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BMW iX3: The full amount of torque is practically available from the start
Photo: Fabian Kirchbauer / BMW
The first impression:
A stately appearance, that's how SUVs are in this class.
The car hardly shows that it is a Stromer.
If it weren't for the bluish shimmering trim and the big "i" on the body - only experts would recognize that this X3 has an electric drive under the sheet metal.
What the manufacturer says:
BMW only comes onto the market with a second electric car seven years after the high-tech carbon Stromer i3 - the manufacturer is relaxed about it.
"If we had introduced the iX3 two or three years ago, it would have become heavier and would have consumed significantly more," says project manager Arno Keller and looks at the competition with a smile.
Audi e-tron, Mercedes EQC and Jaguar I-Pace have been on the road for some time, but they need around 20 percent more energy and weigh up to a quarter ton.
With the electric version, the X3 line at BMW becomes the first series that is available with all four drive types - petrol, diesel, plug-in hybrid and, of course, full electric.
BMW wants to extend this principle to other series.
Next up will be the 3/4 series at the end of 2021.
BMW also debuts the production of the iX3 in China.
Never before has a German premium manufacturer had a model built in China in order to sell it outside the country.
According to BMW, this does not affect the manufacturing quality.
"Our standards are the same worldwide," says product manager Rebecca Groß.
Peter Fintl, China and auto expert at the technology consultancy Altran, sees it similarly.
"BMW has a lot of experience with production in China. If there were weak points here, the brand would have been pilloried for a long time. The Chinese have high demands on quality, especially when it comes to premium vehicles."
We noticed that:
more on the subject
Range, charging, costs: what you should know before buying an electric carBy Michael Specht
On the one hand, the iX3 with its 210 kW (286 PS) and 400 Newton meters behaves like a classic electric car: the full amount of torque is practically available from a standstill and allows the car to accelerate smoothly, evenly and almost silently.
This is what makes electric vehicles so attractive.
Compared to other electric cars, however, the iX3 amazes with cornering dynamics that would look good on some sports cars.
This despite a higher seating position and a vehicle weight of 2.2 tons.
The driving behavior of the iX3 is almost reminiscent of that of earlier BMW models, which "pulled the back" a little when accelerating out of the curve.
Project manager Keller is not surprised: "We deliberately designed the iX3 to be a bit rear-heavy, 57 percent of the weight rests on the driven rear axle."
You have to know that:
Due to the late appearance of the iX3, Keller and his team were able to install the latest technology in the drive, power electronics and battery.
Internally it is called "5th Generation", the 1st generation is in the i3 from 2013.
The technology will also find its way into the i4 sports sedan and the iNext crossover at the end of next year.
All components are trimmed for lightweight construction.
The electric motor, the gearbox and the power electronics with the inverter are combined to form a compact unit.
A lot of know-how went into the electric motor.
It has no magnets and therefore does not require any rare earths.
The magnetic field is generated by electricity and can be variably controlled.
This increases efficiency and reduces noise.
The batteries have succeeded in reducing the cobalt content by 62 percent compared to the current i3.
Cobalt is largely mined in the Congo, partly by children.
"We source our cobalt exclusively from certified mines in Morocco," says Keller.
"The batteries are made CO2-neutral, 100 percent with green electricity."
All of this is supposed to take the wind out of the sails of critics who claim that an electric car is ecological nonsense.
BMW has made an internal CO2 calculation here: According to this, even with today's electricity mix, the iX3 is better off than its diesel counterpart X3 2.0d after around 50,000 kilometers.
In terms of price, BMW strategically positioned its first electric SUV.
At 66,900 euros, the iX3 is on a similar level as an X3 30d or the plug-in hybrid variant X3 30e, at least if you equip these two models equally.
Compared to the diesel, the Strom-X3 has the great advantage that company car drivers only have to tax 0.5 percent of the list price as a monetary benefit.
Private buyers benefit from the environmental bonus of 7500 euros (5000 euros from the state, 2500 euros net from the dealer).
We will not forget:
The developers did not think one thing through to the end: At the front under the hood there would still have been space for a small plastic tub (like the i3) to stow the often wet and dirty charging cable.
There is only a very small compartment under the loading floor in the trunk.
But in everyday life, nobody makes the effort to fumble into it again.
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