All-electric BMW iX launched in India

The BMW iX has been launched in India at a price of Rs 1.16 crore (ex-showroom). It is BMW’s first EV in the country and it competes with the likes of the Jaguar i-Pace, Audi e-Tron and Merc EQC.

It generates an equivalent of 326hp and a peak torque of 630Nm. BMW says the xDrive 40 can go from 0 to 100km/h in 6.1 seconds and has a top speed of 200kph. The xDrive 40 has two electric motors, one on each axle. The AWD controller distributes torque between the front and rear axles, depending on how the car is being driven.

The front of the iX has double wishbone suspension, a rigid steering column, front and rear roll axles, and unique damper control. The iX is based on the evolution of BMW’s CLAR platform, which is made of carbon fibre and aluminium. The aluminium used on the iX is mostly recycled.

The BMW iX xDrive 40 has a battery pack that can store 76.6 kWh of power. On the WLTP cycle, the xDrive 40 has a claimed range of up to 425 km. All BMW cars come standard with a 2.3kW, single-phase charger that can be used at home, as well as an 11kW, AC wall-box charger that can be used at work. In 36 hours, the battery can be filled up from 0 to 100 percent. The 2.3kW charger can do this in seven hours.

At 50kW, the iX can charge the battery from 10 to 80 percent in just over an hour. At 150kW, it can charge the battery in just over 30 minutes.

The design of the BMW iX was shown off in the iNext Concept in 2018. The face of the iX is marked by BMW’s weird new pig nostril grille. The grille is closed off, and it has cameras, radar, and sensors needed for driver assistance systems. In addition, the plastic on the grille is able to repair itself. There are now four light bands in a row on top of the iX’s thin headlight assemblies. This is a change from BMW’s traditional light design. The tail lights, too, have a very modern look.

It looks like a BMW X5, but inside, the space is more like that of the X7 because of the electric architecture that frees up space around the front centre console area and also makes the floor flat. Natural materials are used for the iX’s upholstery and recycled plastics are used for some of the interior trims.

But the real star of the interior is the new hexagonal steering wheel and the huge curved display that serves as both an instrument cluster and a touchscreen. There is a single piece of curled glass that holds a 12.3-inch instrument cluster and a 14.9-inch infotainment screen, both of which are aimed at you as you drive. The system runs the most recent version of BMW’s iDrive 8 infotainment software.

Lack of buttons inside the cabin of the iX creates a beautiful sense of simple elegance. This is an electric car, so there is no centre console. The controls for the drive selector and BMW’s iDrive rotary controller are in a high-mounted armrest that goes forward. It has some other controls that can be found on the door trims.

On the inside, the high-quality wood, chrome, and leather work well together, and the overall quality isn’t too far off from the BMW 7 series. The cabin is bright and airy, the front seats are big. This car is both luxurious and high-tech at once.

It has a panoramic glass roof, multi-functional seats with memory and massage functions, bespoke leather upholstery, ambient lighting, BMW Virtual Assistant and more. It also has wireless charging and Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. It has soft-close doors and a surround-view camera, as well as an 18-speaker Harman Kardon sound system.

Multiple airbags, ABS with brake assist, cruise control with braking, Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), a tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), and a host of other driver aids are on board, including lane change warning with active return, blind spot detection, and front collision warning.

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