One of those cars that some people love to hate, the BMW iX has generated quite a lot of controversy regarding its exterior design. The cabin hasn’t been subjected to the same treatment as most reviewers have found it to be top-notch and a step in the right direction for the brand. The all-electric SUV is one of the first models from the Bavarian marque to adopt the iDrive 8 and you can see it here at work during the late hours of the day.
Never mind the flashing lights as those appear only on camera due to the sensors mounted in the instrument cluster, related to the car’s driver assistance systems. In real life, you obviously won’t be seeing them as the lights would be awfully distracting. It’s the same story with some videos you might have seen of flashing LED headlights.
The iX featured here is the lesser xDrive40 trim level not available in the United States where BMW is only selling the more potent xDrive50. However, that could change in March next year if we were to rely on a report from Bimmerpost, which also states the M60 will arrive on this side of the Atlantic. The base model would be good to have in North America to lower the vehicle’s starting price, which currently stands at $83,200 for the xDrive50.
Getting back to this video, it’s a reminder BMW has some of the best ambient lighting in the luxury segment, remaining discreet as opposed to some rivals that tend to overdo it. You’d better get used to the side-by-side screens as plenty of upcoming models will have it, including the next 5 Series and 7 Series, but also the facelifted 3er.
As far as specs are concerned, the iX xDrive40 has 326 horsepower on tap, good for a 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) run in 6.1 seconds. For the sake of comparison, the beefier xDrive50 packs 523 hp and reduces the sprint time to 4.6 seconds. As for range, the more affordable variant with its 70-kWh battery does 397 to 425 kilometers (247 to 264 miles) in the WLTP cycle while the pricier model can go 590 to 631 km (367 to 392 miles) between charges thanks to a bigger 100-kWh. The US-spec xDrive50 has not been rated by EPA just yet, but BMW estimates you should be able to cover up to 300 miles (483 km).
The M60 is likely going to sacrifice some of the range for better performance, with reports saying it will have as much as 560 hp.
[Source: DrivingCars / YouTube]