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 burden of being each a design assertion and a know-how showcase. After driving it a number of months in the past and seeing in individual twice now, I discovered lots 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 seems 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 street, key info 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 pondering 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 may strip it down to only 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 among the clearest indicators that the iX3 is constructed on an EV-first platform. With out a transmission tunnel and with a protracted wheelbase, the inside feels extremely open. Up entrance, the lateral area and legroom are beneficiant, giving an actual sense of width. Within the again, the shock is how a lot room you get — practically 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 gained’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 Useful
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 precise measurement for a big backpack, a few grocery luggage, or your charging cables. It additionally provides you flexibility: you may maintain on a regular basis gadgets separate from the rear cargo space, or stash one thing you need fast entry to with out digging via the trunk. When you begin utilizing it, you understand how priceless that further little bit of storage actually is.
4. Retractable Door Handles: Clear Seems to be With a Enjoyable Issue
At first, I assumed the retractable door handles may be extra type than substance. However seeing them in motion modified my thoughts. They provide the facet profile of the iX3 a smooth, uninterrupted look that actually matches the Neue Klasse’s clear design. The aero advantages are apparent — much less drag, higher effectivity — however there’s additionally a enjoyable aspect. Children specifically will love watching them pop out and in. It’s a type of particulars that makes the automotive really feel futuristic with out being excessive.
5. iDrive X: Quick, Logical, and Stunning
BMW’s iDrive has all the time been forward of the curve, however the brand new iDrive X seems like the primary time it really clicks with how we use tech right this moment. Not like the typically laggy launches of iDrive 8.5 and 9, this method 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 your entire display is one big set of shortcuts.
QuickSelect is one other spotlight: you may create your individual row of widgets for the capabilities you employ most frequently. Add within the attractive graphics, and also you get a system that’s not simply highly effective however pleasant to make use of on daily basis.
The New iX3 is a Enormous Step Ahead for BMW
The brand new BMW iX3 seems 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 every day driving simpler.
From the Panoramic Show that makes info 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 may begin to really feel very totally different in one of the best ways.
