Neue Klasse Electrical SUV Examined for Vary, Charging, and Driving Dynamics

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Sotogrande, Spain — simply throughout the water from Gibraltar — is the place I spent a number of days with the 2026 BMW iX3, the first Neue Klasse SUV and an important electrical BMW for the reason that authentic i3. And earlier than you scroll too quick: don’t be alarmed if this evaluate is lengthy. The concept is to incorporate each element potential for future patrons, as a result of that is the automotive that can outline BMW’s electrical roadmap for the following decade. After years of teasers, ideas, and quiet guarantees from engineers, the primary actual Neue Klasse product is lastly right here — and it feels totally different from the second you begin driving it.

This isn’t a CLAR adaptation. This isn’t an electrified facelift. The iX3 is a clean-sheet BMW on an all-new structure with a brand new battery, a brand new UI, and a central computing platform known as the Coronary heart of Pleasure that transforms how the automotive drives. For a day, the iX3 was my every day driver, my backroad companion, my freeway cruiser, and even my monitor automotive at Ascari. And it didn’t take lengthy to comprehend this: that is the most effective electrical car BMW has ever constructed — and the primary one which genuinely feels engineered across the driver.

Neue Klasse: A New Platform With New Priorities

The 2026 BMW iX3 sits on the Neue Klasse structure, BMW’s first EV-only platform. That brings an 800-volt battery system, far faster charging, and packaging benefits you can not obtain with a transformed combustion chassis. The SUV makes use of a 108 kWh internet battery and fast-charges at as much as 400 kW, which implies you possibly can add round 175 miles (EPA) in ten minutes underneath ultimate circumstances. BMW expects an EPA vary round 400 miles, whereas WLTP estimates roughly 800 kilometers.

The check automotive was the iX3 50 xDrive, producing 463 horsepower and 476 lb-ft (650 Nm) of torque. BMW claims 4.9 seconds from zero to 100 km/h. On the Dragy PRO, I ran 4.59 seconds, barely faster than marketed. It’s a well-recognized BMW theme: the numbers on paper are at all times modest, the true world at all times higher.

However what stands out is the way it delivers the ability. As a substitute of the sudden, neck-snapping hit so many EVs chase, the iX3 feels progressive and elastic. It nonetheless pushes you into the seat, however the supply is smoother and extra pure. It feels tuned for drivers, not drag-racing algorithms.

On the Street: Composure, Stability, and a Remarkably Enjoyable SUV

Southern Spain is a paradise for chassis engineers. Tight corners, late apexes, lengthy sweepers, altitude modifications, and pavement that goes from good to damaged in a single stretch. It’s the type of area the place even good automobiles get uncovered. The iX3, although, got here alive.

The very first thing you are feeling is how rapidly the Coronary heart of Pleasure responds. It displays wheel slip, load, and torque demand in actual time, and it reacts immediately. Flip in exhausting and the physique stays impressively flat. Elevate mid-corner and the regen blends seamlessly, settling the entrance axle with out jerking the cabin ahead. Roll again into the throttle and also you get clear, drama-free exit traction with no torque steer by any means. Even with solely 463 horsepower, the iX3 behaves like a a lot smaller, a lot lighter SUV — and at 2.3 tons, that’s no small achievement.

Much more attention-grabbing is how a lot the regen contributes to the driving really feel. Excessive regeneration mode creates a dynamic one-pedal rhythm that allows you to brake with precision purely by lifting off. For the primary time in a BMW EV, the regen by no means feels harsh or abrupt. It slows the automotive in a easy, progressive arc you can meter with millimeter-level throttle changes. For somebody like me — and for passengers who get movement illness — the smoothness is a giant deal. Even at most regeneration, the automotive by no means lunges.

In actual fact, Kyle from Out of Spec Evaluations, who has pushed practically each EV available on the market and is notoriously choosy about regen tuning, instructed BMW engineers that that is the most effective brake-regen calibration within the trade proper now. I agree. It lastly looks like one thing engineered as a part of the driving expertise, not merely bolted in for effectivity.

Observe Time at Ascari: The place Neue Klasse Reveals Its Depth

Most EV launches keep away from racetracks as a result of weight, overheating, and brake fade rapidly change into an issue. BMW didn’t draw back — as an alternative, they handed us the keys and pointed towards the Ascari Race Resort, one of the vital technical and unforgiving circuits in Europe. We adopted an M5 Competitors MotoGP Security Automotive, and the tempo rapidly escalated.

