BMW iX3 50 xDrive Review : Neue Wow Order

The new iX3 50 xDrive doesn’t just set new EV benchmarks, but is a fine return to ultimate driving machine form for BMW

Ascari Race Resort, Spain - If you are of this writer’s age, there are certain qualities that you would have come to associate with legacy automotive brands, especially with regards to the Teutonic triumvirate, which comprises Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

For the folks who grew up in the golden age of ICE (internal combustion engines), an automobile was far more than just a badge on its bonnet, because these cars embodied certain recognisable traits.

BMW, in particular, has long attracted terms like “driver’s car”, “fun” and “engaging” — well, since the 1980s at least, which were this petrolhead’s formative years of automotive inspiration.

Driving enthusiasts have no desire for a car to deliver “effortless performance” because feeling every visceral nuance of what a car is doing in response to one’s actions forms a large part of the joy of driving. As far as I am concerned, a fast car isn’t necessarily a fun car, because fast has become an easy metric that many brands use to entice non-enthusiasts.

Well, judging by the look, feel and motoring experience of the new BMW iX3 50 xDrive Sport Activity Vehicle (SAV), it seems like BMW’s credentials as “ultimate driving machine” will be perpetuated into the brand’s next epoch.

A big green flag to the brand’s dynamic aspirations in pursuit of “Sheer Driving Pleasure” was the Ascari Race Resort venue for the iX3’s launch festivities, a devilishly technical circuit on which we had visited before to drive other seriously high-performance machines.

Wait a minute, so what’s this about having the iX3 50 xDrive on the Ascari Circuit? Well, this was exactly the sort of confidence BMW had in its first series-production Neue Klasse’s dynamic abilities that it gave us the (almost) full circuit to play with! The only bit of the track the brand “broke up” was the high-speed straight, which it transformed into a slalom course to highlight the iX3’s quick and incisive direction changes.

However, given that this exercise was more to demonstrate the new model’s agility and fun-to-drive corner-carving prowess, the absence of an absolute straight didn’t impair the experience one bit.

Moreover, there were other straight sections that let us stretch the iX3’s legs to close in on its 210km/h rated top speed.

These past few years have seen a deluge of new BEVs (battery electric vehicles) entering the market, with every other brand touting their cars as premium, high-tech, vege-luxe fusions of new wave all-electric motoring.

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For the new BMW iX3 50 xDrive, most of these pithy catch-phrases actually hold true, as it really rocks the automotive world like a disruptive rebel upstart.

More importantly, it has brought brand identity back to cars, despite rapid digitalisation.

The latest iX3 is a case of BMW setting new benchmarks in driving experience and user interface, rather than merely following the herd for more of the same old same old.

Beyond the technology and staggering 805km range on a full charge, it is the manner in which everything works with the occupants that is transformative and yet, indubitably BMW, especially when everything is distilled to its bare essence.

We like the new design language, and the eye is quickly drawn to the vertical, sculpted kidney grilles inspired by the original Neue Klasse of the 1960s, which flow seamlessly into the horizontal twin headlights.

Its rugged proportions befit its “X” model status, and the two-box iX3 cuts an indomitable presence, with reduced surface treatment, precise lines, and expansive glazed areas.

More importantly, it incorporates a modern interpretation of BMW’s original and enduring blueprint, creating a reassuring sense of continuity that can be traced back to the brand’s thoroughbred legacy.

There are many points of interest beyond the central touchscreen to take note of as you enter the iX3’s cabin. Unlike the current crop of BEVs, there is so much more going for the iX3 than just comparing display sizes.

For starters, it gets a newly designed multifunction steering wheel (pictured above) that looked odd at first but proved perfectly ergonomic during our extensive test drive in Spain.

And then of course, there is the iX3’s party trick, the BMW Panoramic iDrive — which is underpinned by the newly developed BMW Operating System X. Customisable widgets and key information are projected onto the eye-level BMW Panoramic Vision, a narrow black strip — almost like a wraparound “floating” display — that runs the width of the dashboard from A-pillar to A-pillar.

The cabin ambience and occupant accommodation aren’t just comfortable, but also prove snugly supportive when you are on the move — fast or slow. Although it will cruise around in cossetting comfort, you will quickly discover that the iX3 50 xDrive is more than up to your red-mist indulgences, especially when the driver is confronted with his favourite series of corners.

The sixth-generation BMW eDrive technology does not just refine the iX3’s power management and charging experience, but works with the “Heart of Joy” processor (one of the iX3’s four supercomputers!) to enhance drivetrain and driving dynamics management, i.e. the “meat” for the driving enthusiast in the entire motoring experience.

We like how BMW used the word “heart” — instead of brain or mind — simply because of the emotional feels it conjures up.

Short of a few exceptions, most BEVs at present offer a rather one-dimensional driving experience. The madding crowd BEVs are mostly fast in a straight-line, which we reckon panders more to the mind than the heart, but this also relegates them to commuter appliance status for hardcore drivers.

If you are a driving enthusiast, there is something deeply soul-stirring about an analogue-feeling car, especially in an age of increasingly desensitised digitalisation.

When you are pushing hard, few things are as satisfying as savouring the weight of the steering, the cornering g-forces, and the feel of grip from the tyres as you make the car dance around a technical circuit like the Ascari Race Resort.

Starting from the pit lane, it only took the first three corners to suss out how entertaining the iX3 50 xDrive was. For a product of the digital generation, it is mind-boggling to discover how organic and analogue the iX3 feels when driven hard.

You never feel the “Heart of Joy” working, and there’s an addictive, natural fluidity to the way the iX3 comports itself. From hard braking to the incisive steering responses and even changing the car’s angle of attack with the throttle, a committed driver will take to the iX3 very quickly and easily, with scarcely any need for acclimatisation.

Around the circuit, it proved to be frisky and very fun, simply because of how deeply it involves the driver.

The iX3 50 xDrive isn’t the sort of clinical car you stomp and spurt around in, because it boasts a surprising amount of communication transmitted across steering and seat-of-pants, just like any proper driver’s car.

However, the four superbrains don’t just enhance performance driving; they also work intuitively to support the driver assistance systems, which makes for an eminently seamless driving experience.

For instance, we tried the test car’s advanced highway assistant system in Spain, which lets the driver remove their hands from the steering wheel for extended periods of time, even allowing for lane changes as the system tracks your line of sight — in other words, you confirm the lane change by looking in the direction you want the car to go! (pictured above)

Like all well-implemented technology, the operation is simple and intuitive, and one quickly gets into the iX3 50 xDrive’s groove and starts using its tech as intended.

In spite of the iX3 50 xDrive’s keenly honed driving dynamics, it will gamely carry the whole gin gang in cushy comfort, thanks to its commodious 2,897mm wheelbase.

The cabin is chic and contemporary, with large glass windows creating an airy ambience that highlights the exceptional interior space.

The iX3 50 xDrive is the first of BMW’s fresh breed of Neue Klasse models. Its enhancements are far deeper than face value and short of you driving it, it is difficult for us to emphasise how huge a leap forward ahead of its predecessor it has proven to be.

This is no mere evolution, but a complete revolution that rewrites the BEV rulebook — at least as far as BMW is concerned.

Neue Klasse demonstrates it is possible to inject attributes its fans have long associated with the BMW brand to enable its cars to transcend mere anonymous appliance status … and to hopefully usher in a golden era of automobiles again.

BMW iX3 50 xDrive

Battery 108.7kWh, 800V, AWD

Power 345kW (469hp)

Torque 645Nm

0-100km/h 4.9 seconds

Top Speed 210km/h

WLTP range 805km (combined)

Kerbweight 2285kg