BMW iX3 electric SUV revealed

When it arrives in in mid-2021, the new BMW iX3 will bring some advanced battery, charging and recuperation technologies to the Australian EV market. The latest battery-powered model from the Bavarian brand was officially unveiled today.

As expected, the mid-size SUV has a single 210kW and 400Nm electric motor. It drives the iX3’s rear wheels, so the BMW lacks the electric all-wheel-drive traction of dual-motor competitors like the Mercedes-Benz EQC, Audi e-Tron and Jaguar I-Pace.

Still, the BMW’s specifications suggest it will deliver superior energy efficiency. A WLTP driving range of up to 459km is claimed for the iX3. This is an impressive figure from a lithium-ion battery pack with a usable capacity of 74kWh, less than its obvious opposition.

BMW claims the energy density of the battery pack’s cells is 20 percent higher than in the company’s other EVs on sale today, the BMW i3 and BMW i8.

Not only is the battery pack able to accept DC fast charging at power rates up to 150kW, the iX3 also introduces an innovative on-board AC charger from BMW. The charging unit can deliver up to 11kW from both single-phase and three-phase AC supplies.

The iX3 also has adaptive energy recuperation, which uses digital map data and input from on-board driver-assistance system sensors to automatically adjust regenerative braking levels.

On a motorway, for example, it will allow the BMW to coast when pressure on the accelerator pedal is eased. In town, approaching a junction, it will instead choose strong recuperative braking to rapidly slow the vehicle down. The driver can also choose instead to manually select high, medium or low regenerative braking levels.

While it’s obvious the iX3 is closely related to the X3, it’s sure to feel drifferent from behind the wheel. The underfloor battery pack of the EV lowers its centre of gravity 75mm compared to its petrol- and diesel-powered cousins.

The iX3 will also come equipped standard with adaptive dampers tuned to suit the EV. Taking advantage of the lowered centre of gravity, the set-up aims to provide sporty driving dynamics.

And despite being only rear-drive, BMW says a new wheel-slip-regulation system in the iX3 will give it astonishing traction on slippery surfaces. We’ll see…

Inside, the iX3 will offer space and flexibility to equal the X3. It will come with a 40:20:40 split rear seat backrest and a 510-litre (seats up) cargo compartment.

The iX3 also debuts BMW’s IconicSounds Electric system. This expresses the EV’s driving state with a matching acoustic pattern. The sounds were the work of movie soundtrack great and Oscar winner Hans Simmer, working in collaboration with BMW sound designer Renzo Vitale.

A BMW plant in China will assemble the iX3 for markets all over the world. BMW Australia will announce prices and equipment levels closer to the vehicle’s market launch date.