My street automotive wore a sq. setup of 21-inch Goodyear summer season tires, however the monitor iX3s switched to staggered Michelin Pilot Sport EVs. The distinction was fast. Grip ranges skyrocketed, physique roll practically vanished, and the stability improved even additional.

Via Ascari’s high-speed sweepers, the iX3 stayed flat and composed. You can hear the Michelins working, however the chassis by no means flinched. Laborious braking from 120–130 km/h was steady and predictable, with no nostril dive or rear lightness. Mid-corner stability was shockingly impartial for an SUV of this dimension.

Essentially the most fascinating second got here once I deliberately provoked over-rotation. You’re feeling the Coronary heart of Pleasure intervene with a stage of subtlety I’ve by no means felt in a BMW EV. As a substitute of stabbing the brakes or yanking energy away, the system trims particular person torque vectors, stabilizes the automotive, and sends you in your manner — all earlier than your mind finishes processing the slide. It cleans up your errors so rapidly that you simply virtually really feel like a greater driver than you might be.

The grip is extraordinary — virtually unnatural for a 2.3-ton SUV. Wanting disabling DSC fully, it’s practically inconceivable to interrupt traction except you exceed physics. On the monitor, that meant predictable, confidence-inspiring laps. On the street, it means the iX3 makes you are feeling invincible with out ever changing into unsafe.

Suspension, Trip High quality, and Tire Noise

BMW at present provides just one suspension choice: a passive metal setup. No adaptive dampers, no air suspension. On paper, that seems like dangerous information, particularly for a automotive with such a dynamic temporary. In actuality, this metal suspension is superb.

On the street, the iX3’s compliance is best than the G45 X3 on related wheels. It absorbs tough surfaces with out bouncing, retains vertical motion managed, and by no means crashes over growth joints. Consolation mode is tuned for every day usability, and over a whole bunch of kilometers of regular roads, the iX3 felt well-damped, easy, and quiet.

Sport mode tightens all the pieces up, delivering extra steering weight and much sharper physique management. However in contrast to some EVs that change into jittery of their stiffest mode, the iX3 nonetheless feels composed.

Tire noise from the Goodyear summers was noticeable on coarse pavement however by no means intrusive. BMW makes use of lively noise cancellation to scale back high-frequency street noise, and the impact is actual. At 100 km/h, the inside measured round 63 dB. At 50–60 km/h, it hovered round 57–58 dB. These are glorious numbers for a car on 21-inch wheels.

Inside, Seating, Area, and On a regular basis Consolation

The cabin is the most effective inside BMW has put right into a non-flagship EV. Despite the fact that the M Sport Professional automotive I examined used an Alcantara and artificial leather-based mixture, the fabric high quality felt greater than within the G45 X3. Actual leather-based might be supplied as an choice. BMW additionally confirmed that the dashboard will finally be out there in numerous supplies, not simply the translucent cloth used on early automobiles. No matter trim, the ambient mild will nonetheless shine via the sprint panel — a small however very cool element.

The M Sport seats deserve particular reward. I’m 6’2” (1.89 meters), and these seats match me completely. They provide glorious lateral help with out squeezing, sturdy lumbar help, and noticeably higher long-distance consolation than the earlier era of BMW sport seats. In addition they embrace a handbook thigh extension, which the bottom seats lack. That alone makes the M Sport Professional package deal price contemplating.

Rear house is among the iX3’s surprises. As a result of it’s an EV-first platform with no transmission tunnel, the rear flooring is flat, and knee room and headroom are virtually on par with a BMW X5. We examined three adults throughout the again — all tall — and the iX3 dealt with it surprisingly properly. Shoulder room was tight, as anticipated, however two adults and a toddler may have loads of house. Cargo quantity is beneficiant, with vast entry and a deep trunk flooring. There’s additionally a 17-liter frunk that’s designed primarily for storing cables and equipment.

There are annoyances, although. BMW has eliminated the bodily toggle switches for the air vents, that means you now alter airflow course through the central display. It really works, however it’s much less intuitive than a bodily slider. The panoramic glass roof additionally not retracts, and there’s no opacity management. BMW insists their information reveals few prospects used the mechanical shade. The glass is closely tinted and heat-blocking, and in follow, it saved the cabin cool in full Spanish solar. However many patrons will nonetheless complain.

iDrive X, Panoramic Imaginative and prescient, and CarPlay Limitations

iDrive X is what OS9 ought to have been. It’s quicker, cleaner, extra logical, and far simpler to navigate. The horizontal “clustered” info design is much better than the vertical scrolling of iDrive 8 and eight.5, and the complete system looks like a contemporary interface quite than a bloated submenu maze. Each icon on the display performs a perform now — there aren’t any dead-end UI parts.

