BMW iX3 2022 Review

There’s no ludicrous mode launch system, no 3D pixel LED headlight detailing and nothing in the way of radical design cues or storage features to be seen here.

For most passersby, the 2022 BMW iX3 will just blend into the background. Is that a good thing? It depends on how you want the world to see you.

Move beyond what the BMW iX3 says about you (and its confusing name) and you’ll find a very good electric vehicle.

Priced from $114,900 plus on-road costs, it might sound expensive but compared to the dedicated-electric Mercedes-Benz EQC ($124,300) and larger luxury e-SUVs such as the Audi e-tron ($137,100) and Jaguar I-PACE ($137,832), it’s already off to a good start, priced between $10,000 and $22,000 lower than each. And that’s for the ‘entry-level’ model grades.

You get quite a bit of EV juice for your money, starting with a solid 460km claimed range (WLPT). In ideal conditions it comes close to this claim. The means the BMW SUV delivers a considerably longer range than the Benz and slightly better than the Audi – but not the Jag.

Equipment levels are good, with the twin 12.3-inch screens some of the prettiest you’ll see in a modern car today. The head-up display is likewise crisp, clear and useful.

Other standard features include a wireless phone charger, heated and electrically-adjustable leather front seat trim, lumbar and side bolster adjustment for the driver, 20-inch alloy wheels, adaptive suspension, a large panoramic glass sunroof and three-zone automatic climate control.

You also get a very tasty 16-speaker Harman Kardon stereo in the standard package, along with the latest BMW Cockpit Professional 7 operating system, which features wireless Apple CarPlay, wireless Android Auto, digital radio and internet updates for news, weather and so on.

It does miss a few features, however, such as ventilated/cooled seats and the ability to power household appliances (V2L), like with the Hyundai IONIQ 5 and Kia EV6.

Five years of free access to the Chargefox recharging network is a nice sweetener, although the standard three-year/unlimited-km warranty is almost insulting when its rivals offer almost double that.

The battery warranty is more respectable at eight years or 160,000km and capped-price servicing costs for the BMW battery-electric vehicle range from $1200 (four years/unlimited km for basic coverage, $4605 for ‘Plus) and $1650 (six years/unlimited km, $5500 for Plus).

Service intervals are undefined. Instead, BMW uses a condition-based servicing system that monitors individual components and notifies owners in advance when a service is due.

The 2022 BMW iX3 is an exceptionally pleasant vehicle to drive in all conditions not just because of its solid fundamentals and smooth, silent powertrain, but also due to a range of proactive semi-autonomous driving assistants fitted as standard.

Active cruise control with stop-and-go function, steering and lane control assist with active lane guidance and lane keeping assist with active side collision protection conspire to deliver impressive levels of automatic steering, braking and acceleration on freeways and roads with good lane markings.

Safety features such as autonomous emergency braking, front and rear cross traffic alert, crossroads warning, speed limit assist and an evasion assistant are also nice-to-haves, and the 360-degree parking camera system, front and rear parking sensors and autonomous parking systems got a good workout during this test, working well to take the stress out of city parking.

The BMW iX3 even comes with ‘acoustic pedestrian protection’ that makes a sound between zero and 30km/h to warn pedestrians and cyclists of its presence.

It’s fitted with six airbags covering front and rear passengers and retains a top five-star safety rating from independent safety authority ANCAP. However, that rating is based on the 2017 BMW X3’s and today’s scoring regime is much stricter.

In terms of tech, the wireless phone charger works well but when running wireless Apple CarPlay and charging the phone at the same time, it gets so hot the charger often has to switch off. Also, running wireless CarPlay creates a four-second delay on phone calls, which is a disincentive to use it.

Other than that, the infotainment systems work well and the gesture control function is much more intuitive than earlier iterations for adjusting volume and pausing music, for example.

Other than that, the infotainment systems work well and the gesture control function is much more intuitive than earlier iterations for adjusting volume and pausing music, for example.

The 2022 BMW iX3 might take the platform, body and interior of an older vehicle developed specifically for conventional fossil-fuelled engines, but the electric powertrain it employs is an elegant and compelling unit.

Pumping out 210kW and 400Nm, it’s not as beefy as some twin-motor EVs yet throttle response is instant and persuasive, shifting the 2.2-tonne German SUV’s chubby mass with charismatic ease.

The e-motor that’s located on the rear axle and drives the rear wheels slurps down electrical power at a claimed rate of 18.4kWh per 100km (delivering a 460km on the WLTP cycle, factoring in regenerative braking) which is almost achievable in real-world scenarios.

