◎ A metal electric push button switch on a BMW

As I climbed onto the Aventurin Red Metallic BMW iX XDrive50 parked in front of my house, a woman driving a current-generation BMW X3 rolled past me.”I want that car,” she called out the window.I smiled and agreed when she reiterated, “No. Seriously. I want that car.”
As my own ex-X3 owner, it’s no surprise that BMW’s all-electric midsize SUV is getting this kind of attention — and not just because of the polarizing open mouth at the front of the vehicle.That’s because it’s BMW’s first all-electric flagship, and it looks strikingly similar to BMW’s hugely popular X5.It’s also one of two new all-electric utility vehicles from BMW that offer plenty of tech, power and range.
Back in the late ’90s, BMW got into the SUV game (or SAV, as BMW calls it, for “Sport Activity Vehicle”) with the creation of the hugely popular X5.A spokesperson confirmed that the company has sold more than 950,000 X5s in the US alone.In the first quarter of 2022, it was the best-selling model produced by BMW, according to the company.BMW is turning those sales figures into another success for the future with the introduction of the 2022 BMW iX XDrive50, an X5-sized SUV with an all-electric powertrain and more than 300 miles of range.
iX is a completely new design created from the ground up.It’s the flagship of BMW’s new all-electric architecture and design, and it’s loaded with some pretty cutting-edge tech that makes it stand out in an increasingly crowded sea of ​​luxury electrics.
While BMW was early in the electrification game, releasing the short-range BMW i3 in 2013, it was discontinued last year due to poor sales amid Americans’ desire for a larger, more rideable SUV.It’s been almost 10 years since the company launched a new all-electric car, but it has returned to the field with some very impressive products, including the BMW i4 sedan in various forms and the BMW iX (iX 40 , iX 50 and soon, the very fast iX M60).Just last week, BMW unveiled the i7 sedan, putting the company on track to reach its goal of accounting for 50 percent of global battery-electric vehicle sales by 2030.
While the i3 was originally designed as a city car with an initial range of just 80 miles, the iX has more than four times that range—to an EPA-estimated 324 miles of range.This is all thanks to a 111.5kWh (total) battery pack embedded in the carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP), aluminium and high-strength steel space frame that supports the vehicle.The battery has a usable power of 105.2kWh, which means, for example, on a one-way trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco (depending on traffic, temperature and your driving intensity), you only need to stop and charge it once.
Like the BMW i3 before it, the iX has a unique design inside and out.Behind that massive nose sits a ton of tech that makes the iX a driving dream.Inside, the iX is luxurious and luxurious, with crystal knobs and buttons, a simple and elegant wood panel where the iDrive controller sits, push-button door handles and an optional massive sunroof with an electrochromic shade that changes it from opaque to Transparent button press.The hexagonal steering wheel is beautiful and includes a simplified set of buttons and wheels that control everything from the audio system to advanced driver assistance systems.
On the road, the BMW iX is quiet, fast, and, despite the pain of BMW purists about everything from styling to SUV form, the iX is a lot of fun to drive.The battery is heavy, and if you choose to drive this 5,700-pound car on winding roads, you can certainly feel that weight, but powerful dual-excited synchronous motors at the front and rear of the vehicle make it agile and balanced.BMW says the iX makes 523 horsepower and 564 pound-feet of torque combined, and since it’s all-electric, the torque is instant, punchy, and smooth.
Even when driving hard, the iX’s electric range remains the same, even surprisingly.I took a quick day trip from Los Angeles to Encinitas near San Diego in less than 100 miles each way (70 miles to be exact) and was nearly fully charged within 310 miles.When I reached my destination in Encinitas, I had 243 miles left.When I got home and bypassed the traffic, I had 177 miles left.
If you do the math, you’ll notice that my range only dropped about 67 miles one way, a cumulative savings of 6 miles.That’s because I use the excellent and very efficient adaptive cruise control throughout, as well as the easy-to-use one-pedal driving mode (B mode), which regenerates power back into the battery.You can definitely feel the difference between normal mode and single-pedal mode, which improves regeneration when you lift your foot off the gas pedal.It’s easy to get used to, especially when there’s a lot of traffic in Los Angeles.
Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) are integrated with the navigation system and take into account the driving mode you choose and how aggressively you are driving.BMW has built an adaptive recuperation system to improve the efficiency of the iX by taking the strength of braking energy recuperation during overspeed and active braking and adapting it to the road conditions based on the road conditions detected by data from the navigation system and expand its mileage.Sensors used by driver assistance systems.It’s smart, seamless and surprising, and it does take away some of the range anxiety of driving an electric car.
