2023 BMW iX xDrive50 Review: Pleasing Performer, Vexing Design

2023 BMW iX xDrive50 Review: Pleasing Performer, Vexing Design - CNET

X Why You Can Trust CNET Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement Cars SUVs 2023 BMW iX xDrive50 Review: Pleasing Performer, Vexing Design The all-new iX gets the EV fundamentals right -- performance, range, comfort and more. So why don't I love this otherwise excellent machine? Antuan Goodwin Senior Writer, Electrified Cars Antuan started out in the automotive industry the old-fashioned way, by turning wrenches in a driveway and picking up speeding tickets. He now has nearly 20 years of expertise and experience behind the wheel of hundreds of cars, including electric, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, hydrogen, and traditional combustion vehicles. For each car he tests, Antuan covers more than 200 miles behind the wheel and evaluates driving dynamics; acceleration and braking performance; range; and efficiency. Antuan's goal is to use his extensive car knowledge to educate CNET readers and help with their next car-related buying decision. Whether you're EV-curious, an EV-enthusiast or a combustion-car loyalist, Antuan will bring you the unbiased advice, reviews, best lists and news you need. You can reach Antuan at antuan.goodwin@cnet.com Expertise Nearly two decades of testing, driving, reporting on, writing about, reviewing, and editing content about electric and ICE cars. Category focus is on electrified cars, EVs, HEVs, PHEVs, ICE cars, EV infrastructure, EV chargers, EV adapters, EV news, auton Credentials North American Car, Truck and SUV of the Year (NACTOY) Awards Juror See full bio Antuan Goodwin Aug. 8, 2022 2:00 a.m. PT 9 min read Enlarge Image I had a blast tooling around in BMW's new iX, but I'm not sure I'd want to settle down with it just yet. Antuan Goodwin/CNETThe 2023 iX xDrive50 is one of two new electric vehicles BMW launched this year, alongside the i4 sedan. Of the pair, the iX xDrive50 is the bolder play: a completely new vehicle from the ground up, rather than a battery-powered version of an existing model. It also takes much larger risks. Many of those risks pay off in the form of excellent driving dynamics, comfort and range, but some of them don't. The electric SUV is plagued by some strange and interesting design decisions, and I'm not just talking about its polarizing exterior. 8.5 2023 BMW iX xDrive50 MSRP $84,100 View Local Inventory Like Powerful and responsive electric motors