During our testing, with most days above 30 degrees centigrade and requiring heavy and sustained blasts of cool air-conditioning, the BMW iX3 range dropped by almost 100km so you’d be looking at a range of under 400km in hot weather.

It’s not as efficient as a Tesla Model 3, Australia’s most popular EV by orders of magnitude, which has a smaller 50kWh battery pack and manages 13.2kWh/100km.

The iX3 isn’t as rapid off the mark as Tesla models either, although its feels much quicker than the claimed 0-100km/h time (6.8sec), pushing bodies into their seats under full throttle.

BMW’s fifth-generation ‘eDrive’ powertrain is a very suave operator and cleverly engineered too. It combines the single-speed transmission, the charging and driving units, high-voltage battery and generator for energy recuperation in one housing, which is fed energy from a 74kWh lithium-ion battery.

Another boon of the BMW iX3’s electric motor, which is not the usual permanent magnet type but rather a current-excited synchronous electric motor, is that it doesn’t use as much rare earth material.

That BMW is attempting to acquire cobalt and lithium supplies semi-sustainably – including from Aussie sources – should be seen as another win for those chasing more sustainable modes of transport.

The Bavarian car-maker also reckons it can recycle 96 per cent of the battery cell material at the end of its lifecycle. Question is, will it?

Battery charge times are competitive, although unlike new Porsche, Audi, Hyundai and Kia vehicles with 800V electric architecture, the BMW iX3 has a 150kW charging ceiling.

On a 150kW fast-charger, which ChargeFox offers around Australia at shopping centres and the like, it takes a claimed 32 minutes to charge the battery from 10 to 80 per cent. On an 11kW charger – typically a three-phase AC wallbox – it’ll take seven and half hours to go from zero to 100 per cent.

If the only option is a domestic AC outlet, the sort of regular power point you’d find in your home, it’ll take 44 hours to charge the battery from zero to 100 per cent.

Squeezing a new-generation – and ultra-heavy – EV powertrain into a conventional platform is fraught with compromises, but BMW has delivered a beautifully resolved dynamic package.

The BMW iX3 offers what is arguably one of the best blends of ride comfort and driving dynamics of any X3 to date, and part of that is because BMW’s chassis boffins had to soften the suspension to deal with the extra weight that a giant battery pack brings.

A supple ride quality is initially quite a shock, given the taut ride of traditional X3s and the iX3’s sporty 20-inch alloy wheels. But like Barry Manilow, the German luxury SUV is smooth and sophisticated, gliding over speed bumps and cruddy roads with nonchalant ease.

But despite the added weight it also somehow manages to be adept at scything through bends, the rear-drive layout creating a decisive front-end and the adaptive suspension ensuring a flat cornering attitude with plenty of grip. I wasn’t expecting this vehicle to be so enjoyable to drive at higher velocities.

There’s plenty of room for four adult passengers – five at a pinch – and the boot doesn’t lose too much cargo space over the regular BMW X3 (40 litres), despite the massive underfloor battery pack. As a bonus, it can tow up to 750kg and has a roof load limit of 100kg.

The BMW iX3 is a comfortable, quiet and superbly refined vehicle, but it’s not perfect in every sense. The ‘Vernasca’ leather upholstery doesn’t have the supple quality of some competitors and part of me wishes there were a few more unique touches in the cabin. Instead, you get a few blue highlights here and there.

The 2022 BMW iX3 is not a game-changing EV and it will be overlooked or even ignored by virtue of its conventional design. But the more I drove this vehicle the more impressed I was with its all-round capabilities and polished execution.

Those who decide to sign on the dotted line won’t be disappointed.

Sure, you could go for any number of premium rivals that have been designed from the ground-up as electric SUVs, including the bigger and pricier BMW iX EV, which starts at $135,900.

But the people have already spoken; in the last couple of months of 2021 BMW sold 35 iXs and 62 iX3s.

It might not scream EV, but the BMW iX3 proves you can teach an old dog new tricks and, right now, it’s the cheapest and best model in its class.

How much does the 2022 BMW iX3 cost?
Price: $114,900 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Powertrain: Single electrically-excited synchronous motor
Output: 210kW/400Nm
Transmission: Single-speed reduction gear
Battery: 74kWh lithium-ion polymer
Range: 460km (WLTP)
Energy consumption: 18.4kWh/100km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2017)