Say hello to…
…the BMW iX, an SUV-MPV with luxury seating for five and an official range of 263 miles in the xDrive40 version tested here. While, as a cross between an MPV and an SUV, it may be hard to define by traditional sector, it is a large car capable of carrying five adults in comfort with enough boot space for their luggage. The iX is available with four powertrains denoted by 30, 40, 50 and 60 in the model name.
The iX follows BMW’s current three-stage specification line-up.
- Sport
- M Sport
- M Model
Standard equipment on the Sport includes powered front seatrs, heated front seats, infotainment screen, twin-zone aircon, drive modes, charging at up to 195kW, heat pump, parking assist, parking sensors and reversing camera.
M Sport adds 21-inch alloy wheels, four-zone climate control, BMW iconic sounds, leather bound steering wheel and auto high beam.
M Model adds 22-inch alloys, front massage seats, uprated headlights, park assist pro and head up display.
Is The BMW iX Suitable For My Fleet
As a large EV with a decent official range and the prestige of the BMW badge, the iX should go straight on the fleet list, although probably only for upper management given the lease rates. The iX also has the advantage of a high maximum charge speed of 195kW, which means that those looking to cover higher mileage will be able to recharge quickly.
Leasing A BMW iX
Intelligent Car Leasing is offering the BMW iX xDrive40 M Sport for £1,123 a month on a 3+36 contract with 20,000 miles a year. Running costs are forecast at £80 a month over the same mileage, according to Gensen Reports, while Class 1A NIC comes in at £19 a month.
Driving A BMW iX
Car styling and looks are subjective. With the iX the car, in our opinion, looks far better in lighter and brighter colours which give the design more definition than in black and dark blue which hide these styling features.
Sit inside the iX and the cabin is impressive, both from a aesthetic point of view and a materials and construction point of view. Almost everything is soft touch and higher quality and only if you go searching (under the armrest) will you find some harder, shinier plastics.
The resolution an clarity of the large infotainment screen is particularly impressive and for the most-part it’s easy to navigate once you get the hang of BMW’s latest software. However, it’s not as simple as some – particularly for deactivating the annoying safety systems such as lane keeping and speed limit warning.
Driving the iX is surprisingly easy for such a large car. Manoeuvring is made simple thanks to cameras and parking sensors and the car doesn’t feel like a big car thanks to a good turning circle.
The same goes when you’re on the road. Visibility is good and the steering precise.
Comfort is good too, especially impressive given the huge alloy wheels. While you can waft along – thanks to the 326hp motor – the ride isn’t wallowy in the slightest. The body control through corners is typically BMW and excellent.
And with that level of power, the iX can be driven quickly although ultimately that’s not what the big SUV/MPV is about.
You also can find yourself managing the efficiency to get somewhere close to the official 263 mile range because, being a large, heavy car with a lot of power, we were only able to see a real-world range of 186 miles in cooler temperatures.
FleetandLeasing.com Verdict On The BMW iX
Appealing and easy to use, if a little colour sensitive in the looks department.
BMW iX
- Model: iX xDrive40 M Sport
- Power: 326hp
- Torque: 630Nm
- Max speed: 124mph
- 0-62mph: 5.6s
- Official range: 263 miles
- Test range: 186 miles
- CO2 emissions: 0g/km
- BIK tax band 2023/24: 2%
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