The brand new Panoramic Imaginative and prescient show runs the size of the windshield and locations widgets, navigation information, and driving info straight into the motive force’s ahead sightline. It’s surprisingly straightforward to learn in brilliant solar, partly as a result of BMW provides it a delicate 3D depth impact. I discovered myself counting on it greater than the head-up show for navigation as a result of the knowledge sits decrease and naturally nearer to my discipline of view. Should you discover it cluttered, switching to “Silent Mode” leaves solely three core widgets lively.

CarPlay works properly, however with a big limitation: solely Apple Maps integrates into the head-up show and Panoramic Imaginative and prescient. Waze and Google Maps can not mission, as a result of Apple doesn’t enable that stage of information sharing. Android Auto customers can show Google Maps and Waze in each the HUD and Panoramic Imaginative and prescient, so sarcastically, essentially the most superior BMW show integration at present favors Android. Should you use Apple Maps, although, the expertise is flawless.

Degree 2+ Freeway Assistant: Finest Model But

The iX3 makes use of BMW’s up to date Degree 2+ system with hands-free driving as much as 130 km/h (85 mph). The enhancements over the present model are noticeable. Lane modifications occur in three alternative ways: you possibly can merely look within the mirror to verify a transparent lane, and the automotive will immediate the lane change; you need to use the Lively Lane Change that triggers while you have a look at the mirror; otherwise you may give the steering wheel a slight nudge, and the flip sign will activate itself because the automotive strikes over. So sure — the iX3 now offers BMW drivers with actually no excuse to not use their indicators.

My favourite change is small however significant: tapping the brake pedal not disengages the system. Solely a agency brake press will deactivate it. In heavy freeway visitors, this makes the system way more helpful.

Regen Braking: Finest within the Trade

The brake regeneration system within the iX3 can deal with as much as 95 % of braking via vitality restoration underneath sure circumstances, that means the friction brakes are barely utilized in every day driving. BMW’s new “Adaptive” and “Brake” modes mechanically alter regen based mostly on topography, visitors, and velocity. In “B” mode, you get a full one-pedal driving really feel, however with not one of the harshness you would possibly count on.

The smoothness is essentially the most spectacular half. BMW tuned the brake transition so rigorously that in Adaptive mode, the regen is so gentle it’s virtually imperceptible. Passengers who would possibly get sick in Teslas or different EVs will really feel a lot better right here. It’s no exaggeration: that is essentially the most refined regen system on any EV right this moment.

Vary and Effectivity within the Actual World

I began the day with practically 700 kilometers of indicated vary. After aggressive mountain driving, a number of regen assessments, a freeway stint, and monitor time at Ascari, the battery dropped to 82 % and nonetheless confirmed 669 kilometers remaining. Later, after heavier driving, the automotive learn simply over 500 kilometers at 56 %. Even underneath exhausting use, the iX3 returned consumption numbers within the low-18 kWh/100 km vary (3.3 miles per kWh).

That effectivity is extraordinary for a heavy EV SUV and speaks to how properly the sixth-generation battery system and motors are built-in.

iX3 vs. iX: The Comparability Everybody Needs

I’ve pushed the iX extensively, and whereas it stays BMW’s luxurious EV flagship, the iX3 makes it really feel dated. The iX remains to be quieter and extra snug because of its air suspension, however all the pieces else — together with charging velocity, effectivity, regen smoothness, steering readability, and dynamic response — is best within the Neue Klasse iX3.

The iX3 weighs much less, prices at double the speed, corners flatter, feels extra agile, and easily drives higher. The worth distinction widens the hole even additional. The iX3 is predicted to start out round $60,000 within the U.S. An equal iX xDrive60 begins near $90,000.

Put merely: if the iX is the posh cruiser, the iX3 is the motive force’s EV.

Ought to I Purchase One?

After a full day of street testing, monitor testing, metropolis driving, and UI exploration, right here’s the conclusion: the 2026 BMW iX3 is BMW’s most full electrical car to this point.

It isn’t good although, a minimum of for now. It lacks ventilated seats and heated rear seats, though BMW says they’re planning on providing these sooner or later. The panoramic roof doesn’t retract. There are fewer bodily buttons than ever, and the vent controls buried in iDrive X received’t please everybody. However as a driving machine — one thing that issues deeply to BMW fanatics — the iX3 delivers on each entrance.

Neue Klasse promised a brand new era of electrical BMWs. With the iX3, that promise lastly turns into actual. That is the EV for individuals who really love driving.