The all-new BMW iX3 is extra than simply the model’s newest electrical SUV. It’s the primary manufacturing Neue Klasse mannequin, which suggests it carries the load of being each a design assertion and a expertise showcase. After driving it a couple of months in the past and seeing in individual twice now, I discovered loads to love — however 5 options actually stood out to me. They’re not simply intelligent and funky; they genuinely enhance on a regular basis life with the automobile.
1. Panoramic Show: Data Proper The place You Want It
BMW calls it the Panoramic Show, however to me it looks like the proper center floor between a Head-Up Show and the central iDrive display screen. As an alternative of trying down and away from the street, key data is projected throughout the decrease fringe of the windshield.
What I like is how pure it feels. Inside minutes, I used to be glancing at navigation prompts or driver-assist information with out pondering twice. It nearly made me neglect the Head-Up Show was even there. And the pliability is spot-on: for those who don’t like litter, you may strip it down to simply the fundamentals. Need extra? Add widgets like media or route steering. It’s a system that adapts to you, not the opposite means round.
2. Inside Area That Punches Above Its Class
This is without doubt one of the clearest indicators that the iX3 is constructed on an EV-first platform. With no transmission tunnel and with a protracted wheelbase, the inside feels extremely open. Up entrance, the lateral area and legroom are beneficiant, giving an actual sense of width. Within the again, the shock is how a lot room you get — practically on par with an X5, regardless of the iX3’s smaller footprint.
Headroom is equally spectacular. At 1.9m (6’2”), I nonetheless had about 10 cm above me, which suggests taller passengers gained’t really feel cramped. And BMW didn’t cease there: the rear bench reclines, including one other layer of consolation for lengthy journeys. It’s small particulars like that which make the distinction between “spacious” and “considerate.”
3. The Frunk: Small However Critically Useful
Seventeen liters doesn’t sound like a lot on paper, however in observe the iX3’s entrance trunk is genuinely helpful. It’s simply the proper dimension for a big backpack, a few grocery baggage, or your charging cables. It additionally offers you flexibility: you may preserve on a regular basis gadgets separate from the rear cargo space, or stash one thing you need fast entry to with out digging via the trunk. When you begin utilizing it, you understand how beneficial that further little bit of storage actually is.
4. Retractable Door Handles: Clear Appears With a Enjoyable Issue
At first, I believed the retractable door handles is likely to be extra type than substance. However seeing them in motion modified my thoughts. They provide the facet profile of the iX3 a glossy, uninterrupted look that basically suits the Neue Klasse’s clear design. The aero advantages are apparent — much less drag, higher effectivity — however there’s additionally a enjoyable component. Youngsters particularly will love watching them pop out and in. It’s a type of particulars that makes the automobile really feel futuristic with out being excessive.
5. iDrive X: Quick, Logical, and Stunning
BMW’s iDrive has at all times been forward of the curve, however the brand new iDrive X looks like the primary time it really clicks with how we use tech at this time. In contrast to the generally laggy launches of iDrive 8.5 and 9, this technique is easy and responsive proper out of the gate.
The structure is a large enchancment. Menus are grouped extra logically, with each vertical and horizontal navigation that feels immediately acquainted for those who’ve ever used a smartphone. Each icon acts as a shortcut — faucet it, and also you’re straight into the settings web page. It’s like the complete display screen is one big set of shortcuts.
QuickSelect is one other spotlight: you may create your personal row of widgets for the capabilities you employ most frequently. Add within the attractive graphics, and also you get a system that’s not simply highly effective however fulfilling to make use of each day.
The New iX3 is a Big Step Ahead for BMW
The brand new BMW iX3 looks like greater than only a mannequin replace. It’s a imaginative and prescient of the place BMW is headed with the Neue Klasse: smarter tech, higher usability, and considerate design touches that make every day driving simpler.
From the Panoramic Show that makes data simpler to comply with, to the roomy cabin and helpful storage touches, to the clear design and improved iDrive X — these are the small print that made the most important impression on me. If the remainder of BMW’s Neue Klasse fashions comply with the identical method, on a regular basis driving might begin to really feel very completely different in one of the best ways.
