BMW iX3 50 XDrive 2026 Review

We’re still around six months away from the 2026 BMW iX3 50 xDrive going on-sale in Australia so official pricing has not yet been announced, but a starting point around $120,000 before on-road costs is the hot tip.

What we’re fundamentally looking at here is a five-door, five-seat electric mid-size luxury SUV with dual-motor all-wheel drive.

This is an all-new car based on BMW’s Neue Klasse engineering, technology and design platform that will influence every BMW built from this point forward.

New cylindrical batteries are integrated directly into a new architecture as a structural component (a weight saving measure known as pack to body), new and upgraded motors, a huge upgrade in digital technology underpinned by a new operating system that encompasses everything from instrumentation to the way the new iX3 drives.

BMW claims this is the first truly software-defined vehicle. Those EV givens like over the air updates and bi-directional charging are present. In Australia we get 3.7kW vehicle to load (V2L) only, but vehicle to home and vehicle to grid are offered in Europe.

Apart from the badge it shares nothing with its predecessor, it’s the first all-wheel drive iX3 and it’s built for Australia in Hungary rather than China.

Key equipment includes the Panoramic iDrive infotainment system headlined by the radical pillar-to-pillar, 1100mm panoramic vision that essentially replaces the instrument cluster.

There’s also a huge 3D-effect head-up display, a massive 17.9-inch floating central touchscreen and a choice of new steering wheels with ‘shy tech’ buttons that only appear when you need them.

More orthodox confirmed Aussie equipment includes a panoramic sunroof, dual-zone automatic climate control, an alarm system, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless charging, seat heating and electronically operated seat adjustment.

Seat trims start with Veganza artificial leather, progress to Veganza/M Performtex and top out with Merino leather.

Passengers will also be offered music streaming apps such as Spotify, gaming via AirConsole, video streaming and the Zoom app for video calls… albeit when the car is stationary.

Safety equipment includes nine airbags and a swag of high-end active safety gear. Intriguingly, while the car will come doused in sensors, radars and cameras, some equipment will be subject to subscription payments in Europe – it’s unknown whether that will happen here.

The signature BMW kidney grilles are now illuminated rather than chrome, and there’s a new twin LED headlight signature that can provide a welcoming light show that BMW calls orchestration. Door handles are flush and power-operated.

Australian cars will roll on 20-inch alloy wheels standard, but there’ll be optional 20-, 21- and 22-inch choices available across the BMW M and BMW Individual ranges.

Although not confirmed, our iX3s will likely come standard with the M Sport package that includes blue brake calipers, full colour bumpers with black inserts, side skirts, M logo light projection, black interior trim, sports pedals and M door sill finishers.

A further M Sport Package Pro will also be available. M in-car performance apps with acceleration, a g-meter and other information is also on offer with either pack.

The core question here is just how well do all the new technologies work together in the 2026 BMW iX3 50 xDrive?

Let’s talk about the driving first because this is at the core of the BMW brand; being the ultimate driving machine and all that stuff.

What BMW’s aimed for is an unprecedented integration of the hardware and software that makes the iX3 go, stop and turn, using cutting edge computerisation that’s 10 times faster and up to 20 times more powerful than anything used beforehand. It’s all managed by one of four onboard super brains called the ‘Heart of Joy’. Yeah, sounds a bit naff I know.

It’s hard to imagine the new iX3 floating the boat of an old school driving purist – it’s not going to deliver the visceral enjoyment of a barking straight-six, a slick shifting gearbox and rear-wheel drive.

But it is a pleasing drive in its own electrified way, and there are two ways it really stands out in its endeavours: braking and steering.

The braking system is 98 per cent based on regeneration. The friction brakes only contribute in extreme situations like an emergency stop or on track.

Stopping is powerful and extremely well-modulated. There’s none of the wooden ineffectiveness regen-based systems can produce, and the iX3 pulls up exceptionally smoothly whether you’re just brushing the pedal or stomping down hard.

And the steering? The electric-assist rack’s variable in speed, making it adept at the many hairpin corners on our mountainous drive route as well as manoeuvring in carparks. The turning circle is 12.1m.

The iX3 also offered assured steering in 130km/h freeway sweepers. And yes, there is feel.

Those freeways underlined the voracious yet smooth nature of the way this thing ticks over the kilometres. It felt slick and aerodynamic (it has an excellent 0.24 drag coefficient), slicing through the air very quietly even by EV standards.

Of course, with up to 345kW/645Nm, BMW’s sixth-generation EV powertrain goes pretty darned hard when you floor the throttle. There are a variety of drive modes, but even in Comfort, it will push you solidly back into the seat.

It’s suitably quick without being elite – the claimed 4.9 seconds from 0-100km/h would have been inspiring a few years ago, now it’s decent. Top speed is 210km/h.

We had the chance to try BMW’s new Motorway Assistant semi-automated cruise control system which allows for hands-off 130km/h freeway driving and can even change lane with an eye signal from the driver. It worked, but it’s not coming to Australia.

While speed sign monitoring got turned off straight away, all the other monitors and assistants unobtrusively did their thing in the background, however the lane keeping system did eventually get suspended as roads become twistier.

In terms of efficiency, the powertrain seems ready to deliver an economical energy consumption rate and substantial range via its giant 108.7kWh lithium-ion battery – the claims are as low as 15.1kWh/100km and up to 805km (WLTP) respectively.

