2021 BMW iX UK pricing announced from £69,905 – all-electric SUV ready for production
516bhp all-electric SUV leads the charge for BMW’s EV range expansion, and there’s more in the pipeline
Following on from the i3 and i8, the all-new iX SUV is the next stage in BMW’s electric vehicle strategy and will be a forerunner to a wide-scale expansion of BMW’s EV range. Now scheduled to hit the road in November 2021 priced from £69,905, the iX will sit at a similar pricing point to the Audi e-tron and Mercedes EQC.
Following its reveal late last year, BMW has now revealed final specs for the cars that will reach customers. Only the xDrive50 and xDrive40 will be available at launch, but a 600bhp iX M60 is in the pipeline...
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Kicking off the range is the £69,905 iX xDrive40, sending 322bhp and 464lb ft of torque to all four wheels for a brisk 6.1sec 0-62mph time – power comes from a 71kWh (useable) battery, providing a WLTP-certified range of 264 miles. At the other end (for now) sits the iX xDrive50, with 516bhp and 564lb ft of torque enough for a 4.6sec 0-62mph time – despite its extra performance an impressive 105kWh (useable) battery pack allows for a 391-mile WLTP range, putting it well ahead of Audi’s e-tron and the Mercedes EQC.
Though you pay a £22,000 premium over the standard model, the range-topper includes a 200kW charging capability for a 35 minute 10 - 80 percent charge – opt for the xDrive40 and charging speed is capped at 150kW.
In a divergence from the i3’s carbonfibre construction, the iX instead falls back on an aluminium spaceframe with BMW’s ‘carbon-core’, a strategic application of carbonfibre in key areas of the chassis to reduce weight while maintaining stiffness and, more importantly, reducing costs. The iX’s body has a similar length and width to the BMW X5, but sits lower and has a wheelbase that’s only a touch longer than an X5’s at 3000mm (+25mm). No other specific dimensions or weights have been revealed so far, but if the iX weighs less than 2000kg we’ll be surprised.
Of course, the iX is also designed to look like a future BMW, and its styling certainly diverges from that we’re currently familiar with from the marque. The body is crisp, teutonic and clean, introducing a more contemporary rendition of a design language that’s been honed for the best part of 80 years. Highlights include the wraparound tailgate, slim LED lighting and a repurposed kidney grille, which no longer provides cooling to the engine, but houses the iX’s extensive tangle of sensors and cameras that run the active safety and future self-driving hardware.
The interior reveals its own vision of tomorrow with a revolutionary aesthetic that’s minimalist by design and execution. The dash is dominated by a curved twin-screen se-up that houses a 12.3-inch driver’s and 14.9-inch central display, both running the next-generation interface that will soon spread across the range. Other elements, such as integrated touch controls in a wooden veneer, slimline air vents and reimagined transmission and driver mode selectors all signal a willingness to push the iX’s design further, just as the i3 and i8 did when they first introduced BMW’s i brand.
While the notion of an electric SUV generates little interest for those of evo’s disposition, it’s the iX’s design, technology and forward-looking fundamentals that will inform BMW’s future line-up, expanding beyond this iX into models more on our radar.
First deliveries of the BMW iX are set to commence in November 2021. Prices start from £69,905 for the xDrive40, rising to £91,905 for the xDrive50 range-topper.
