Thread Starter
#1
The BMW iX was launched in November 2021. Now the large electric SUV is getting a facelift, which also brings more range. Instead of a maximum of 393, 426 miles are now possible on one battery charge. The drive power has also been increased for all three powertrains. This is why they have been given new names: Instead of xDrive40, xDrive50 and M60, they are now called xDrive45, xDrive60 and M70.
The new variants will start deliveries in the UK from May 2025. BMW has not yet provided any precise details on the production and market launch. However, the BMW iX will continue to be built in Dingolfing, around an hour's drive north-east of Munich.
At 4.97 metres long and 1.70 metres high, the exterior dimensions of the BMW iX have not changed significantly; the boot has an unchanged capacity of 500 to 1,750 litres. Even the look only appears completely new at first glance; BMW has probably achieved the dramatic effect of the pictures primarily with skilful lighting. A comparison with the old model reveals the vertical air intakes at the front left and right. The light signature has also been changed, as shown here:
The front skirt has also been slightly modified to make the lower air intake appear larger. The shape of the headlights does not seem to have changed. The vertical kidney grille has also been retained, although the frame and pattern are now finer. A new option is the contour lighting of the grille, which made its debut on the BMW i7 and is now gradually making its way through the entire model range.
According to BMW, the rear apron has been redesigned; the M70 and the M sports package offer an integrated diffuser. Comparison with the old version is made more difficult by the fact that there are different visual variants, hence four pictures, three of the new and one of the old iX:
Inside, BMW seems to be moving away from the oddly shaped steering wheel, as the comparison pictures below show. However, the slightly curved double display (with not exactly overwhelming dimensions) remains. The rest of the look seems to have changed little:
The BMW Operating System 8.5 , which was introduced in summer 2023, is designed for particularly intuitive operation. This includes voice control, video streaming and in-car gaming. 5G mobile phone antennas enable optimised connectivity.
As before, all three iX variants have all-wheel drive and only current-excited synchronous motors are used. The reasons for the increased range are obviously different: a significantly larger battery is installed in the basic xDrive45 version. In contrast, the new batteries in the two higher variants are practically the same size; however, the reduced consumption is noticeable here. It has been reduced by silicon carbide inverters, friction-optimised wheel bearings and tyres with the efficiency label A+. However, the top-of-the-range M70 version still consumes significantly more than the two basic versions.
The basic version is now much more powerful at 300 kW instead of 240 kW, and the battery stores much more energy, 94.8 kWh net instead of 71.0 kWh. This jump of around 30 per cent has been made possible by 'new battery cell technology', but no further details are given. However, the weight of the battery also seems to have changed, as BMW mentions a change in weight distribution due to the new battery technology.
As far as we know, the small battery used NCM chemistry, while the large battery used NCA (nickel, cobalt and aluminium). It is possible that the small battery has now also been switched to NCA; if the heavy metal cobalt has been replaced by lightweight aluminium, it is plausible that the weight of the battery will change. But this remains speculation.
The entry-level model now achieves 321 - 374 WLTP miles. The extra power shortens the sprint by exactly one second to 5.1 seconds. However, the increase in system performance does not seem to be related to the motors, as the 258 PS at the front and 272 PS at the rear are even weaker than before (272 and 340 PS respectively).
The mid-range version previously used the same engine hardware as the base model. The new xDrive60 now uses the same 258 PS unit at the front, but a 313 PS unit at the rear. The system power increases slightly from 523 to 544 PS, the battery size increases only very slightly from 108.6 to 109.1 kWh. A total range of 370 - 426 miles is now possible instead of a maximum of 393 miles.
Strangely enough, the top-of-the-range M70 has a slightly different storage capacity of 108.8 kWh to the mid-range version. The maximum range is now 366 miles instead of 350 miles. The motor is now rated at 659 PS instead of 619 PS. However, this power only applies to the 'MyMode Sport'. At the front there is a 258 PS motor, at the rear there is a 489 PS motor - the hardware has obviously not changed. The high torque of the top version is still remarkable. It is no less than 1,015 Nm (or 1,100 Nm with Launch Control activated).
The entry-level battery can now be charged with a maximum of 175 kW instead of 150 kW. Although the DC charging time increases by three minutes, this is not surprising given the significantly higher storage capacity. The charging speed calculated by us from the manufacturer's specifications is reduced: 2.0 instead of 1.7 kilowatt hours can now be charged per minute of charging time (average in the SoC range between 10 and 80%).
Charging capacity, charging times and charging speeds have not changed significantly for the large battery. It is worth noting, however, that the mid-range version can now charge with up to 22 kW of AC as standard, whereas this was at least an option on the base model. The top model can still do this.
motor1.com