After some spirited mountainous driving we averaged 18kWh/100km, which equates to real world range around 600km – bloody impressive for a 2300kg vehicle. In fact the kerb weight itself is pretty decent for an EV of this ilk, which points to a real effort by BMW to limit porkiness.

BMW also says the iX3’s 800-volt architecture enables 400kW charging at suitable DC terminals, but it’s limited to 150kW at 400v. AC charging tops out at 11kW.

And what of the new-fangled dashboard? The pillar-to-pillar instrumentation is the primary curiosity of course.

Initially, the information projected across the base of the windscreen made the car feel inordinately wide, but that illusion dissipated soon enough.

The key focus is the speed and range numbers that sit straight ahead of the driver and closer to the eyeline than an orthodox speedo. So it actually works rather well. Tesla should check this out.

The physical volume roller on the centre console and wing mirror adjusters on the driver’s door were just where they should be. New-design power seat adjusters are located Benz-style on the doors as well.

The standard front seats proved generous in their sizing and provided decent support while the single-piece M Sport Package Pro seats were a bit tighter and more focussed.

Emphasising the abandonment of an orthodox instrument cluster, the M Sport squircle steering wheel comes with vertical spokes. So at straight ahead it looks like the wheel has been turned 90 degrees. Some people couldn’t get their head around it. I didn’t mind it.

The overall effect up-front is uncluttered. The minimised air vents, reduced gear shift tab and abandonment of the iDrive dial help. Storage is generous and sensible with Tesla-like angled phone charging in the centre stack and a large flying bridge centre console. A traditional BMW signature is the way the infotainment screen – in lieu of a centre stack – is turned toward the driver.

Measuring 4782mm long, 1895mm wide, 1635mm tall and 2897mm between the axles, the iX3 is a spacious vehicle.

There will be no problem fitting taller passengers into the second row and they will benefit from adjustable air vents, USB ports, door bins and a fold down armrest with cupholders. The view out is huge too.

Accessed via a powered tailgate, the boot is a sizable 520 litres, expanding to 1750 litres with the rear seats folded, and this is the first time a BMW EV has a frunk, which measures up at 58 litres.

Sadly, there’s no spare wheel under the boot of the 2026 BMW iX3 50 XDrive.

Two of our colleagues on the launch drive found out the downside of that when they were stuck by the side of the road in the Spanish hills for several hours after a Goodyear tyre went bang.

We’ll get run-flats in Australia, but the lack of spare tyres in new vehicles is a joke.

Ok, let’s start with the driving. The key issue that was only hinted at in Spain was rear-seat ride quality.

There were only a few suggestions of an issue because the roads were so smooth, and we were rolling on the  optional 21-inch wheels rather than the standard 20s, which might have exacerbated the issue slightly.

The iX3 comes without driver-adjustable dampers for its independent suspension, so let’s hope BMW’s got the tune right. An adaptive damper will be offered in the future.

Move to the front seat and the positioning of the thick A-pillar on the driver’s side proved something of a hinderance. I found myself peering around it in corners and being reminded of the front spar for a racing car halo.

Back to Panoramic iDrive, the first challenge here is familiarity. I’ve got a 27-minute video in my possession of two BMW product experts walking me through the basics – repeat, basics – of this system and its inter-related elements.

Doesn’t make it bad, just makes it complicated. For instance, at one stage I had the sat-nav map displayed at the same time on the HUD, panoramic vison and the centre screen.

That’s a familiarity and tuning thing, and some short cut menus help with that that.

But having to access air-conditioning controls via the big centre display, including air direction from the vents, is just a pain. Steering wheel adjustment is also through the screen.

An annoyance easily remedied through one of the many sub-menus was the intelligent personal assistant’s insistence on joining the conversation any time the word ‘BMW’ was uttered by a passenger.

In its actual capability the voice assist proved a little hit and miss. Asked to open the front passenger’s window, it instead opened the front driver’s window.

Other things work better; interior lights turn on and off depending on whether you’re in the vicinity and things like the charge door opening and closing without being touched. BMW promises AI is going to help the system get more intuitive over time.

Also, I’m not sure if the reliance on a digital key (in a smartphone, smart watch etc) to start this thing and lock/unlock it is going to work for everyone.

The 2026 BMW iX3 50 xDrive is a very impressive vehicle.

It’s an EV that drives cohesively and enjoyably without trying to imitate an ICE vehicle. There’s credence to Heart of Joy.

The powertrain is powerful and efficient, while the interior tech is a learned exercise that has positives and minuses.

In terms of making a purchase, one thing that does worry me about the new iX3 is the amount of new tech stuffed into it.

Car companies traditionally evolve their vehicles through technology stages. They don’t just dump it all out there at once because it helps keep the bugs under control.

There’s a lot here that could go wrong, even though BMW insists it won’t.

But in terms of what’s sitting in front of us, assessed on its combination of hard and soft merits, the new BMW iX3 is a mighty achievement.

2026 BMW iX3 50 XDrive at a glance:
Price: $120,000 plus on-road costs (est)
Available: Mid-2026
Powertrain: Dual-motor all-wheel drive, asynchronous motor front axle, electrically excited motor rear axle
Output: 345kW/645Nm
Transmission: Single speed automatic
Battery: 108.7kWh lithium-ion
Range: 805km (WLTP)
Energy consumption: 15.1Wh/100km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Unrated

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