The ADAS system, called Active Driving Assistant Pro ($1,700 extra), is one of the best I’ve experienced.BMW has tweaked the system to suit the driving situation in which you’re using it.In Los Angeles, for example, it is very common to come to a complete stop from over 70 mph after climbing a small hill on the freeway.When it happens, it creates a lot of fenders, and, during my time with the SUV, I encountered a lot.
However, the ADAS system in the BMW iX handles each of these instances very well – and without panic.That’s because the iX is equipped with five cameras, five radar systems, 12 ultrasonic sensors and vehicle-to-vehicle communications to help manage ADAS systems in real time.It also integrates data from the navigation system and 5G technology (one of the first vehicles to get it).
This means that the iX can basically “see” the slowdown and adjust its speed before you reach it, so that when you stop suddenly, it doesn’t brake hard or sound all sorts of alerts like other vehicles.It also uses the vehicle’s onboard cameras to monitor traffic and activate brake regeneration in a very subtle and gentle way in certain driving situations so you get more range on longer drives.
Apart from that, the voice control system in the BMW iX is one of the best in the business.When the company designed the iX, it removed a lot of buttons and integrated many common tasks for the driver and passenger into the eighth-generation iDrive.You can choose to control the system using the crystal wheels in the center console (which stand out and mirror the seat adjustment controls on the doors) or use the vehicle’s voice assistant.
At the heart of the iDrive 8 system is a large, curved display that begins behind the distinctive hexagonal steering wheel and extends into the middle of the vehicle.BMW has combined the 12.3-inch instrument cluster and 14.9-inch central infotainment screen into a single unit that slopes toward the driver for easy reading in all kinds of light.The system uses natural language processing to help you get the features you want and need without fumbling through menus.
While you still need to use a keyword (“Hey BMW” in this case) to wake the system, you can simply ask for directions to a specific restaurant, provide an address, or look up a list of the nearest chargers, and then you don’t have to use any specific way to say it.You can pause, stop and start naturally, or even mix up the address order, and the system will still find the right place for you.Once you start navigating, the system uses a really nice augmented reality overlay to tell you where to turn on the center screen, while it gives you directions on the dash.Overall, it’s very easy to use and very good.
With one exception: During my use of the BMW iX, a nail pierced the belly of the left rear tire.I happened to be relatively close to my destination, but I tried using voice control to navigate to a safe location to park and make a call.When the iX’s system notices a drop in air pressure, it immediately issues a tire pressure alert.Surprisingly, the alert greatly reduced the capabilities of the voice system.When I asked it to find the nearest gas station, the system told me that the voice assistant was unavailable due to tire problems.I stopped in a nearby parking lot to make a phone call and limped home.The fleet management company plugged the tires, and I came back with my patched tires.After the tires were repaired, the voice assistant was back.
In addition to driving the iX for about 300 miles in my week of use, I also had the opportunity to charge it on a public DC fast charger.Like the course, the public charging experience is pretty bad, but, since I live in Southern California, it’s definitely better than the rest of the country.I opted for a local EVgo DC fast charger, which has both availability and a coffee shop, to see if I could get a quick charge before hitting the road again.BMW offers two years of free charging for the iX and i4 on Electrify America chargers, but nothing nearby.
BMW says the battery in the iX can be charged from 10% to 80% in 30 minutes, and once I finally got the EVgo system working, I charged about 30 minutes on the 150kWh charger and recovered 79 miles of range from a 57-mile charge Percentage to 82 percent (from 193 miles of range to 272 miles of range), which is more than enough.
My biggest complaint about the charging experience (besides the incredibly buggy EVgo system) is where BMW placed the charging port.In many electric vehicles, the charging port is located on the front driver’s side in front of the door.In the BMW iX, it’s on the rear passenger side, which means if you use a public charging station, you have to go back into the space and put the charger on the correct side of the vehicle.In my chosen location, I can only use two of the four available chargers due to the configuration.While most car owners won’t charge on public chargers very often (as EV owners typically charge at home), going back to a crowded parking lot and praying that the charger of your choice works is a lot for most drivers question.
The BMW iX xDrive50 I spent a week buying was a whopping $104,820.With a starting price of $83,200, the BMW iX is in the upper reaches of the luxury SUV segment, let alone the EV segment.BMW still has incentives, so it does qualify for a $7,500 federal tax credit if you meet the criteria.
While the price is far from affordable, it doesn’t mean it.After all, this is a flagship model – a place where BMW can test its advanced features with customers, and plans to roll out the technology to other models in its lineup.The company already offers many of the iX’s features on their just-announced vehicles, such as the BMW i7 and i4.
After a week with the iX, it’s clear that those who love the X5 will be pleased with BMW’s all-new all-electric beast.If you have pocket money and want a vehicle that’s on the cutting edge of technology and power, the BMW iX is definitely a leader ahead of the rest.