The all-new BMW iX3 is extra than simply the model’s newest electrical SUV. It’s the primary manufacturing Neue Klasse mannequin, which implies 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 particular person 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 automotive.
1. Panoramic Show: Data Proper The place You Want It
BMW calls it the Panoramic Show, however to me it appears like the right center floor between a Head-Up Show and the central iDrive display. As a substitute of wanting down and away from the highway, 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 data with out considering twice. It nearly made me neglect the Head-Up Show was even there. And the pliability is spot-on: in case you don’t like litter, you’ll be able to strip it down to simply the fundamentals. Need extra? Add widgets like media or route steerage. It’s a system that adapts to you, not the opposite means round.
2. Inside Area That Punches Above Its Class
This is likely one of the clearest indicators that the iX3 is constructed on an EV-first platform. And not using a transmission tunnel and with an extended wheelbase, the inside feels extremely open. Up entrance, the lateral house and legroom are beneficiant, giving an actual sense of width. Within the again, the shock is how a lot room you get — almost 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 implies taller passengers received’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 Severely Helpful
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 suitable dimension for a big backpack, a few grocery luggage, or your charging cables. It additionally offers you flexibility: you’ll be able to preserve on a regular basis gadgets separate from the rear cargo space, or stash one thing you need fast entry to with out digging by way of the trunk. When you begin utilizing it, you notice how precious that further little bit of storage actually is.
4. Retractable Door Handles: Clear Seems With a Enjoyable Issue
At first, I assumed the retractable door handles may be extra fashion than substance. However seeing them in motion modified my thoughts. They provide the aspect 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 ingredient. Youngsters particularly will love watching them pop out and in. It’s a kind of particulars that makes the automotive really feel futuristic with out being excessive.
5. iDrive X: Quick, Logical, and Lovely
BMW’s iDrive has all the time been forward of the curve, however the brand new iDrive X appears like the primary time it actually clicks with how we use tech at present. Not like the generally laggy launches of iDrive 8.5 and 9, this technique is easy and responsive proper out of the gate.
The format is a large enchancment. Menus are grouped extra logically, with each vertical and horizontal navigation that feels immediately acquainted in case you’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 whole display is one large set of shortcuts.
QuickSelect is one other spotlight: you’ll be able to create your personal row of widgets for the features you utilize most frequently. Add within the beautiful graphics, and also you get a system that’s not simply highly effective however pleasurable to make use of day by day.
The New iX3 is a Large Step Ahead for BMW
The brand new BMW iX3 appears 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 each day driving simpler.
From the Panoramic Show that makes data simpler to observe, to the roomy cabin and helpful storage touches, to the clear design and improved iDrive X — these are the small print that made the largest impression on me. If the remainder of BMW’s Neue Klasse fashions observe the identical strategy, on a regular basis driving might begin to really feel very totally different in one of the best ways.
