‘figures given are provisional’. If the BMW iX3 really can travel that far between trips to the plug, it’ll accelerate ahead of pretty much all competitors when it comes to electric vehicles with the longest range.
Super rapid 400 kW DC charging can add 217 miles’ worth of range in just 10 minutes. You can also expect Vehicle-to-Load (V2L), Vehicle-to-Home (V2H), and Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) capabilities, with the latter two features helping you to save dosh on your energy bills.
The iX3’s cabin is rammed full of new tech innovations.
One of those is the ‘BMW Panoramic Vision’, where info is projected onto a black printed surface at the bottom of the windscreen nearest the dash. Another is the ‘BMW Panoramic iDrive’, which is an infotainment system that combines digital functions with good ol’ physical buttons.
Underpinning everything is a ‘superbrain’ computer that BMW is calling the ‘Heart of Joy’. It controls everything from the powertrain and brakes, to energy recuperation and sub-functions of the steering system.
What does that all actually mean for someone sitting behind the wheel? It’s all about sharper handling, BMW says.
A spokesperson adds: “Fewer control inputs are required, directional stability is more precise and stable. As a result, the vehicle develops consistent and reproducible cornering characteristics and can be steered intuitively.”
All versions of the BMW iX3 get driver assistance and safety tech like lane change warning, road priority warning, safe exit, and assisted view. The motorway assistant with automatic lane change also promises hands-free semi-autonomous driving - just like the BlueCruise system available with the Ford Mustang Mach-E.
Mike Reichelt, Head of Neue Klasse BMW, said: “With the all-new BMW iX3, we bring our revolutionary technologies into series production for the first time, and we can hardly wait to see it in action on the road. All future BMW models, regardless of powertrain type, will benefit from the innovations and technology clusters of the Neue Klasse."
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