IRL range easily meets EPA estimates

Gorgeous interior design Don't like It's kind of weird looking

Steep tech learning curve

One of the priciest in this class xDrive50 electric powertrainThe iX comes standard with all-wheel drive, pairing a 190-kilowatt electric motor on the front axle with a more powerful 230-kW rear unit. Combined output peaks at 516 horsepower and 564 pound-feet of torque, enough oomph to silently launch the iX from 0 to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds. The surge of g forces under hard acceleration is impressive, but the benefits of instant, precise electric torque can also be felt when merging on the highway or just casually pulling away from a traffic light. It's a well-rounded, confidence-inspiring powertrain.The xDrive50 feels more than potent enough for driving on public roads, but if you need more power (or just have money burning a hole in your pocket), BMW added the 610-hp iX M60 to the lineup for the 2023 model year. That'll pull off the 0-to-60 sprint in just 3.6 seconds -- not quick enough to wipe the smirk off of a Tesla Model X Plaid, but it'll run neck-and-neck with a Model Y Performance or a Mustang Mach-E GT.  2023 BMW IX xDrive50: Anything but Conventional +57 More See all photos The driver has two tools to customize the iX's performance to their liking: My Modes and regenerative braking. The three My Modes -- Personal, Sport and Efficient -- primarily control accelerator responsiveness (and by extension, how much energy is used), but they also affect the steering and other vehicle systems. For example, when equipped with the optional Dynamic Handling package, Sport mode can lower the suspension by 0.4 inches for, well, more dynamic handling.The selected My Mode also affects the optional Iconic Sounds generated by the iX's speakers. Designed by German film score composer Hans Zimmer, this artificial powertrain noise fills the cabin as the EV accelerates, making use of Shepard tones -- an illusion of overlapping sound that seems to infinitely rise in pitch -- to create a sci-fi feeling of increasing speed. Sport mode sounds a bit deeper and louder than the other two settings. Alternatively, Iconic Sounds can be disabled altogether for those who prefer silent cruising.There are four regenerative braking levels with the default being what BMW calls Adaptive Recuperation. This mode uses navigation data, battery level and the distance to the car ahead to determine how much regeneration to apply when lifting off the accelerator. This should net you the most efficient energy recapture but, in practice, it just makes deceleration feel inconsistent, difficult to predict and, at times, jerky. I prefer to choose one of the more consistent static regen modes: low, medium or high. Also, tapping the transmission from D to B mode with high regen enables one-pedal driving, where the iX can slow to a stop without touching the brake pedal -- my favorite EV braking method overall. Enlarge Image Sport is the only customizable My Mode -- neither Efficient nor, ironically, Personal can be personalized. Antuan Goodwin/CNETRange and chargingThe iX is powered by a 111.5-kilowatt-hour battery, of which a net 105.2 kWh is usable. Interestingly, the EPA breaks out separate range estimates based on the size of the wheels equipped. The smallest 20-inch wheels earn the best 324-mile rating. Range drops to 305 miles with the 21-inch wheels, but oddly climbs again to 315 miles for the larger 22s. My best guess as to why is the 275/40R22 tire's stiffer sidewall reduces rolling resistance just enough to make up for the additional rim mass.2023 BMW iX xDrive50 View Local InventoryStarting with an 80% charge, I cruised for 209 miles before stopping to recharging with 17% remaining. That's about 10 miles better than I should have based on the EPA's numbers -- still within the margin of error, but even more impressive given my testing including a good chunk of Sport mode driving up twisty mountain roads. Not too bad. Enlarge Image This is about as open as the iX's hood gets unless you're a BMW service technician. Antuan Goodwin/CNETWhen it comes time to recharge, the iX pulls up to 195 kW at an appropriately powerful DC fast-charging station. That's not as fast as a 250-kW Hyundai Ioniq 5 or the 270-kW Porsche Taycan, but it's quick enough to add 90 miles of range with just a 10-minute session, or to go from a 10% to 80% state of charge in 40 minutes. BMW partnered with EVgo, providing buyers and lessees $100 of charging credit at its stations. The most cost effective place to charge is at home during off-peak evening hours. On a Level 2 plug, the iX can pull 11 kW, meaning it will charge from flat to full in around 11 hours.Ride and handlingExtensive use of lightweight materials -- like the aluminum and carbon-fiber composite chassis (which are visible when you open the doors or rear hatch) and aluminum suspension components -- help keep weight down. Still, the iX is a very heavy machine, tipping the scales at 5,769 pounds as optioned here. Fortunately, much of the weight is beneath the floor in the battery pack. This low center of mass helps the iX stay nice and flat around corners, which means BMW's engineers could tune the double-wishbone front and five-link rear suspension to be a bit softer for comfort. The SUV soaks up bumps well even on the optional 22s, and this is likely thanks to BMW's lift-related dampers -- hydraulic shock absorbers that progressively vary their damping force as the wheels travel up and down.This example is equipped with the optional Dynamic Handling package, which adds an auto-leveling air suspension good for preventing sag when towing a braked trailer up to 5,500 pounds -- though who knows what havoc that will wreak on your range. As mentioned before, the air suspension automatically lowers to improve stability at high speeds and in sport mode and can be manually raised for 0.8 inches of additional ground clearance at very low speeds. Additionally, this package adds rear-wheel steering that both helps with low-speed agility and highway stability. Enlarge Image The seats could use more lateral support, but the heated and ventilated buckets are quite comfortable for long hauls and commutes. Antuan Goodwin/CNETPolarizing designI'm willing to concede that the eye of another beholder may find beauty somewhere in the iX's tall wagon proportions, but I don't find the design very cohesive. For example, the severe L-shaped trim on the front bumper doesn't seem to line up with any other element of the fascia and feels tacked on in a way that annoys me even more than BMW's new corporate grille. Most days, I simply don't enjoy looking at the iX, but sometimes I catch an odd angle and it's not so bad. (Some of my colleagues have more positive opinions about BMW's styling.)I do like that the buck-toothed grille hides a very cool technology: It's made of a self-healing polymer. Pi